Central Coast Mariners Josh Rose has credited coach Graham Arnold for helping him regain the form that saw him picked in the PFA Hyundai A-League Team of the Year.
Central Coast Mariners Josh Rose has credited coach Graham Arnold for helping him regain the form that saw him picked in the PFA Hyundai A-League Team of the Year.
After impressing during his first season with the Mariners last year, Rose initially struggled to get back to his best at the start of season 2011/12, but the Mariners right-back says working with Arnold brought him out of his slump and has even improved his play as the season went on.
“I-ve slowly improved over the season,” Rose said at the Central Coast Mariners finals series launch.
“Trying to back up from last season I didn-t reach the heights I wanted to early on, but throughout the season I-ve been working with Arnie quite hard to get back to that high standard, and the last few weeks I-ve been getting close.
“Arnie-s been helping me out with one-on-one stuff, on defence and going forward, telling me to be more patient, and a lot of video work about how I can improve my positioning.
“He-s very hands on. Even when things are going well he-s still pointing out little things where you can improve your game; it-s not just when you lose games and he tells you what you-re doing wrong. He-s continually trying to make you become a better player, which is something everyone aspires to be.”
After going so close last year, the Mariners have shown they have the ability to learn from their experiences, knowledge that has allowed them to play with more consistency and without fear – all the way to the Premiership.
“Last year was my first season back in the A-League and the nerves were a bit much but this year I feel a lot more relaxed, especially clinching the Premier-s Plate on the weekend, that-s a big expectation off our shoulders. To get that, we-ll be much better off over the next few weeks.”
Rose also backed up his coach-s comments that the Premiership was the team-s main focus, with finishing top of the league the ultimate accolade for the player-s season. But that focus now turns to giving the Mariners fans the grand final triumph they-ve missed out on three times previously.
“The Premier-s Plate was something we-d talked about that we wanted to win. More than anything the grand final is for the fans and supporters that have followed the club since day one.
“They-ve had a lot of heartbreak in grand finals and I-d love to win one for them.”
Major Semi Final (1st Leg)
Saturday 31 March 2012
Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners
Kick off: 4.30pm (local time)
Suncorp Stadium
Major Semi Final (2nd Leg)
Central Coast Mariners v Brisbane Roar
Sunday 8 April
Kick off: 5.00pm (local time)
Bluetongue Stadium
To purchase tickets click here
