Retired Socceroo Tommy Oar believes Macarthur Bulls are in the title window having assessed their early form in the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
The Bulls have had a mixed bag of results to start the season; Mile Sterjovski’s side won their first game at a canter against Perth Glory before back-to-back defeats to Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory, but returned to the winner’s circle before the international break with a 2-1 win over Sydney FC away from home.
On this week’s episode of Total A-Leagues, Oar and host Vince Rugari analysed the underlying stats behind Macarthur’s first four games of the season and, ahead of their Unite Round clash with Auckland FC, tipped the Sunday afternoon matchup to contend with Saturday’s Sydney Derby as the game of the weekend.
GET YOUR TICKETS TO UNITE ROUND!
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE!
“I think that a lot of the criticisms of Macarthur are typically in terms of the crowds, and they’re not getting the number of people at the games and these types of things, but it’s you rarely hear somebody criticise their on-field stuff,” Oar said.
“Mile Sterjovski has done a fantastic job there to not only keep the players motivated, but also with his recruitment.
“If you look at some of the players they brought in, and the players they’ve kind of given opportunities in the starting lineup, they’ve got a great mix of experience and youth breaking through. Jed Drew has had a fantastic start to this season and has been a breakout player for them.
“I think they’re a dark horse for silverware at the end of the season, and they proved in the (Australia) Cup… they’re more than capable, and I like the look of them.”
A-LEAGUES UNITE ROUND 2024: Fan’s Ultimate Guide To The Weekend
Macarthur came into the 2024-25 season as Australia Cup winners and have shown a dynamism in attack that Rugari believes could make for the perfect matchup against an Auckland side which is yet to concede a goal in their three games to date this season.
“Macarthur lead the league in expected goals, shots on target, big chances and goals scored,” Rugari said. “Now, of course, I reckon three-quarters of those stats, they banked them up against Perth Glory (6-1 win in Round 1).
“But they look to be a very good attacking team for the reasons that we’ve just said. And then we go to Auckland, yet to concede, and they actually lead the league in tackles and passes in the final third as well.”
Oar added: “I think that the one big question mark about Auckland is, obviously, they haven’t conceded yet, which is fantastic for them, but the statistic you touched on earlier about not having possession of the ball – when they do concede, what are they going to do?
“Because you’re not going to be able to sit back and counter or wait for the counterattack opportunities. You’re going to have to go and try and get the ball. And we haven’t seen them have to do that yet.
“So if Macarthur scored first in this game, it’ll be interesting to see how Auckland deal with that.”
One player who will be eager to continue to impress in a Bulls kit this weekend is Ariath Piol who, in Round 4, put an early Goal-of-the-Season contender in the books with a sensational bicycle kick that brought Macarthur level at 1-1 against Sydney FC and set his side on course to claiming all three points.
Having come off the bench for the Bulls against the Sky Blues, Oar and Rugari pondered whether the time has come to utilise both Piol and club captain Valere Germain as a two-pronged attack from the start against Auckland in Unite Round.
“I like their front two,” said Rugari. “Valere Germain, if he played for another club, I feel like we’d hear a lot more about him in terms of being one of the best players in the competition.
“Then Arial Piol, if they’re going to start playing those two next to each other, which I hope they do, what an interesting combination, because Piol seems like the kind of player who could be anything, really.”
“He’s so mobile,” Oar replied. “And he’s willing to run him behind, which for players more experienced like Germain who probably doesn’t have the legs that he had early in his career, it can give him more opportunities to get on the ball.”
GET YOUR TICKETS TO UNITE ROUND!
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE!
Could a Western United favourite make his club return in January?
With little more than one month left to play before the January transfer window opens, teams around the Isuzu UTE A-League will be busy assessing their squads and how they can add reinforcements in the upcoming window.
For the currently winless Western United, the opportunity could present to bring 2021-22 champion Lachie Wales back to the club, after the revelation on Total A-Leagues that the 26-year-old is back in Australia after a brief stint abroad at K-League 2 outfit Gyeongnam FC.
While assessing viable options for Western to target in the January window, Rugari and Oar discussed the potential for Wales to return to the club where he made 107 appearances prior to his move at the end of the 2023-24 season, whilst identifying young players at rival A-Leagues clubs who could potentially be swayed on a move with the promise of more game time.
Rugari began: “In January, if I’m John Aloisi, I am either signing Lachie Wales, who, as you told us off-air earlier, is a free agent, so will be available from January 1, and that makes sense if you’re Western United.
“But if that’s not an option, if he goes somewhere else, I’m looking at Sydney FC and the depth they have in wide positions in particular. Go and get Tiago Quintal on loan, go and get Jaden Kucharski on loan. Tell these guys you will play every week.
“That’s a short-term fix for them, good for Sydney, because those guys might be stuck behind the older guys.”
“Garang Kuol is another player that I think he should be looking to come back to the A-League,” added Oar. “So that’s another one for potentially for Western United.”
Kuol is currently signed to Premier League side Newcastle United but is not receiving senior minutes at the club, having spent two challenging loan spells at Scottish club Heart of Midlothian and Volendam in the Netherlands.
GET YOUR TICKETS TO UNITE ROUND!
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE!
New signing lauded for early Adelaide impact: ‘He’s Irankunda-esque’
There’s only one Nestory Irankunda – but in the 18-year-old’s absence at Adelaide United, a new signing is doing his best to replicate the Socceroo’s explosive form on the right flank at the Reds.
Dylan Pierias joined the club from Western Sydney Wanderers in the off-season and has made an instant impact in Carl Veart’s side.
He’s attempted 10 dribbles, taken 17 touches inside Adelaide’s attacking box, taken 213 touches, seven shots and scored two goals in his first four games at the Reds; unlike Irankunda Pierias has been used as a right-back instead of a winger but his attacking threat and speed down the right has been a big advantage for Adelaide through the early rounds of the season.
“Adelaide for me, the early standout is Dylan Pierias,” Rugari said.
“I’m not saying he’s Nestory Irankunda, but the way they’ve been able to isolate him and use his pace from right-back has been Irankunda-esque.
“In terms of you stand up, you get excited when you see him with space in front of him playing the ball in front, it’s great to see. There’s nothing too much more exciting in football.
“And a nightmare to play against,” Oar replied. “You don’t want to play against players like that. So he’s been a revelation, really.”
GET YOUR TICKETS TO UNITE ROUND!
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE!
But whilst Pierias has shone for the Reds up to Round 4, Rugari has challenged two young Adelaide stars to seize their opportunities in the coming weeks having both failed to make a start through their team’s first three games of the season.
“Archie Goodwin, I know he’s coming back from injury, so a slow preseason, but big wraps on him,” Rugari said. “He’s also wearing the name ‘Goodwin’ on the back of an Adelaide United shirt, which is unrelated, obviously, but a heavy, heavy sort of thing to bear.
“And then Johnny Yull as well is another one who I’ve been hearing for a long time (with) lots of promise. Well, this is the season to show it as well.
“He’s had small opportunities. I want to see guys like that take this competition by the scruff of the neck and step up big time.”
Mariners star’s sensational start highlights need for strikers to lift
Four rounds into the 2024-25 season, Central Coast Mariners have scored just one goal – the equal-least in the league. But what’s going wrong in the final third for the reigning champions?
Goals have dried up in Gosford as Mark Jackson’s side stutter through the early rounds of their championship defence; three draws to start the season gave the Mariners a sense of stability but a 3-0 loss to Wellington Phoenix in Round 4 set off the alarm bells at Industree Group Stadium.
The Mariners’ only goal of the season to date came in Round 2 against Adelaide via Sabit Ngor’s maiden Isuzu UTE A-League strike.
Supply is not the issue at the Mariners thus far, with Brazilian star Mikael Doka creating 19 chances through four games – the most of any player in the league.
“He (Doka) is at the forefront of everything good that the Mariners do,” Oar said.
“And I think the one thing that’s let him down so far this season has been the Mariners not getting enough players in the box, because every time he puts in a quality ball… there seems to be too many defenders and not enough to attackers attacking the ball.”
GET YOUR TICKETS TO UNITE ROUND!
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE!
If the reigning premiers and champions hope to climb away from the bottom half of the table this season, they’ll need strikers Ryan Edmondson and Alou Kuol to start firing.
The pair scored nine league goals between them last season but neither Edmondson or Kuol has seemed a genuine threat through the Mariners’ first four games in 2024-25.
Edmondson has just a 40% shooting accuracy so far this season, with Kuol on 50%. Edmondson has had five attempts on goal compared to Kuol’s four.
“Ryan Edmondson, one of the players of the Grand Final last season, hasn’t really fired a shot this season,” Rugari said of last season’s Joe Marston Medallist.
“And then Alou Kuol, I was so keen to see him develop. Something’s obviously not right since he got back from Stuttgart, he’s not hitting the levels, but he needs to for not only the Mariners, but I think we all had pegged him to have the potential to go higher than that.”
“I think it goes back to the players playing flat,” Oar replied. “I think that there’s they’re playing so much football and doing so much travel, it does take a toll, And they’ve done that for a number of seasons now, it’s difficult to maintain – but they’re going to have to find a way, because it’s been a really difficult start to the season for the Mariners.
“If they’re going to turn it around, they’re going to need to start posing more of a goal threat… fingers crossed Alou Kuol can find form.”
GET YOUR TICKETS TO UNITE ROUND!
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE!
