Smeltz’s four-goal haul melts Fury
By Daniel Pace, 16 Aug 2009
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Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg was trying to be modest when he told club owner Clive Palmer his team would thrash North Queensland 4-0 in Saturday night’s A-League clash at Skilled Park.
Bleiberg would’ve been right if the match had stopped in the 63rd minute, by which time New Zealand international Shane Smeltz had bagged four goals.
But with Tahj Minniecon adding to the rout in the 79th minute, the high-flying Gold Coast triumphed 5-0 to post victory in their first home game and stay on top of the competition, while the listless Fury are yet to notch a win.
“I tried to be modest but I told Clive four (goals),” Bleiberg said after the match.
In a bizarre decision, it was Joel Porter who secured man-of-the-match honours, despite Smeltz cleaning up on the scoreboard.
While acknowledging the terrific effort of Smeltz, who grabbed three goals in a scorching nine-minute period in the second half in front of 7,526 vocal fans, Bleiberg was happier to talk about his side’s defence and cohesion.
Bleiberg made five changes to the starting side which defeated Brisbane Roar 3-1 last weekend and was missing star defender Adam Griffiths, who has been lost to Saudi champions Al Shabab.
“I’m proud more of the fact we kept a clean sheet,” said Bleiberg.
“I think that’s the strength of the team, we’re workman-like.
“We have 23 new players – no less and no more – and we gelled because we did the homework in the pre-season.”
Smeltz, the reigning Johnny Warren Medallist, has now scored five goals in just two matches this season.
“I haven’t scored a hat-trick in A-League so to score four is an amazing thing for me,” the 27-year-old said.
North Queensland, despite the recruitment of Socceroos defender Shane Stefanutto, were powerless to shut down a rampant United outfit.
“Gold Coast outplayed us in every department,” coach Ian Ferguson lamented.
“I think we actually contributed to three of their goals. I’m very, very disappointed.”
In the 29th minute Smeltz broke free of the defence and calmly slotted the ball past goal-keeper Paul Henderson after taking a long ball from Culina to start his golden run.
The former Wellington Phoenix star had a chance to extend Gold Coast’s 1-0 lead just before the break but his close range header from a pinpoint Michael Thwaite cross was well saved by Henderson.
But Smeltz would not be denied. He put his team ahead 2-0 with a 54th minute penalty goal after Beau Busch brought down Thwaite in the box.
In the 62nd minute Smeltz latched onto a neat Porter through-ball and fired at goal. The ball deflected off Busch and went past the despairing Henderson.
Just seconds later Smeltz had his quadruple. Steven Fitzsimmons sent the ball to Smeltz, who pivoted and fired low and hard into the right corner of the net.
To add salt into the Fury’s wounds, Jason Spagnuolo suffered a hamstring injury and will miss up to two weeks.
© AAP 2013
August 17th 2009 @ 3:41pm
Pippinu said | August 17th 2009 @ 3:41pm | Report comment
Towser
good post.
If what we’re hearing about Smeltz is true – that could be $3 mill he has made barely two rounds in to the season.
At this rate, he could end the season not having spent a single cent from his own pocket in start up costs!!
Of course, that’s a big hole he has to fill, and that’s the flip side of the coin – but still, if a half decent striker is looking for a job, and he knows Culina’s behind him feeding him inch perfect balls, don’t worry – they’ll have a think about coming!!
Here’s a question for everyone. Assuming Smeltz’s replacement would have to be an ANZ player – who’s out there that fits the bill? couple of aussies in the Balkans available for loan? think about it, upfront payment to the club as a loan fee is outside of the salary cap – part payment of salary within the cap – that’s the way a big successful club would be working things out.
August 17th 2009 @ 4:28pm
onside said | August 17th 2009 @ 4:28pm | Report comment
Towser and Pippinnu
this transfer caper is worthy of an article
That said,I am hard pushed believing Clive Palnmer looks at the bottom line.
Transfer fees are peanuts to the man. I think he wants a successful team
first and foremost ,then he wants the team to strut their stuff in Asia.Clive
owns a couple of 727′s that he and his staff use to fly around Australia and
China where he does a lot of business. He is unbelievably genorous in a
quiet way,having put those planes at the disposal of charities .The guy is
an absolute big picture operator.He owns Queensland Nickel who are the
major sponsors of NQ Fury.I think he sees football as a fun (albeit serious)
outlet.Clive could buy an EPL team.Its fantastic he is involved in the A League
August 17th 2009 @ 4:40pm
Pippinu said | August 17th 2009 @ 4:40pm | Report comment
onside
Every side street we go down is worthy of an article!! (but most of us don’t really have the inside knowledge to do it properly, to be honest)
I accept that it is possible to look at Palmer’s involvement and assume he doesn’t care about the bottom line (but generally speaking, billionaires don’t become billionaires by not caring about bottom lines) – as Towser and I have speculated in the past – he could own every A-League club, and it would barely register in his cash ledger – that’s certainly true.
Then there’s all this transfer talk in such a short space of time, so early in the season, barely a game played – and you start thinking: aha, now it’s all starting to make some sense – this may end up costing him nothing at all.
Look – it’s pure speculation – I don’t really know – I said somewhere above or elsewhere that I have little familiarity with private ownership.
I know that the AFL experimented with private ownership twice in the mid 80s, both were disasters, and they’ve pretty much moved right away from that model.
But I know that’s the way the world of football works – and I know that Palmer is a different kettle of fish than those shysters the AFL dealt with in the 80s – so – I don’t really know one way or the other.
August 17th 2009 @ 7:19pm
onside said | August 17th 2009 @ 7:19pm | Report comment
Pippinu
I have no knowledge either.What I like sometimes is an article based around a broadbrush question that
draws out information from other people.I find it difficult to understand how a clubs greatest assets ,the
players, are worth nothing on an inter A League club transfer, but huge money when sold outside the
system.If they are worth nothing when transferred intra A League ,and are then onsold,it seems fair to
me the profits should be shared on some sort of pro rata basis.For example Newcastle should reap some
benifit out of the Griffith sale.It is easy ofcourse for me to make these remarks because I dont understand
the reasons for there being no transfer fees in the first place.That is why I enjoy this site.Information flows.
August 18th 2009 @ 11:58am
DiCanio said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:58am | Report comment
Was Griffiths out of contract when he signed for GCU?
I know that when a club sells a (younger) player there is often a clause about receiving a percentage of his onsell costs should the new club move him on.
This is where clubs have to be savvy with the players they sign and resign. Its also a situation that wont be as common once the team limit is set in the aleague. Under a salary cap Its theorectically easier to make a bunch or smart purchases when your incumbent salary obligation is nil.
You see it too when a big money benefactor buys out an EPL team, Chelsea and Man City are examples. The first year or two they spend alot on quality players, but these players sign contracts for 3-5 years, and so a couple of years on if they want to buy new players they have to consider the salary obligations already in place.
Salary cap makes it even more difficult. Look at Sydney. I bet there is a massive difference in salary per player going through the ranks. However look at the contribution of each player and ask yourself is there any player there worth triple or even 5 times the amount of any other?
I’m taking a guess that Corica is on about 300k. Couldbe wrong but lets just say thats what it is. And Danning is on what? 80-100K
Maybe not even
So its interesting the way these things work out. It also sheds some light on why Lucas Neill is shy to sign up for a new team thus far, as he really is looking for a long term big money contract. Also why younger players, though fitter or more exciting, don’t neccessarily make the same amount as their older, wiser counterparts.