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For those of you who’ve read my comments in my other columns, you would know that I am a Brisbane Roar fan.
I love the Brisbane style of play; the beautiful Broich masterclass that serves as an engine room for the Roar; the solid defence of Matty Smith; the danger of a rogue Brattan or Franjic; the class and the reliability of Theo between the posts; the brilliance and tenacity of the mercurial Berisha; the ruthlessly beautiful coaching style of Mike Mulvey that inspires the Roar and produces fear in his opponents.
I love my city. I love my team. They are amazing to watch. Even if they weren’t, they’d still be my team, just as they were under Miron Bleiberg and Cranky Franky.
An interesting hypothetical was raised in a discussion with some friends recently: Who would I support in the A-League if there was no option to support my team? Or if it’s a match of two teams neutral to you?
So I raise this question to you, to discuss below – as I’d love to see what you value in the teams that you don’t support. The things we can see of beauty in the league, not just in our corner of it.
There are so many good and appealing things about the different clubs in the A-League this season. The style of Adelaide United is alluringly beautiful. The support and coaching of Western Sydney is appealing and the atmosphere of the RBB inimitable.
The individual technical skills of Victory players is scintillating. Adam Taggart for Newcastle is unbelievable. Kenny Lowe on the touchlines for Perth Glory is entertaining. Seeing the Heart showing some is heartening. Wellington, despite being as hot and cold as the planet Mercury, are a delight to see when they fire.
For me, though, it would have to be the Central Coast Mariners. They do well again and again and again, even though they shouldn’t. You look at the squad at the start of every single year, and see on paper a side that should be made mincemeat of. One that doesn’t have a chance against their big-spending rivals.
They struggle for a large number of supporters in an area historically more a league stronghold, and yet, what they lack in numbers, they make up for in heart. They are the little engine that could; the David that keeps whopping Goliath in the head, and by any reasonable measure they shouldn’t be.
They have great training facilities, but it seems to be a team that funds any new talent out of the sales of old talent. A team that can lose Ryan, Bojic, Sainsbury, Zwaanswijk, Bozanic, McBreen and McGlinchey, and just rebuild and get on with it impresses me a lot.
Sure, some would say they’re not the best they’ve ever been, but I once thought that if they lost a coach of the quality of Graham Arnold, it’d be good night Mariners. But the unassuming Mr Moss is proving me wrong.
I’m really glad to be proven wrong, and wish them all the best – as long as they don’t steal the 2014 toilet seat from us.
So, that’s who I’d support if I had no option of supporting my boys or there was a neutral match I was at. How about you? And why would you pick that team?
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