What a weekend of A-League football it has been, from the sweltering heat in Perth to the dramatic win in Parramatta and John Aloisi heading back to where his coaching career started.
Did I mention that Melbourne Victory continued their unbeaten run, defeating the Central Coast Mariners at home? This makes me an extremely happy supporter. Can we go back to back? Absolutely!
Okay, enough gloating about my team’s accolades. Let’s discuss the game between Perth Glory and Sydney FC.
I would like the 90 minutes of my life back and I’m pretty sure the 6947 people that attended Saturday’s game would appreciate them too.
The game never really reached its peak. For once we can take the blame off the coaches and players and lay the blame on the FFA. Who in their right mind thinks it was a smart decision to play football in Perth on a Saturday afternoon?
Have the FFA not learnt their lesson from last season? I’m assuming not. The players had to play in high temperatures of 35 degrees. When will player welfare be put first before sponsorships, TV rights and money?
Some might argue that later kick-off times are not good for eastern state viewers, but that is null and void. Victory versus Centra Coast was played at 8pm AEST.
Why couldn’t the FFA push the game to 5:30pm? You could see that the game started to slightly get more entertaining and the change of pace started to occur once the blistering sun started to go down, and the players could actually run.
I understand all the issues with having later games here in Perth, we all get it. But what is more important, a few extra dollars or our players’ safety?
On a slightly positive note for Perth, their makeshift defensive pairing of Aryn Williams and Alexander Grant was great and allowing Michael Thwaite to play in midfield has caught my eye. Could this be a permanent move for the defender?
There is not much more to discuss about the game itself, so I took to the ground and interviewed one of the best young defenders in the league, Sydney FC’s Sebastian Ryall.
Ryall signed his first A-League contact in 2007 with Melbourne Victory, making his first appearance for the club in their Round 3 match against Adelaide United. He also played in their grand final win over Adelaide in March 2009.
A month later he signed with Sydney FC, and I’ll always remember Ryall’s dramatic 90th minute equaliser against the Victory.
Following the Perth match you could see how exhausted Ryall was mentally and physically. But he was still kind enough to answer a few questions.
Giuffre: How do you think your team performed in today’s game?
Ryall: Considering the conditions, we obviously would like to have won but there’s a positive we kept a clean sheet. Both teams looked as if they were struggling. Our game plan had to change because of the heat.
Giuffre: How did you get started in football?
Ryall: I have two older brothers; they were always having a kick. I continued to push myself and the rest is history.
Giuffre: You were once a Melbourne Victory player, what’s it like going from one big club to another?
Ryall: They’re both great clubs. It was easy for me personally [because] I grew up in Sydney so it was easy to make the transition. It’s a great club with great people so it wasn’t hard at all.
Giuffre: Lastly, who would you consider your footballing mentor or role model at moment?
Ryall: It would have to be Alex Brosque, he’s great.
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