There is a sense amongst many A-League fans that this season’s championship is a contest between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, much like Version II of the A-League. However, ignore the Queensland Roar at your peril.
Frank Farina’s men are hitting top form at the right end of the season and are genuine contenders for the title.
Their terrible home form throughout the majority of the season was the main talking point of the team’s campaign.
It masked what is one of the most impressive squads in the A-League, one with depth and an impressive mix of youth and experience.
As they rediscovered winning form at Suncorp, the Roar came into contention, securing a finals berth with an outside chance, depending on Melbourne and Adelaide’s results, of securing an Asian Champions League berth by claiming the premiership.
Led by inspirational captain Craig Moore’s example of bravery on and off the pitch, the Roar lays claim to some of the most impressive and dynamic players in the league.
The midfield options of Michael Zullo, Massimo Murdocca, Matt McKay, Mitch Nichols, Hyuk-Su Seo, not to mention the experience of Danny Tiatto and the promise of Thomas Oar, is for mine the best and deepest midfield in the A-League.
Then there is Charlie Miller, one of the stars of this season, who has now recovered from his hernia operation and, should he stay fit, will play a key role in the finals, with his big match experience from his time at Rangers.
A match winner like Miller is an invaluable asset come sudden-death final matches.
There is also Sergio van Dijk, who has hit top form after a slow start to his career in Australia, the in-form striker of the A-League at present.
Moore, McKay and Zullo were also rewarded for their form with a call up to the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup qualifier against Indonesia.
With sights set on the finals, the Roar’s recent form has been impressive.
They were unlucky not to take the full points at Hindmarsh Stadium against fellow contenders Adelaide United, while the 3-1 victory over Sydney FC at home typified just how far the team has come this season.
In front of a season high 19,111 crowd, the Roar attacked with flair and sent a warning to the Victory and the Reds.
While the focus has very much been on the two Southern frontrunners, the Roar should not be discounted in the finals series.
Frank Farina deserves credit for this turnout, having re-invented himself and his reputation as a coach after his Socceroos spell.
A successful campaign this season was critical for the Roar franchise.
They needed to start building momentum with the Gold Coast and North Queensland Fury joining the competition next season, potentially robbing the Roar of valuable market space and fan base.
The 19,000 plus crowd at Suncorp demonstrated how important winning is for this franchise. This momentum could not have come at a better time for those in orange.
Queensland Roar has already claimed the W-League crown and the youth team lies second in the league.
What are the odds of an historic clean sweep this season?
Not as unlikely as some may think.
Koala Bear
Guest
MC, not that I waste my time trolling or have the time to troll as it is referred to .. But please can you tell me which forums you are referring to...? :lol: ~~~~~~~ KB
Michael C
Guest
okay KB - found it, the lack of a post match for whatever reason, and on the forums straight away out comes the soccer bitchiness talking about 'let's sabotage them'!!!. - gawd, grow up people!!! :Lol:
Michael C
Guest
KB - what did happen? (on radio SEN on Friday night) Everyone I know was watching the cricket.
Michael C
Guest
where does the media give soccer the hardest time??? Melbourne has the soccer paper - the Age (a sponsor of MVFC) and the more populist Herald Sun. TheAge could but dream of even half the sales of the Herald Sun. Which paper is more correctly reading the 'mood of the meeting'?? Sometimes, media coverage IS a barometer of the sports popularity. btw - remember, the equation. Melb - 3.8 million population...........9 AFL clubs, 1 HAL club, 1 NRL club. The combined memberhship of the latter 2 equates roughly to that of 1 of 9 of the AFL clubs memberships. Off season for the AFL, and the HAL has to compete with the month long Spring Carnival (ever heard of the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, W.S.Cox plate etc), 1 of only 4 Tennis Grand Slams (it's on at the moment.......on FTA, not buried on Fox like the HAL), the Boxing Day Test match and the like.............the HAL ain't gonna get any hand outs............and nor should it, nor should any sports. It seems that there are those EFFECTIVELY demanding that a single HAL privately owned franchise club be afforded the coverage reserved for the Socceroos???? And - don't forget, when you lambast Melbourne media, you seem to forget the presence of radio SEN, a 24 hour sports talk back radio station that broadcasts MVFC matches, hosts many MVFC interviews, has regular soccer segments and ensures that if the talk back demand is there, then it can be catered to and met....... .....and the coolest thing is that almost 85% of the time that someone calls up with a comment on MVFC or Storm, their 2nd point is pertaining to Hawthorn or Carlton. It might just be that the BEST supported HAL club is in Melbourne - - because, people aren't quite as myopic as some from outside of Victoria like to kid themselves to believe as the only reason VFL/AFL has thrived. The overall context - - - it's not Does HAL get enough press in Melb? or, Does any sport get enough press in Melb? The appropriate question is "Does Collingwood get TOO much press in Melbourne????" btw - the 'interesting' element of Phils observation is the MVFC have leveraged of AFL methodology and expertise and have leveraged off a great venue and a culture of sports attendance........city specific........dating back to the late 1800s. However - - interesting also, that of the just over 1 million attendees to HAL V4 H&A season, 26% were to the Docklands. 32% attended matches in NSW. That's about on par with national population breakdown. It's the 8 % in NZ that stuff the figures, and QLD Roar, instead of being 20% are around 13%. The interesting thing would be if SFC were the ONLY NSW side. Which they aren't. More can be read into all this if/when Hearts get off the ground, and when QLD has 3 teams suddenly overnight in V5.
Koala Bear
Guest
Pippi, what happened on SEN radio last Friday night (Melb v Nix) was a disgrace.. That is the only way one could describe it... ~~~~~~~~~ KB
Pippinu
Roar Guru
The A-League doesn't get much press in the local papers? The Age is a major sponsor of the Victory!!
Adrian Musolino
Expert
Roar can finish second if Adelaide don't get the win today. Phil, that's an interesting observation and as I have said elsewhere media coverage isn't always a true barometer of a sports popularity. Obviously the A-League doesn't get much press in the local papers and yet the crowds are fantastic.
phil
Guest
its interesting that the best supported team in the a-league is from melbourne, where it appears the media give football the hardest time. Just goes to show the public arent interested in what these hacks say. BTW Go Qld!!!!!!!!!
The Bear
Guest
Yes, Archie gave a useful goal at the death. But where was the "thrashing" that I thought that Victory was going to inflict? And s Adelaide, well of course I hope they do wobble, and wobble "big time", cause I hoping for the Roar to join your lads in the Finals and, yes, go on to host the GF at Suncorp on the 28th of February. This blog thread may have some legs yet....Challenging for A-League title, yes Champions will do nicely....
Dave
Guest
Bear 2 goals is better than one which is what it looked like for most of the game...still enough pressure on AU to possibly make them wobble.
The Bear
Guest
Well, Roar can at best finish second. But Pip and Dave...you did not get your 3 goal win over WP. Anxious wait, eh?
Dave
Guest
Midfielder Its interesting but the so called (usually AFL) general sports reporters in the print media here dont really know what to make of MV so basically they ignore it. These reporters will write up these pieces on the behind the scenes, commentaries on the state of the game, in depth profiles, quirky/ unusual background, rags to riches (redemption for Dokic theme today) etc on a number of sports (mainly AFL/Cricket but sometimes Golf, Tennis). MV with its its list of players from all around the globe, with such a massive variety of backgrounds and personal stories,with huge backing from the GP is not considered to be either interesting enough (they are top of the table!!) or too hard to talk about, so they dont. TBH it doesn't matter anymore as these dinosaurs will soon start to be replaced by a new breed of reporter/commentator who has a greater wordly perspective of sport than the biased and myopic view of the so called Melbourne sports media. Anyway will take thanks from you for MV doing CCM a favour and knocking off WP...now if you guys could return the favour by at least taking a point off AU :)
Midfielder
Guest
Dave & KB Spot on OHHHHhhhh for some decent media like what else does MV have to prove.
Dave
Guest
KB Yeah we were having a good laugh at all that on the way home in the car. No idea why they decided to drop the post game show, so can understand the frustration of the fans. We expected to be listening to the post game...interesting to hear a bit later some rang in to say their first game and loved it. TBH wasnt a great performance from MV but the atmosphere was great...29,000 without mainstream media support...shows real fan power. With decent publicity, as it deserved, l have no doubt 35,000 plus would have fronted. Also one of the SEN non football commentators said that in comparing MV games atmosphere to AFL, 29,000 is equivalent to 70,000 at AFL game.
Koala Bear
Guest
Dave, It's a bloody disgrace.. nothing on FTA TV up on the Gold Coast neither.. I listened to the game on SEN a crowd of 28k and the Football commentary has been cut off right at the end of the game and they are now discussing Tennis ... To add insult to injury these jerks have called our game sokka... What is going on.. :lol: Dave its on for young and old now.. Football lads have been ringing in and telling these Dickheads to piss off ... Wait the Grooky commentators calling the lads dickheads and piss off .. This is fantastic radio.. sms are flying in telling these Grooky jerks to get off and give us back our Football .. Do you mean Sokka ? The commentator has replied .. No Its Football you bloody idiot the caller said .. where's Ernie ? one asked .. I don't know replied the commentator we were asked to come in early and take over if you want to talk sokka go ahead.. I give up its football you jerk said the caller.. You can talk to us about tennis, cricket, or sokka said the comentator .. Now they're talking Grooky opps its the National Sheep Dogs Now.. lol The natives are getting angry Dave.. :lol: Now it's Tennis.... good night Dave.... ~~~~~~~ KB
Kazama
Roar Guru
You must be decent at FM, Pippinu. I've started playing recently too - 1st season I finished runners up to a dominant Mariners team that lost about 3 games all season and won everything. 2nd season managed to nick J Griffiths and Kaz from the Jets, 8 games in I am top & undefeated (with an also unbeaten Wellington right behind me), JG is top scorer with 7. Sydney FC are dead last with 1 point.
Dave
Guest
Should also make a note of the pathetic local media coverage of this match. Apart from poor print media (Sponsor The Age mentions game 10-12 pages in to sports supplement), Ch 10 news (normally not too bad) not a single mention of the game in a 10 minute sports bulletin but apart from Tennis and Cricket headlines - (fair enough), minutes of this bulletin spent on AFL player who received a sting from a sting ray- nothing serious in terms of injury, Cycling in SA (fair enough) and Golf tournament in the ME where an Aussie is doing ok. Shorter sports bulletins on 7 & 9 didnt mention MV game. So why does local media in this case, ignore HAL? Surly MVs biggest game of the season!
Dave
Guest
Bear Not easy to kick the ball at 90mph, from 22metres, keep it low, through the wall and NUTMEG the keeper...!! He's on fire and with confidence sky high l think he should play from the start. Let him do the damage and when he inevitably tires bring on the support cast...will be looking for big things tonight from the 'Jackal'. If he starts and plays well MV to win clearly...if he doesnt play from the start probably be a scrap of a game.
The Bear
Roar Pro
Carlos Hernandez - aka the Jackal - got very lucky with his free kick last week. First time he's ever tried to nutmeg the keeper, instead of picking out a corner, and IT WORKED. Maybe this portends a change in his, and Melbournes fortunes. Still I wonder about Melbourne's ability to perform against supposedly inferior teams. ps FM may know something about Carlos' off season movements that we don't??
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Got FM09 earlier this month. I finished my first season over the weekend, and guided Melbourne to the Championship from 3rd spot. I cannot begin to describe the ecstasy I felt in defeating CCM 3:2 in the final. I've just completed the pre-season cup for the 2009-10 season, and unfortunately the Victory hasn't got off to a great start. The good news is that we defeated the Nix, but only 1:0 - clearly not enough if that were to happen tonight. Seeing that I had lost Carlos over the offseason, I played with 3 upfront - but the likes of Durante, McKain, Dodd and Muscat were able to hold us out for most of the 90 minutes. There's a clear lesson - Carlos must play at least 30 minutes tonight, preferably more.