First there was his messy departure from North Queensland – now Socceroo Shane Stefanutto reckons the Fury hasn’t done his new A-League side Brisbane Roar any favours.
The Roar vice-captain is bracing himself for the backlash from a wounded Sydney FC after the defending A-League champions suffered a shock 2-1 last round loss to early wooden spoon favourites North Queensland.
Brisbane had plenty of momentum following their encouraging 0-0 draw against nemesis Gold Coast United in the season opener but were forced to cool their heels due to a second round bye.
That time was spent watching Saturday night’s opponents Sydney FC take on the Fury in Townsville – and Stefanutto wasn’t happy with the result.
“Of course I was hoping for a draw (in Townsville) – unfortunately North Queensland snuck it,” Stefanutto said on Tuesday.
“But it is a tough trip to Townsville, (and) it is not as hard a trip to Brisbane.
“They will be motivated but we are pretty confident.”
Especially after encouraging reports on the fitness of Brisbane striker Reinaldo (hamstring).
“We have a settled line-up but there could be some selection headaches – Reinaldo trained today so there’s no dramas there for him,” Stefanutto said.
Stefanutto signed a three-year deal with the Roar in April.
It was the same month Football Federation Australia were forced to take over the cash-strapped Fury following owner Don Matheson’s decision to walk away following losses reportedly up to $4.5 million.
Now he is bracing for the fallout over Sydney FC’s shock loss to the Fury.
It ensured the Sydney glamour club only have a point to show for the first two rounds, following a high-scoring draw with Melbourne Victory.
The Roar looked chuffed after finally ending a three game losing streak against United in the season opener, but Stefanutto believes there is plenty of room for improvement against Sydney FC.
After butchering 10 shots on target against United, Stefanutto said the Roar had to learn how to finish teams off.
“We have, let’s be honest,” he said.
“That’s the part of the match we weren’t happy with.
“We had enough chances to win that match, we didn’t take them – hopefully we will this weekend.”
Brisbane have lost only once to Sydney in the past 10 encounters between the clubs – but new Roar keeper Michael Theoklitos was more than wary.
“They are the champions. They obviously have not got off to a good start, but they are going to come out firing and we are going to have to be ready for that – we are not going to take them lightly,” he said.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
Nestory Irankunda has sensationally rejected the chance to play at the Paris Olympics this June after a late bid from the Olyroos to include…
Mathew Ryan's tenure at AZ Alkmaar appears to be over, as the Eredivisie side are seemingly moving on from the 93-time Socceroo. The decision…
One down 49 to go. Socceroos striker Kusini Yengi raised some eyebrows this week when he declared himself to be the talisman striker the…
