- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Harry Kewell believes he can have a bigger early impact for Melbourne Heart this time than he did in his previous A-League season with Melbourne Victory.
Heart captain Kewell admits he took time to hit top form with the Victory in the 2011-12 season, though he played more strongly late in that campaign, before quitting the club for personal reasons.
The 35-year-old has played just three club games since, for Qatar club Al Gharafa.
But as he prepares to wear a captain’s armband for the first time, in the derby clash with the Victory at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, Kewell is confident he’s ready.
“Yes I agree, as long as the season went on I felt I got fitter and sharper,” Kewell said on Friday of his time at the Victory.
“But this season that’s why I decided to come out here early, to get a good pre-season under me so hopefully I can be ready for the start of the season.”
Heart coach John Aloisi said a near three-month pre-season had been important for Kewell.
“He wasn’t totally happy with how he performed when he was at Victory, so we decided to get him here early,” Aloisi said.
“He wanted to come early, get fit, and since then he’s been such a positive influence … Harry’s ability will shine through if he’s fit.
“We’re getting him fit and he’s fit to play tomorrow.”
Aloisi, a former Socceroos teammate of Kewell’s, said he rated him alongside Mark Viduka as the most capable Australian players he’d seen and Kewell still surprised him at training with what he could do.
He said just having Kewell on the pitch would help his teammates in a high-intensity game such as Saturday night’s.
“I think when he was 19 he played in front of 127,000 against Iran,” Aloisi said.
“To have someone like that to turn to when it’s a derby situation, I think it’s going to be only good for the younger boys.”
Kewell expected no friendly ribbing with former teammates.
“I don’t think there’s going to be friendly banter, I think it’s going to be fiery and I think that’s what everyone is looking forward to,” he said.
While the Victory are warm favourites, Kewell warned that the Heart were capable of upsetting their longer-established, more popular rivals.
“Sometimes a little brother steps up and knocks that killer punch,” Kewell 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.