On Tuesday evening, despite some initial technical issues, we got a first glimpse of how domestic Australian football will look in its new home on Channel Ten.
Brisbane Roar played neighbours and NPL leaders Peninsula Power were the first A-League side to appear on the ‘free-to-air’ streaming channel. The Power were the nominal home side, but the tie was played at the Roar’s usual base, the Moreton Daily Stadium, due to its larger capacity, which is a mere 20-minute walk away from AJ Kelly Park and located in the same suburb of Brisbane, Redcliffe.
The NPL side were outclassed in every department – fitness, tactics, execution and individual quality.
Warren Moon showed the utmost respect to the Power by picking what was effectively ten of his first-choice 11, and so the Power would have had to have been at its best given the already challenging situation of part-timers against professionals.
Consequently, it gave us a glimpse of what remains in place from the team that finished in fourth place last year and what further tweaks we can expect to see in the coming season.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Goalkeeper
There’s been a huge change between the sticks for the Roar, with Jamie Young departing for Western United. Young had been a stalwart for the club ever since ousting Michael Theo as the number one in 2014, and the shot stopper sits as the Roar’s seventh all-time appearance-maker, with 163 games for the club across seven seasons.
Warren Moon has appeared to be putting his faith in 22-year-old Macklin Freke, with the returning 24-year-old Jordan Holmes recently signed as his competition for the number one spot. Against the Power it was hard to get gauge Freke’s level, as he was rarely tested, making only one save of note, and his main function was organising his defence when the Power won set pieces.
Last season he did impress in the two A-League games in which he was picked, in particular against Newcastle when he made a host of saves, but the sample size is limited, and so this change does represent a risk given the stature at the club of the man he is replacing.
Defence
The most commonly used backline last season was left-back Corey Brown, centre-back pairing Tom Aldred and Macaulay Gillesphey, with one of Jack Hingert, and Scott Neville or youngster Josh Brindell-South playing on the right. Gillesphey returning to England leaves a huge hole at the back after playing 52 times for the club over the last past two seasons. However, the rest of the backline currently remain with the club.
Hingert now sits as the clubs second highest appearance-maker after playing over 200 games for Brisbane, and he’s one of the few remnants from the side’s golden era ten years ago. Neville, meanwhile, also offers a lot of experience as an A-League mercenary.
The 27-year-old Corey Brown has returned after an unsuccessful spell at the Victory and feels more at home in Brisbane, as shown by his strong performances at left-back. Another full season for him and he will overtake Jamie Young when it comes to Roar games.
Jack Hingert (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While 31-year old captain Tom Aldred is a rock at the back and will enter his third season at the club. Brindell-South is also 27 and will hope to build on his great 2020-21 campaign in his second season at the club. He offers a lot, being able to play on both sides as a fullback.
Youngsters Hassan Ramazani, Izaack Powell and in particular utility player Kai Trewin will all hope for more game time as they look to break into the side.
Against the Power, Moon used Hingert, Neville, Aldred and Brown, which represents a lot of experience and stability. Aldred was always the last man and the organiser, while defensive partner Neville, the more mobile of the two, would sometimes venture forward but often came steaming back to make last-ditch tackles. In one instance he nearly scored an own goal, but his all-action style has always been a feature of his play as a fullback converted into a centre back, and his forward-thinking style brings with it some unavoidable risk.
Expect whoever plays at right centre back, along with both fullbacks, to be a key avenue for assists based on how Brisbane set up on Tuesday night.
Only Sydney FC had a better defensive record than Brisbane last year, and so the side will hope to build on this defensive stability. This is the area of the pitch that has seen the least change.
Corey Brown (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Midfield
Jay O’Shea sat out of the game on Tuesday and instead Moon played a very industrious combination of new signing Matti Steinmann flanked by the energy of academy products Kai Trewin and Jesse Daley.
In addition, the most interesting tweak from last season was the role that Rahmat Akbari was given that saw him play a part of a front three and given licence to take players on.
He was by far Brisbane’s best player on the night, always looking to win the ball in high positions and creating a host of chances for his forward players. To finish with a 66 per cent pass completion was a telling stat given that most of these passes were executed in the final third of the pitch.
It will be interesting to see if Akbari drops back into the role that Daley played as a box-to-box player with O’Shea coming back into the team or whether this wide-right position is now Akbari’s to lose.
Steinmann, on the other hand, will be a mainstay in the middle of the park, and his experience will help not only Trewin and Daley but also other prospects, such as Cyrus Dehmie, develop into key parts of the Roar midfield over the next few seasons.
Attack
It’s in attack that the club has seen the most change. Out have gone key attackers Dylan-Wenzel Halls and Joey Champness and fringe players Golgol Mebrahtu and Masato Kudo, while the departure of Scott McDonald midway through 2020-21 was never fully accounted for.
In came former Adelaide attacker Nikola Mileusnic after a stint in Denmark, exciting 21-year-old Luke Ivanovic from Sydney FC and 28-year-old Argentine striker Juan Lescano.
With two out of three of these scoring on the competitive debuts, the signs are good. Ivanovic in particular looked very bright and was a strong contender for man of the match along with Akbari.
Mileusnic worked hard, but more end product will be expected from him in this Roar side than was on display during Tuesday’s game. As he showed at Adelaide, he is more than capable. This is despite his underlying stats being impressive – his 70 per cent pass completion rate was the best of the front five.
Lescanois more of an unknown, but a goal on debut is a great way of settling any nerves.
Warren Moon. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
The joker in the pack is 21-year-old Alex Parsons, who appeared as a late substitute in the FFA Cup but scored three goals in the A-League last year and will hope to put pressure on the three new signings and get more game time himself.
Tougher tests will come than the Peninsula Power, but the signs are there that Warren Moon’s side can not only achieve another top-four finish but possibly go on a cup run and bring the FFA cup to Queensland for the first time.
After inheriting a side built by Robbie Fowler, Moon has been able to shape it into his own during the summer, and with a mix of new signings, defensive stalwarts and exciting youth players blossoming, the Roar could well and truly be the surprise package of the season.
sportstar111
Roar Rookie
Waz - what's Izaack Powell's situation?? Has he left the club?
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
no goals in the team, which will be the achillies heel like usual. milusenic/ivanovics/parsons are all capable players of doing things with the ball (running, dribbling, passing etc) but none of them will hit double figures this season. if you manage to get 15 goals from those 3 combined, that would surprise me lescano definitely wont break 10+, he'll be up there for dud VISA striker signing of the year (along with the victory import)
jbinnie
Guest
lionheart - You may be right in your observations on Akbari. The lad is a good looking player on the ball (attacking) but his defensive duties need serious work if he is to be used as a midfielder. Unfortunately in today's game all players are expected to play both attacking AND defensive roles, and therefore just cannot be rated as a good all round player until he, or she, has mastered both principles of the game. When watching a player perform always remember to rate both sides of the game. It is in this area that the gap between AL and NPL is apparent to the more studious onlooker. Cheers jb.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Good article, thanks Bendtner52. Of course your headline is for the attention, but I'd say it's reasonable to expect a finals place for Roar this year, in the A League. The squad is a step up I think, with a longer term focus. Freke hopefully won't be forced to make as many saves as Jamie did last year, but he was good as you say, in his couple of appearances. Gillesphey will be missed, but South, Neville and Kai Trewin are very capable defenders. I've always been impressed with Akbahri as an attacker, he's intelligent with the ball. And the new recruits all look good.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
surely not written in Sydney or Melbourne, not by the establishment anyway
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
that's quite funny, thanks
chris
Guest
Losing Young in goals will be a big loss. He is a presence and will be difficult to replace. The front line looks a little thin as far as genuine goal scorers but I don't know much about Lescano. He looked ok in the FFA cup. I'm hoping Ivanovic has a good season.
Guppy
Guest
I'm hoping to see Macklin Freke grow into the first choice goalie
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - An interesting article as you suggest but once again a play on words takes a bit of following with pressing and counter-pressing now added to the vocabulary which does little to educate the average fan what is being discussed. Lets go back a few years and look at the meaning of "pressing'. Simplified it simply means an instruction to players that as soon as the team loses possession they ,in total, should pick up their nearest opponent meaning that pressure is brought to bear on the opposition who are now in 'attack mode" having won possession. It is a simple equation ,a team cannot attack unless they have the ball and the team defending HAVE to win it back if they are to go on another attack. You probably remember Graham Taylor introducing it to English football at Watford, when with very little transfer activity took Watford from the then fourth division to Division 1 in 5 seasons. So we have to ask the author to explain the real meaning between counter-pressing which to me simply means how a team attacks. (in possession of the ball) Cheers jb. Cheers jb.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Never change No Mates, never change.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Roar for the spoon this season
Waz
Roar Rookie
Don’t disagree jb But it’s nice to see an article not prematurely write off Roar for a change. The best analysis you can do at this early stage is look for reasons why a team will succeed/why a team will fail. Plenty of reasons to be optimistic Roar can maintain an excellent defence snd, with Stienmann, even improve upon it. But goals are the challenge.
Waz
Roar Rookie
This is worth a read as well: https://www.theinnersanctum.com.au/what-to-expect-from-brisbane-roar-this-season/?fbclid=IwAR0JiOvXwd_wR3h3jkqyzo-iMapwDD3HDauGw9GluZ-aYUktsQbqBBCj9TY
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Moon is a quality coach. He will led this squad and the best out of them
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - As I have said to you before it is better to adopt a "wait and see" attitude when analysing how a group of "new" players are going to gel. Your final sentence says it all and I quote 'they've played 4 and won 4 pre season. Can they do it in the A L?." unquote. It has long been obvious that there is a huge gap in standard between AL and NPL and it is that gap that the young Moon will have to address. Don't let last year's performance figures fool you ,with the unrest and delays caused by the pandemic it could never be classed as a "normal 'year.. The previous FFA Cups have pointed that gap out to us over the years and I suppose this year will repeat the lessons. You also mention the lack of goals being a problem that has to be addressed and the last 2 season's say that is so,so true, so that Roar's league positions over the last 2 seasons could be credited to a high performing defence. The new overseas signings will take a while to settle so that the younger talent is going to be asked to shoulder the burden and it will be how they go about the early A league games that will tell the tale We can but hope. Cheers jb.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Good job and good article. Roar have returned to the recipe that you could describe as “the Roar way” … no standout “superstars”, solid visa signings (well, 4/5 so far) and a heavy reliance on youth. Starting with the youth - Roar probably have their best crop of young talent that they’ve probably ever had. The question - can Moon turn them in to AL players? Steinmann is one of the signings of the off-season and fills a glaring gap in the DM role. With young Daly alongside him the central midfield looks very good and this will free O’Shea up to play AM. Putting O’Shea forwards helps address the biggest issue over the past two seasons - a lack of goals. If Roar are going to do better than 4th they’ll need goals. So far, so good - they’ve played 4 and won 4 in pre-season. Can they do it in the AL??
coolncold
Roar Rookie
Good!
Chopper
Roar Rookie
I think Moon will play a back three with Trewin partnering Neville and Aldred. Brindell-South will make the right back spot his own as Hingert's final ball is rarely good enough when he gets forward. I think the club is still trying to bring in an Asian midfielder (on the back of a superb season by Riku Danzaki)to create a bit more for the front three because although O'Shea is a very skillful player he is predictable and the Roar have not had a good number 10 for a number of years. The front three will be interesting and hopefully a battle for starting positions will mean plenty of goals however I believe Moon will play one of either Mileusnic or Parsons with Ivanovic alongside Lescano. When he feels the need for a lone striker Akbari will take the place of one of the two central strikers and although I would like to see Invanovic grab that spot I think Lescanowill be the more consistant scorer. Who is to know at this early stage with youngsters such as Cyrus Dehmie and Eli Wood coming through the ranks and injuries will certainly test the squad's depth.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Really good analysis of The Roar's squad. I'd love to see Ivanovic and Parsons bang in some goals this year and the goalkeeper dual will be interesting.