Despite many people struggling to tune in to a reliable and polished live broadcast of the clash between Western United and Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, those who did would have been pleased with what they saw from both sides.
After a somewhat defensively oriented first half, the chances began to flow in the second, as both sides sought to break the deadlock.
That endeavour was missing in the other derby unravelling at the same time in Sydney, with Western Sydney and Sydney FC both lacking the sense of freedom and risk in attack required to ignite a game of football that, like many, had become somewhat stodgy and conservative.
Thankfully for those who had ventured to GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, the second period of play in the southern derby did come to life.
A few 50/50 calls, some interesting A-League Men’s debuts and a 75th-minute goal saw Victory fans engage in the fight and eventually experience triumphant emotions that were rarely felt last season.
The goal was provided by the club’s new Portuguese central defender Roderick Jefferson Goncalves Miranda, a man rather beautifully known by the singular name Roderick in a football context.
If it wasn’t my favourite A-League Men’s name before the opening weekend of fixtures, it certainly is now.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Jake Brimmer provided the ball to the near post and the physically imposing 30-year-old generated great power with his header, despite it being something of a glancing blow.
Veteran keeper Jamie Young was caught out, perhaps a step behind where he may have been a few seasons back.
It was not the sparkling performance any football fan hopes for from their team on a weekly basis, yet early in the season and after all the delays, interruptions and inconsistency of the last two years, it was a satisfying and deserved win.
Frankly, the result had new Victory manager Tony Popovic stamped all over it.
With all bar a couple of members of the starting XI being new to the club, the softly spoken Popovic went a long way towards wiping the painful memories of 2020-21 from the minds of supporters in just one match.
Not simply because Victory took the three points, more the way the team looked, played and competed.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Last season brought the rare site of Victory sitting at the foot of the ladder and their performances often reeking of disharmony, disinterest and questionable tactical approaches.
Within 45 minutes on Saturday, Popovic had the team holding its shape well, playing with a clear purpose, intent and style and showing no signs of frustration with each other.
Most Victory fans would have been grinning from ear to ear, feeling confident that one of the most proven managers in Australian football and one of the countries most respected Socceroos defenders with 58 international caps has a safe pair of hands with which to look after their club.
The players appeared connected in thought, selfless defensively in true Popovic style and bonded strongly, as evidenced by the goal celebration, which gave a clear impression that Melbourne Victory will be a united group this season.
In a nutshell, one of Australia’s most decorated teams looked to, once again, be as professional and organised as it had been throughout much of its history.
The manager has no doubt used some of the same strategies that saw him instantly turn the Wanderers into a consistent championship threat and challenge the dominance of Sydney FC with Perth Glory between 2018 and 2020.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Still the holy grail awaits him in Australia, yet the premiership plates and Asian Champions League trophy he has won say a lot about his qualities as a top-shelf manager.
The Victory board has certainly provided Popovic with the tools he will need to challenge Melbourne City and Sydney FC.
Yet to have sent his team onto the pitch in such a professional and organised manner in the opening round of fixtures is something of an achievement in itself.
Popovic is exactly what Melbourne Victory fans were hoping for after last season’s embarrassment and the team’s opening effort was exactly what they demand at such a successful club.
Anyone who had a chuckle at the Victory’s expense during their horror run will not be afforded such an opportunity this season.
Whether the team does become a serious contender for the title is debatable.
Yet with Popovic at the helm, fans can certainly be assured of him crafting a unified, aggressive and professional performance each week.
It is exactly what Tony Popovic does.
Aiden
Guest
Vela obviously not a Jo Rogan fan
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
Waffle - opinions are like you know what's - everyone has one....
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Thank you Justin, for being polite, it is appreciated. However, I didn't say we fans don't mean anything, what I said is none of us have ever scored a goal. We are all interlocking, as FIL says in the next post, without us, there is no sport. We all saw how anemic the game was without fans. Even the best comps in the world, with the best players, it just wasn't the same. However, membership numbers won't win you the Championship, if it did, then every club would be signing members not players.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Agree on the exhibition games, but pretty good news regarding Vela.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
there are ways around the cap - giving players cars, the club paying for accomodation, jobs for the players parents/partner etc oh btw what ever happend to that $60k car victory gave Marcos Flores outside the cap, as a sweetner for signing years ago? :P anyways, like i said id love to see how 'creative' they got with the books for this seasons signings: brilliante, nigro, ikonimidies, dagostino & hamill are all on multi year deals (2-3 years) - lets low ball there yearly contracts to say $200k each (brilliante and ikonimidies are on several hundred thousand) geria, davidson, spiranovic are all on one year deals - (davidson in particular would be close to mid 6 figures, again lets average it out and say $200K each season visa signings in marchan, kelava & margiotta have got a 1 year deal, miranda is 2 years - again lets low ball again and say $200k each season (miranda is definitely only at least double this) brooks, velupillay, anderson, kirdar and bello are still on scholarship contracts victory have used up the australian marquee signing spot and both designated new spots for this season of players able to earn more than $500k a season. theyve also given contract extensions to folami, broxham, kruse, bozinovski and brimmer in the off season. (kruse and broxham would fall under home club, and loyalty contract) what about the severance pay of the 'uk crew' from last season - brebner, butterfield, gestede, mcmanaman? its one of the oldest squads in the league, and theres not much youth in it (to offset the cost) do you still feel confident victory is under the cap lol? :) can you see why alot of people doubt they are? (same goes for macarthur and wanderers)
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Concur, without members there are no ticket sales, merch sales etc, without that income there's no team and no Gaffer, it's a symbiotic relationship, without one the other doesn't exist.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
I am not trying to point score on head injuries .... the collision codes especially in the US are looking at some serious court cases... Agree it will also apply to Football.... I can see some big cases coming up in Australia especially against codes with plenty of revenue and assets... its the way the legal world works.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
The Collison codes have revised rules for head injuries, you also head and concussion injuries in soccer and there are certainly ex players who have suffered effects from repeated heading the ball. I can’t see using head injuries as a way to make a positive point. It’s concerning for all sports including soccer worldwide which would have the biggest financial risk.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
He wears fantastic suits . Stylish off the field. Drab but successful on the field.
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
Several clubs have been pinged for breaching the salary cap and Sydney FC twice...... Victory have never, that is never - and your comment is nothing more than pure, speculative nonsense.
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
Arguing that members mean nothing to a football clubs is, how to put this politely........ courageous?
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
The name of the club, Victory, is literally derived from the Latin name of the State. It's perfect.....
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
I like how football was presented as effectively 'book ending' their slate. Some respect for the world's game ⚽❤️
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Barcelona are desperate for money and they know the one place in the where people will pay hundreds pf dollars for an exhibition game is Australia. These matches need to be banned they serve no purpose.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I have often wondered along those lines. I suspect that the EPL might have been biting off too much at the time but it may have given a good grounding for life in the championship or Western Europe?
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
When was the last time any of their supporters scored? Membership numbers mean nothing. It is all about points on the board. I hope that is the only point they get this season.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
I disagree wholeheartedly with that bizarre statement. It would do the whole of Victoria and the eastern states in general, the world of good, if Victory spent time as a wooden spoon specialist. It would knock the bloody arrogance out of them and any of their supporters. Give them nothing!!!
Nick Symonds
Guest
NEWS: November 11 - FC Barcelona set to tour Australia in 2021 La Liga giants FC Barcelona want to travel to Australia for their pre-season tour prior to the 2022-23 season, according to a prominent Spanish journalist. The Catalans are still looking to officially lock in their off-season trip, but Australia is the first option, reports Gerard Romero via Twitter. It would be interesting timing for Barca to come Down Under, with the tour likely to be scheduled only a few months before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This would mean doubt would surround the participation of several stars with some players set to play a lot of football with the World Cup shoehorned into the middle of the season. - NEWS: Carlos Vela eager to play in Australia Mexican star Carlos Vela wants to play in Australia with his time with Los Angeles FC in MLS set to conclude at the end of this year. According to Guia TV , Vela won't be playing for LAFC next season nor his boyhood club Chivas, with the 32-year-old instead holding a 'desire' to play in Australia. The former Arsenal forward and his family are apparently eager to experience life Down Under and his signing would be a massive coup for any A-League Men's club. While any deal for him in the 2021-22 season will be hard to pull off with most squad's visa spots now filled, Vela looms as a prime and seemingly viable target for the 2022-23 campaign. Vela has also recently struggled with a knee injury so may be keen to have a few months off before setting out on his next club adventure. - https://www.sportingnews.com/au/football/news/a-league-and-australian-transfer-news-and-rumours-a-league-men-expansion-gathers-momentum/1vh6eod88zjs91l1dbx4ogb7ge
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Interview on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qraTfeksUo&ab_channel=ESPNAustralia
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Off topic but very interesting JJ half our interview on the Beyond the Lead podcast.... https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vRVNQMTk4NDE0NjcwOQ?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwio2IOB4630AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en-AU