Short answer to the question of Matildas and Socceroos
Matildas are riding a wave and have nailed the branding 10/10
Socceroos are popular but not cracking mainstream attention in the same way 5/10
On the subject of branding, A League men are in serious negative territory.
Events over last weekend highlight that A League men is on life support.
With the branding unable to cut through and largely dependent on active support which is getting hammered right now, the A League men is situation critical.
It’s really only the national teams that are keeping the code alive.

Thanks Grem
Awesome and well considered response.
If the justice system is left to do its job, I would hope that the lawyers get to make similar arguments.

On Sam
Sam is entitled to the presumption of innocence. We don’t know the facts.
We know there was an incident and charges have been laid. Sam has pleaded innocent. The Matildas and Chelsea have closed ranks. The lawyers will do their stuff.
Quite frankly I am more alarmed about other stuff going on in the UK courts than this.
On the Captaincy
Steph is the captain. She will captain the Matlidas at the Olympics. Let’s not disrespect Steph with all this captaincy talk and the hypothetical.
On the Matildas
I love the Matildas. I think they quality of football is great and I love what they do.
I remember that video from the WWC where they superimposed the faces of the French male players onto the faces of the female players. I see no point in comparing male and female sport.
80,000 attendance at a friendly game coming up. Nuff said!
I love Ash Barty for what she achieved in Tennis. What a champion!
Is there any point in comparing male and female tennis players?
My best ever sporting memory is Cathy Freeman in 2000. Still get the goose bumps!
Is there any point in comparing male and female runners?

I normally come down Given Terrace and into the ground, but am intending to walk down Caxton St when the Den walk down. Camera ready.
I am hoping that a number of Brisbane Roar club reps do the same.
It would be good actually if the club appointed its own stewards to interface to police and security. And agreed some protocols.
Hopefully Zac is looking into such measures as we speak.

Hi Lionheart
One thing we know is that the powers that be want to expand the number of concerts.
If those concerts are in the summer, then that further reduces the windows available for football.
It would also increase the frequency and the expense of having to set up for concerts and subsequently re-turf or whatever it is they they do. I doubt it is cheap.
With low attendance for the Roar, and with various facilities and outlets being closed at Roar games, my guess (it’s only a guess) is that the people running Suncorp are thinking why not ditch football? and save a lot of hassle and expense. Money talks.
Perhaps I draw a very long bow to think that QPS are being used to “encourage” Brisbane Roar to move along. It’s just that I cannot find another rational explanation for what has been going on.
I am happy for someone to help me out here.

I am thinking Roar will have maybe a smattering of games at Suncorp next season, but seriously cannot see Brisbane playing many more games at Suncorp. There is something going on between the police & Suncorp management and football , and I cannot see the club winning that one.
It seriously sucks fronting up at Ballymore at 3pm. If the lighting is not sorted out for next season, then that won’t be an option.
Quite frankly, with Redcliffe ruled out, I cannot see where Brisbane Roar will play.
I don’t see the State Government (whether it be Labour or LNP) having any interest whatsoever in football, and crowds of 4/5/6 thousand send a clear message there are no votes in it.

I am not great on predictions so kudos to you Waz.
After the lengthy injury enforced losing streak, not helped by some suicidal tactics, Brisbane Roar seem to have a good team on paper and a good blend of youth and experience.
Roar are typically not good travelers and I am mindful that Sydney have Gomes. I recall what Brian Clough said about the game not being played on paper.
Three things on my wish list for this weekend:
Better policing at venues with no incidents like last weekend. At least we are not talking about VAR I suppose.
A creditable away performance by Brisbane Roar. Waddingham continuing his goal scoring spree would be the icing on the cake.
A win for the Mariners. We used to be rivals, but I have to admit, they are a class above Brisbane in all departments at the moment. A premiership for the Mariners will be good for football and an example of what clubs with big hearts, good community engagement, good management and good recruitment can achieve. So if it’s not going to be us, I hope it is them.

Hi Robert
I am not sure if you have come across this special edition of a very good podcast.

A-League Off-Air – Bonus Episode – In The Stands
byu/GutwrencheR inAleague

It does appear that at WSW they have been doing just what you talk about, and by all accounts a successful collaboration between the club, the active support, and ground security over the years which broke down at the weekend. New security people did not get the text apparently.
It is not clear if the same degree of organization exists in Brisbane, but then aside from an issue post the GF decision debacle at Redcliffe, I can’t say I have seen any problems at Roar over many years I have attended. Maybe the occasional flare in the visitors section. It’s pretty tame. Which makes the policing reaction kinda weird.
The worst incident I have seen at Suncorp was actually the shocking police behaviour last Sunday doing the rounds in social media and the CM. The caveat being it does not show the full context which must be said.
Anyway. The podcast is worth a listen. There are a few others about.

The weather conditions in the Roar game v Victory game made it a war of attrition.
The Roar Women were changed from 3pm to 5pm the previous day due to the wether, but the men had to front up at 4pm. It was not ideal conditions for football.
I am seeing a different Jelacic to you Brainstrust.
I see his constant movement, energy and creativity, and his assists and am really impressed.
I don’t recall such a ball of energy since Matt McKay.
I agree there is much potential for improvement.
Whether or not he makes the Olyroos which he is hoping for is anyone’s guess.
Kudos to Kaz and Zac for the recruitment of Jelacic and Rojas, even if both arrived underdone.
One on loan. One we are led to believe is Auckland bound.
Waddingham is not the finished product by any means, but the goals all count.
As for his effort that was saved prior to the first goal, maybe he could have done better. Maybe the shocking pitch did not help. Credit to him all the same for working the keeper.
And his Jamie Mclaren like ability to be right place right time for his goal.

Hi Chris
Undoubtedly there is a huge interest and participation in football in Australia.
I can remember when the Strikers won the GF over a quarter of a century ago, at Suncorp incidentally, and all the talk of the sleeping giant awakening.
We are still waiting when it comes to A League attendances and just general engagement of the wider population.
I regularly encounter the anti football prejudice in the social circles I move in. The jokes. The stereotypes. The endless chattering about the minor sports as Johnny Warren described them.
And I still struggle with the police-shutting-down-the football-at Suncorp statement. Which sadly seems to be unfolding.
Unthinkable for mainstream sports. Unthinkable!

I was at Suncorp.
Rojas was my man of the match as with most of us from Brisbane I believe.
Though Machach is an axe!
I have posted on this site previously that Rojas is not the Messiah for Brisbane Roar.
I stand by that.
Nothing personal. As with mid season signings, it takes time to get up to full fitness and best level.
RZ himself said Rojas still has a way to go.
Great player, and I hope I am wrong on all that, and praying for miracles, but I fear too little to late for Brisbane.
With the rumour that Rojas is not committed beyond the next handful of games, I’ll enjoy what he brings, but deep down feel he won’t bleed orange. He is a journeyman for us. A good one it is true.
So what about Waddingham then!!!!!! And what about Jelacic!!!!!!
Without whom Marco would not have been getting the plaudits.
Finally!
There were two great strikers on the park when Roar played Victory.
I am a huge Bruno fan. I love the guy!
But what about about our Waddingham!

I am pleased Kaz released the club statement yesterday afternoon.
A more positive statement from the APL would have been nice too.
This needs to be resolved quickly.
I do not think mainstream media is our friend here. And time is not our friend either.
If people walk into Suncorp yelling “Queenslander” and waving maroon flags, prior to State of Origin, it is all thumbs up from the media and general public. Go The Maroons!
If football supporters walk in to the same stadium chanting their songs it’s….. well most of you will by now have seen what the policeman was caught on camera shouting ….behaving like animals I believe.
If someone invades the field during State of Origin, or assaults another spectator, they are idiots.
If football supporters take a step wrong it is hooliganism.
And that is the distinction I believe was being made to me by the senior police officer I spoke to. And that is likely to be the reaction of the main stream.
Mainstream Australia has yet to embrace football, and often sees football through the lens of negative stereotypes.
Sadly some of that perception is reinforced by people doing the wrong thing.
But boy does the tar stick, and it is hard to remove.
The longer it takes to resolve the issue, potentially the greater the damage to live A League football in Queensland will be.
Let’s face it, with crowds of four/five/six thousand, the A League is getting close to being on life support now.
None of this is going to help gain support for the football stadium we need in Brisbane.
Let’s hope Brisbane Roar can get a resolution soon.
No fans. No football.

To the small minority that bring flares to football I say that there is plenty to enjoy without the flares. You are damaging the game; not enhancing it. Please do not bring flares to football matches.
To Brisbane Roar and the APL, I ask that you get this sorted out.
There are powers at work here that are seeking to destroy football in Queensland.
Whilst sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I base this on a recent conversation with an acting assistant commissioner of Queensland Police who advised me that the police want to see football closed down at Suncorp.
The reason given was the problem with flares but having seen footage from Sunday of what in my personal view is provocation and harassment of young supporters, I am coming to the conclusion that there is a broader agenda at work.
When I challenged this police officer about problems at other codes eg drunken fights, his view was that it was somehow different and did nor require closure of the sports.
It was just football they wanted to close.
Hence I conclude that there is a deeper concern about the way football supporters express their support and passion for the game. Less concern about problems at other codes.
Perhaps their concern is heightened by fear that football may finally emerge to eclipse alternative codes.
It appears to be more than a case of a few badly trained wallopers, or over zealous Suncorp security. This appears to come from higher up.
To those passionate, law abiding football fans threatening to walk away, I ask that you stay.
I understand the frustration. But walking away means that they have won. And we all lose.
Queensland has lost two football franchises over the years, and without supporters turning up in sufficient numbers to cover the costs, we are on our way to losing the remaining one.
Please do not let the anti football forces win in this State.
Come along, bring your mates, drink responsibly (if you choose to drink), and act respectfully and sensibly at all times. But maintain the passion.
And trust/hope that the leadership in the game gets this sorted out so we can all enjoy the chants, singing, wearing of colours, and the jumping around around that adds so much to the beautiful game in Australia and throughout the world.

I agree with the observations regarding the City game.
Brisbane Roar seem to run out of steam after around 60 minutes. By then they were 5 nil up. City subs came on and City started to dominate. But the mountain to climb was insurmountable, and Freke pulled off some good saves.
It was similar v Perth. Roar seemed cooked at the 60 minute mark.
Perth were very much in the game at that stage.
It appeared like RZ changed formation to three at the back to try to match Perth’s formation, and neutralize their threats. I have no issue with that.
The issue was that the players Roar brought on did not energize the squad and did not pose a threat to Perth. The Perth subs did precisely that to Brisbane.
For me, the issue lies with the players selected by RZ to come on an energize the squad.
If Rojas is not fit enough for a start, I certainly question if he is the right player to come on an re-energize the attack
Sadly, Brownlie is injured. But where was Majok? Where was Markovski? MacNichol?
The energetic Perth subs won the game. Although Roar’s defensive lapses certainly helped them.

My biggest concern is that Roar seem to hit a the wall around the 70th minute in most games.
I would go as far as saying we looked cooked after 55 minutes in Perth.
That trait goes back as far as the Australia Cup final.
Same against Melbourne City, where thankfully, Roar were out of sight after 46 minutes.
I think RZ tried to sand bag the lead, by going to a back three, and hoped to bolster the midfield to stifle Perth’s attacks.
Given he was matching up the Perth formation, the question we need to ask is how did Perth keep coming and Roar continued to fade?
It came down to who Perth brought on v who Roar brought on.
I don’t think RZ was wrong tactically.
It was the selections (i.e the bench) that were wrong.
Berenguer and Rojas were never going to give Roar the energy required.
I am not sure why Majok was not on the bench. We have not been told he is injured.
Markovski would also have broughta bit of energy also. Unfortunately Brownlie is injured.
Had we been able to introduce some youth and energy we may have got something out of the game, despite errors by Aldred and Nikolovski.
I will stick my head out and say, that if Rojas is not fit to start, he should be left out of the squad altogether.
Whilst he may have the pedigree and the skill, he does not have the energy levels needed to turn the games around.
It would be great for him to prove me wrong on Friday night, but I am not holding my breath.
It doesn’t sound like he wants to be Roar next year, so we should bring in energetic players that want to be.

Congratulations to Perth Glory.
It’s good for the competition, and a resurgence of any clubs outside of Melbourne and Sydney has to be a good for the game.
That said. I am not sure that the badge for longest suffering supporters goes to Perth.
There’s a team up here in Queensland that sadly owns the franchise on that.
Despite what he just did to Roar at the weekend, I am looking forwards to seeing Adam Taggart in the Green and Gold soon.
Hopefully , it will remind Arnie that there are as good, if not better players outside of Melbourne and Sydney.

I prefer O’Shea as captain. He is a class player. The fact that he may well take citizenship is also a plus factor. Commitment to Australia, and commitment to the Club make a clear statement that he wants to be here.
I am not sure if Tom Aldred wants to make that same commitment.
At centre back, Tom has shown to be no less error prone than the others, if I might put it kindly.
I think we need to see what happens over the course of the season.
Kai Trewin has a lot of experience for his age, and whilst arguably a defensive midfielder (a point highlighted by Ross Aloisi), he recently stated that centre back is his preferred position.
If Trewin were playing in Melbourne or Sydney, I think the pundits would be talking him up more than they do. A good run in the Olyroos might bear fruit and an an overseas adventure for Trewin.
Personally, I hope he stays and continues to develop.
The Nikolovski project is ticking along nicely.
If/when Scott Neville returns from injury, then despite Scott’s age, I am leaning towards Scott rather than Tom, and bringing in another youngster if at all possible into the centre back frame. I believe that Dylan Meinicke may fit the bill though I do not know enough about him.
At which point, with Trewin, Nikolovski, Neville, and a youngster in contention, I would wonder whether Tom Aldred could command the sort of salary he might look for.

After the dreadful 8-1 loss which I put down to key players being injured, Aloisi suddenly departing, and Luciano’s tinkering, as much as anything, I commented about Jamie Mclaren who was on song that night. I said that he might care to look over his shoulder because the future is Waddingham, Brownlie and MacNichol.
I was reminded of that on Saturday.
Whilst I think the loose salary cap regulations entrench financial inequality (and I stand by my “easy riding” comments about Melbourne City), what it is has done is force clubs like the Mariners, Adelaide and more recently Roar to focus on provision of opportunities to young players and on creative and circumspect recruitment. A virtue born of necessity.
All of which will benefit the game here in Australia.
I am by no means convinced yet that Roar can achieve a run of consistent form, but I am enthusiastic about the young players coming through.

I agree with the consistency comment, and with more concerts coming I believe, Suncorp will continue to be a pot pourri of puddles and potholes which will make consistency hard to achieve given the way Roar try to play. I fear more injuries will come.
If I had to pick a player it would be Freke who has surprised this season. Let’s not forget City managed a few efforts of their own.
I agree that Henry is something special. Burke-Gillroy. Waddingham. Trewin. Jellacic. Hard to pick.
The way Roar handled Nabbout and Mclaren is a testament to the young guys.
On that, I think it is time when we had an open discussion about the salary cap.
Looking at a side maxed out with 5 imports (not all of whom played) and by my count, seven players with Socceroo pedigree, it seems to me that Melbourne City has driven a whole convey of trucks through the exemptions, exceptions and easy riding, and squeezed every last drop of a loophole out of the cap. Not that it helped them on Saturday.
Perhaps that should be a concern for Arnie.
Although after recent results, a part of me says the laugh seems to be on City.

If you want to improve the outcomes for Australia’s national football teams, you need to change the Australian culture. This is where the discussion needs to focus.
Back in 2002, the late great Socceroo Captain Johnny Warren wrote this.
“soccer in this country faces entrenched cultural and institutional resistance. One only has to scan the national newspapers to get the feeling that the editors consider the sport a minor one, and not worthy of much coverage, except, of course, for the occasional incident of crowd trouble, when there is always a camera available and a reporter ready with pen poised. For the most part, Australians are fixated on what are relatively minor sports”.
Not much seems to have changed in nearly a quarter of a century.
The football fraternity, of which I count myself as one, needs to realise that when you are a minority, the standard of behaviour expected of you by the mainstream culture is different to what is accepted from established codes.
The bar is higher. That is just how it is for minorities.
The infamous “bucket man” incident as well as behaviour of some fans during the Australia Cup and women’s World Cup are recent incidents.
Not only are these incidents to be condemned for the acts themselves. They must also be condemned for the irreparable damage to the image of the Beautiful Game in mainstream Australia.
Mainstream Australia simply does not get football. It largely ignores it, at times denigrates it, often looks for ways to bring it down, and more than occasionally it seeks to stifle success and divert funding away to other sports.
All the promises and the enthusiasm surrounding the Matildas latest World Cup venture, have yet to translate into a change of heart in Australia.
Look no further than the hand wringing surrounding the Gabba as an Olympic venue in Brisbane.
The mainstream media up here in South East Queensland is not talking about the chronic shortage of suitable venues for football, or where to house the potential thousands of spectators from around the Globe competing for non-existent seats to watch men’s and women’s football at non-existent Olympic football stadiums.
All the focus is on sports which are not played at the Olympics.
It will take time and effort and unity of purpose amongst the football family to change the culture.
The Matildas have advanced the conversation, though clearly there remains much to be done.
Progress of women’s football and engagement with Asia are two things suggested by Johnny Warren. We have seen progress there, though we are failing to keep up in terms of investment and in danger of falling behind.
But the biggest challenge which Johnny Warren spoke of eludes us. He wrote:
“It is for this football culture on a global scale, that I so desperately crave. It is this football culture that Australia desperately needs”. “It is..the cultural resistance that must be overcome. This remains a pivotal issue in the nation’s development and the game’s vitality”.
Simply adopting a we will play and the crowds will come approach has not worked and will not work.
Expansion to a second tier in my view is likely to fail. It will stretch limited resources and is likely to feed the counter narratives and further damage the game.
Also to be avoided are knee-jerk solutions such as the decision to change the Grand Final venue. The A League is too fragile for such self-inflicted wounding.
Not continually shooting ourselves in the foot and not feeding the negative stereotypes would seem absolutely essential.
We need to acknowledge the industrial scale of the cultural changes required and focus on what will encourage inclusion as well as avoid decisions that feed the negative stereotypes and further damage the game.

I am puzzled by the arrival of Rojas at Brisbane Roar.
I don’t believe he has played since early 2023, and seemed to be getting little game time in South America.
For Brisbane Roar, mid-season signings have typically failed to deliver; as Messiah after Messiah has proved to be just a very ordinary Brian. And not even a very naughty boy.
Lack of conditioning, lack of quality, long past their best, injury prone, and often not able to adjust.
I feel like I have seen it all before, even if Rojas has done well in the A League previously.
For me, Rojas is the latest Brian.
It is hard to get past the conditioning thing. When did he last play 90 minutes of competitive football?
His signing seems at odds with what Kaz and Zac have spoken about with respect to recruitment. Perhaps they see it as the last roll of the dice for a season that has gone down the pan since the Western United loss.
Mindful that we must always look on the bright side of life, as a Roar fan, I hope Roar can pull off a miracle win on Friday night against Phoenix.
Sadly, I fear it is more likely to be another case of: Crucifixion? Good, out the door, line on the left, one cross each for Brisbane Roar.
As for Phoenix. Congratulations on the season so far. If recent recruitment by the Phoenix is anything to go by, no doubt the Costa Rican will shine.
[Apologies to all who have not seen the move ‘The Life of Brian’]

Agree 100% jbinnie.
Added to the time it can take to get match fit, as well as get used to the style of play and the climate, the settling of family where applicable, is another reason why Roar should keep their powder dry.
Whilst I am more than impressed by young Waddingham and Brownlie, I don’t dispute that an experienced quality striker is on the wish list. However, the likelihood of finding a match fit quality striker is extremely low during the January window. Not to mention the additional challenges visa players face.
As the window opens today, we will no doubt hear soon what Roar are able to achieve in the window. I just hope Roar stand firm to what Kaz and Zac have said regarding recruiting the “right” players. If the club is going to change, then they need to do thinks differently to the past.
BTW. If I want to be picky, my understanding of why Berisha left was that the salary cap rules at the time did not permit Roar paying what Berisha could earn at Victory. The rules got changed soon after. It was actually Ange who left saying his wife wanted to return to Melbourne. I think Broich left at the end of his playing career.
But your point is 100% valid nonetheless. Speaking from my own personal experience of migrating to Brisbane 40 years ago, you are spot on.

Sydney are not dissimilar to Roar in terms of the pedigree of its home grown players; the side is elevated by their five quality imports. They have a gem with Fabio as we saw in the Cup Final. His first finish on Saturday was regulation. His second sublime.
The injury depleted Roar were awful for much of the first half. But very competitive in the second. Whatever it was that Ben Cahn did or said, the team visibly lifted, playing with heart and vigour. Sadly Roar lacked the quality up front to go on with it. Had Brownlie been there to come off the bench and nick something for Brisbane is academic, but I could not help feeling that Sydney were fortunate he wasn’t.
I agree additional quality and depth is needed.
But, in all honesty, the likelihood of Roar recruiting a match fit quality player in the January window is somewhere between zero and not much at all. I am really hoping the club does not go down the false positive route again. I don’t want to see another Austin, Scepovic. Lescano, Steinmann or Canadi.
The club would be better served by persuading young players like Eddie Ince to stick around. If not too late.

Sadly, coaching merry go rounds are a feature of the game, and long term successful tenure, the exception rather than the rule. Head coaches come and go. Some jump. Some are pushed. Some just fade away.
In regards to win percentages and trophies, Mulvey and, Ange have been Roar’s best.
Neither had A League head coaching tenures prior to Roar.
Neither was Australian born.
Both were very much a gamble at the time with doubters aplenty.
The well documented debacles and implosions that have been Brisbane Roar since the demise of Mike Mulvey, have been made in Australia. Not in Indonesia.
The faults lie overwhelming with those employed onshore to run the club.
Some criticize Kaz and Zac as mere accountants. They were footballers first, and the hope is that they are able to bring a mix of football knowledge, passion for the game, energy, and business acumen to the club.
Renewal and rebuild is going to take time and there will be ups and downs along the journey as we have just seen.
I had no expectations of top six coming into this season, nor of a trophy for some time to come. Though Ross came close.
My expectations are that strong financial and operational foundations be built; positive relationships be built with governments at all levels as well as the local football community, the media, and the broader community. And that young Queensland talent is given a go. Some excitement along the way to make it interesting is also welcome.
As the cameras rolled during the interview with Jamie Mclaren after the Melbourne City game, my thoughts were: Congratulations Jamie. Well done old man. You’ve done well. You’ve represented yourself, your family, your club, and your country with pride.
But I was also thinking: Look over your shoulder mate. We have seen the future. And the future is Rylan, Thomas, Quinn, and more to come. And I will remember Rylan’s goal well after I have long since forgotten the result of the game.
Welcome to Ben Cahn. The flame has been lit. Long may you keep it alight.