Strap yourselves in, Brisbane Roar fans, because a trip up the M1 to face the Newcastle Jets at a packed Sunshine Coast Stadium is the biggest game the men’s team has played since 2021.
That was the year the men battled their way through to an elimination final against Adelaide United, only for a Tomi Juric double to end the Roar’s campaign in a 2-1 defeat watched by 7,782 fans at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe.
With any luck there will be a few more fans inside Sunshine Coast Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the visit of the Newcastle Jets.
Why wouldn’t there be?
The ‘sold out’ sign is expected to go up long before kick-off in what will be a red-letter day for the club.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW!
And after 6,815 fans piled in for the visit of the Central Coast Mariners back in July – and that was for a pre-season friendly – there’s no reason to think that every available vantage point on the picturesque shores of Lake Kawana won’t be restlessly occupied.
Supporters on the Sunshine Coast deserve this.
For years they’ve driven diligently down the highway to watch their team run out at Suncorp Stadium, in good times and bad, and now they’ve got a game to support in their own backyard.
And with Sunshine Coast Stadium set to host football at the 2032 Olympics – now just seven years away – it will be a stunning sight to see the entire venue bathed in a backdrop of orange.
Isn’t this what we wish for every week? A full stadium and the sort of atmosphere that comes with it?
It’s been great to see The Den packed for the opening two home games of the season – they’ve been in terrific voice – but I think we’d all like to see a few more fans make their way into Suncorp Stadium.
They’ve got plenty of reason to, with Michael Valkanis’ men proving once again they will be one of the league’s toughest teams to beat after holding defending champions Melbourne City to a scoreless draw under stormy skies last Friday night.
Had any one of a flurry of late corners resulted in a goal for the home team, it would have been an even better result.
But after losing the same fixture 4-1 last season, there’s no denying there has been a marked improvement in defence.
“If there is one team in the league who doesn’t want to be physical, then they’ve got rocks in their head,” replied Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar in the post-match press conference to the question of whether this Brisbane Roar side is too physical.
“Everyone should be physical. And especially in Australia… the game is physical,” said City’s championship-winning coach.
“If you want to compete, you have to be physical,” Vidmar added.
“We’re physical,” the former Socceroo admitted. “But no one says much about us being physical.”
There you have it.
A club backed by the might of the City Football Group, boasting some of the most exciting attacking talent in the league, doesn’t mind rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in.
So why should things be any different for Brisbane Roar?
Having only conceded twice in three rounds – both goals of which came in the final 15 minutes away in Wellington – I’d say Michael Valkanis has already proved a resounding success when it comes to the task of improving what was once one of the league’s leakiest defences.
And with a full house of passionate fans throwing their full support behind the team against the Jets, there’s no reason to believe the floodgates aren’t about to open for the Roar’s attack.
Sunday’s game will be massive.
There are already three Orange Sundays celebrated in the folklore of Brisbane Roar.
I have a feeling a packed house at Sunshine Coast Stadium is about to set us up for a fourth.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Mike Tuckerman
About Mike Tuckerman: Mike is a freelance football journalist and long-time Brisbane Roar watcher. He has written for the ABC, The Guardian, Australian Football Weekly, Football Australia and theroar.com.au.
