It was a sight to lift the spirit of all Roar fans . . . international marquee Thomas Broich has rejoined the club’s Hyundai A-League squad for training just a month after an operation on his ankle.
Also back on the training field were goalkeeper Michael Theo, who is recovering from a broken wrist and fullback Jack Hingert (knee operation) while midfielder George Lambadaridis (knee operation) did conditioning work on the sidelines.
Brisbane Roar medical and coaching staff cautioned it was still early days for the four in their various rehabilitations.
“It is about their progressive integration back into the squad and eventually back into full training,” Brisbane Roar Director of Football Ken Stead said.
“The next couple of days will involve a lot of workload management and monitoring of how they handle various tasks, and if they come through that, we will step them up to the next level.”
Broich and Hingert completed an intense 90-minute session in which the entire Roar Hyundai A-League squad were put through various drills which focused on mobility, first-touch ball control and fitness.
“It’s great to be back training with the boys,” Broich said.
“It is a very challenging situation we are now in. We need to turn our season around and we have to be a lot better than we have been in the past.
“Everyone is just itching to get out there and work as hard as possible to get ready for the second half of the season. There is a lot to play for and still many games to go. We have to be ready for that and this is what the hard work now is all about.”
Hingert earned cheers from his teammates when he cracked a 20m shot that smacked onto the crossbar and shook the entire goal.
“That felt good,” Hingert said. “It’s now about getting fitter and building the strength in the knee again.”
Theo, who broke his left wrist in pre-season training, showed no fear as he blocked close-range shots and punched away others in a torrid workout which also included extensive goalkeeper fitness work.
“I’m feeling good but there’s a lot more hard work to go. I’m up for the challenge,” Theo said.
The Roar’s first game back after the AFC Asian Cup break is against Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium on Monday, February 2 (7pm kick-off).
