When the going gets tough, Sam Klein usually gets going – as he proved with a priceless headed winner in last weekend’s come-from-behind victory over Perth Glory.
If we ever wanted proof of just how tight-knit this Brisbane Roar men’s team is, we saw it in the changeroom following one of the grittiest wins of the season.
It was there, with defender Dimitri Valkanis holding the phone up to his team-mates, that his father and head coach Michael called to congratulate the team on their performance.
Brisbane Roar’s popular tactician was back in Greece to attend to a family emergency, and we have since learned that Filippina Valkanis – Michael’s mother and Dimitri’s grandmother – has sadly passed away.
No doubt everyone connected to the club and the entire Queensland football fraternity sends their best wishes to the extended Valkanis family at this difficult time.
But it’s testament to Michael’s character that he has made himself available to be on the sidelines for this Saturday’s blockbuster encounter with Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium.
Is this the biggest game of the season?
In the context of the campaign, with the hosts lying in fourth but just two points above the seventh-placed Reds, it’s hard to imagine many bigger.
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And with Adelaide having downed Melbourne Victory 2-1 in truly remarkable scenes at a sold-out Coopers Stadium last weekend, the visitors will be fired up for what will be a heavyweight showdown on Saturday afternoon.
Craig Goodwin has looked imperious for the Reds in recent weeks, and with the 34-year-old continuing to push his claims for a spot on the Socceroos’ plane to the World Cup, Youstin Salas will have his work cut out for him keeping the veteran winger quiet.
Mind you, more than a few of the home team look to be playing themselves into some form too, with Chris Long stroking home a confident penalty to level proceedings in Perth, while Klein has stepped up as one of the starting side’s most reliable performers of late.
The club has needed him to be after a difficult run of four games in just 10 days, with the win in the west helping to steady the ship heading into a series of fixtures against several sides currently beneath Brisbane Roar in the standings.
One of those is Adelaide, but as we saw with Ryan Kitto’s dramatic 97th-minute winner over Melbourne Victory, the Reds are a side that will never give in until the final whistle.
Still, having already beaten the South Australians on their own turf thanks to Long’s spectacular stoppage-time winner from distance back in December, there’s no reason to think this can’t be the game in which Brisbane Roar starts a serious run towards the finals.
With 12 games to go and only four points currently separating the top six, we know that every point will be precious in the race for the finals.
And as we saw with the raucous atmosphere booming around Suncorp Stadium at the last home game against Auckland, the fans in the stands have their own role to play.
That was one of the best atmospheres I can remember in recent years, with The Den out-singing the visitors from across the Tasman for the entire 90 minutes.
Michael Valkanis and his men will need a similar commitment from supporters on Saturday afternoon – even if the head coach can be forgiven for having other things on his mind.
But if there is one thing last weekend’s win over Perth Glory proved, it’s that Brisbane Roar is a family.
We saw that in the changeroom celebrations at HBF Park. Now the men in orange have the chance to do it all again in what is undoubtedly the biggest game of the season to date.
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.
