Brisbane Roar’s Liberty A-League team will be looking to employ the lessons learnt from recent weeks when they take on Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Garrath McPherson’s side secured their first point of the season with a rollercoaster 3-3 draw away to Canberra United last week, an ultimately frustrating result having led by two goals late in the game.
It was the latest in a series of promising performances that have gone largely unrewarded, including an exciting attacking display that culminated in a 3-2 defeat to the reigning champions Victory a fortnight ago.
“We were happy with the way we set up to contain them and hurt them,” McPherson said of that encounter.
“There were probably some borderline decisions from referees that could have gone either way. And we were in the game right up until the last kick.
“We need to continue to work on how we manage games. In two of our four games we’ve been in front at 86 or 87 minutes. We came away with a draw [in Canberra] but, to be two goals up, it hurts.
“We’re growing as a team and we’re learning. Unfortunately, we’re learning through disappointment that in this competition you need to maintain focus right to the end.”
Brisbane have had to work around interruptions related to COVID-19 testing this week but McPherson acknowledged his side are far from alone in that regard.
“The start to the week was interrupted but I don’t feel any team in the competition right now will have an incident-free, smooth week,” McPherson said.
“If they do I would think they’re very lucky.
“But we’ve been adaptable, we’ve stayed agile, and it’s been a really positive preparation for the game.”
Sunday’s match gets underway at 3:05pm Queensland time and can be seen live and free on 10 Bold.
The Roar then return home to Moreton Daily Stadium on Sunday, 9 January for a double-header involving the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.
