Head Coach John Aloisi says his Roar squad don’t require any added motivation for tomorrow’s match against Newcastle Jets at Suncorp Stadium (4:35pm KO).
Brisbane were dealt their first defeat of the season in the last meeting with the Jets in Round 2, a line-in-the-sand moment as the side followed a poor performance with a lengthy unbeaten run.
Aloisi says his proud squad have all the motivation they need to put in a good performance for the Roar’s loyal supporters on Saturday. Purchase your tickets NOW !
“That [the defeat against Newcastle] was a real low point. We’ve got a proud team and we want to deliver a good performance to our supporters because they have been great in standing by us in tough times,” Aloisi said.
“I don’t think we need any extra motivation. The boys hurt that day, we didn’t perform and tomorrow we’ll make sure that we do.”
The Roar suffered their first defeat since against Sydney FC last weekend. The Roar are taking positives from the 2-0 defeat and hoping to turn another strong performance into three points at one of the most feared venues in the Hyundai A-League.
“The focus has been to keep on performing the way we have been because it was a good performance last week with a couple of silly mistakes,” Aloisi said.
“We took the game to a very confident side. Everyone knows that we like playing at Suncorp [Stadium] and we’re expecting another good performance.
“If we can do that then we will get the result.”
Former Jets Championship-winning captain and current Roar vice-captain Jade North expects a tough challenge against his former side but says the Roar will take confidence playing at Suncorp Stadium, a venue where the Roar are 13 games unbeaten.
“Their form has been quite good. They’re very well drilled and they have some dangerous players so we need to be on our game,” North said.
“We’ve had a good run of performances in the last month so we have to continue that.
“It [playing at Suncorp Stadium] gives us a confidence boost. We have a great record at home and it has been our fortress over the years and we need to continue that.”
The Roar’s clash with the Jets will take place following Brisbane’s Westfield W-League clash against Western Sydney Wanderers (1:35pm KO).
The match marks an incredible milestone for Captain Clare Polkinghorne who will become the first player in Westfield W-League history to play 100 matches.
All supporters are encouraged to come early to Suncorp Stadium and watch history in the making.
“We’re a family at this club, we’re all as one so we’ll be getting there early to watch tomorrow,” North said.
Brisbane Roar v Newcastle Jets
Saturday, 7 October, Suncorp Stadium, 4:35pm
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Michael THEO (gk), 3.Luke DEVERE, 4.Daniel BOWLES, 5.Corey BROWN, 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN, 8.Jacob PEPPER, 9.Jamie MACLAREN, 11.Tommy OAR, 13.Jade NORTH, 15.ARANA, 17. Matt MCKAY (c), 19.Jack HINGERT, 21.Jamie YOUNG (gk), 22.Thomas BROICH, 23.Dimitri PETRATOS, 25.Kye ROWLES (promoted), 26.Nick D’AGOSTINO, 28.Brandon BORRELLO **two to be omitted**
Ins: 25.Kye ROWLES (promoted), 26.Nick D’AGOSTINO (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 10.Brett HOLMAN (knee – 1-2 weeks)
Newcastle Jets squad: 2. Daniel MULLEN, 3. Jason HOFFMAN, 4. Nigel BOOGAARD (C), 6. Steven UGARKOVIC, 7. Andrew HOOLE, 8. Mateo POLJAK, 9. Aleksandr KOKKO, 10. Wayne BROWN, 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 16. Nicholas COWBURN, 18. MA Leilei, 19. Morten NORDSTRAND, 20. Jack DUNCAN (Gk), 22. Lachlan JACKSON, 23. Devante CLUT, 28. John KOUTROUMBIS, 30. PIERCE CLARK (Gk) **one to be omitted**
Ins: 4. Nigel BOOGAARD (C) (returns from injury), 23. Devante CLUT (promoted)
Outs: 13. Ivan VUJICA (hamstring – 4–6 weeks)
Unavailable: 1. Ben KENNEDY (Gk) (achilles – season), 5. Ben KANTAROVKSI (knee – 1-3 weeks), 13. Ivan VUJICA (hamstring – 4-6 weeks), 21. Daniel ALESSI (knee – season)
Referee: Kurt Ams; Assistant Referee 1: David Walsh; Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Lindsay; Fourth Official: Peter Green
