Captain and BRFC games record holder Matt McKay says the Roar are perfectly placed for a serious tilt at a fourth Hyundai A-League championship this season.
John Aloisi’s side have shown promising signs ahead of a season opener on Sunday, 21 October with a number of strong performance against Hyundai A-League opposition – most recently against defending champions Melbourne Victory in Morwell.
REPORT: Roar, Victory entertain in Morwell
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The 2017/18 campaign, which did produce a record-breaking eighth straight finals appearance, was ended in the first weekend of finals and the skipper says higher goals have been set this season.
“Last season was disappointing, we want to be further up the ladder and we’ve got the squad to do it,” McKay said.
“The new signings have been great and it’s great to see some players coming back from injury too. When you come to this club, being a good person is pretty important and all the new guys are. They’re all good, technical players and they will all be great additions to our side.”
This pre-season is the Club’s first in its own dedicated home – a brand new multi-million dollar facility in the City of Logan.
A settled pre-season, along with a number of exciting additions to the squad, is sure to have the Roar placed well for the opening round.
“It’s great having our own facility. It’s a great surface, first and foremost, but to be able to come in and do everything in the one place – the gym, the player’s lounge, the treatment rooms, video rooms – it’s fantastic,” McKay said.
VIDEO: Our new training facility
“We haven’t had a home for 13 years so to have this facility is great. You have a smile coming in every morning and I think that’s important in producing good football.
Back-to-back matches on home turf await the Roar to open the campaign, firstly against the Central Coast Mariners in what could potentially be the professional debut of eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican sprinter has held the record as the World’s Fastest Man since 2009, but the 59-time Socceroo says the Suncorp Stadium pitch is a different terrain.
“I’d love to see him up against Jack Hingert, and I reckon Jack would have him covered,” McKay continued.
“To potentially have him playing here in Round 1 is massive. It’d be a great chance for our fans to get along to see someone of his capabilities, and also to see him tested against our guys.
“It’s huge for our game. He’s obviously a worldwide success, and if can execute his athletics success into football, it will be great for the game.”
The Roar has enjoyed a terrific record over the Mariners and are undefeated in the last 12 meetings (W10, D2) against the Gosford-based outfit.
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“We’ve always had a good record against them – home or away – I’ve never lost in Gosford. We’ve had great success against them so hopefully all those happy memories help us,” McKay continued.
“We match-up really well against them, and we had a slow start last season, so we’ll be looking to start better this time around and really build our season.”
