R17: Brisbane Roar vs Mariners, in Brisvegas

[VicMariner]

Stat mentioned at start of telecast: Mariners have only been out of the top 6 for one week out of the last 66 weeks!

 

[midfielder]

Stat mentioned at start of telecast: Mariners have only been out of the top 6 for one week out of the last 66 weeks!

Last 66 games ....

 

[greenlig]

DAMMIT. LAZY PASS

 

[nebakke]

WTF Hutch!? That one was entirely on you!

 

[iEatHands]

Storm and Hutch just lost us the game. f**king worst pass I've seen. I had to turn the tv off, handed them a goal.

 

[greenlig]

Yep, such a simple, simple shitty pass.

 

[greenlig]

Duke almost won it there with a stunner. Hard pill to swallow

 

[Gratis]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

 

[nebakke]

Hutch should have gotten that pass, he we ball watching...

 

[shipwreck]

What was the deal??

 

[nebakke]

What was the deal??

Already a bit fuzzy in my mind, but the way I saw it, Storm gave a poor pass in, but Hutch got caught just watching it as it rolled past and went to Brisbane.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Hutch should have gotten that pass, he we ball watching...

BULLSHIT,
hoiw someone can be expecting a pass to be 2 metres behind them and then be expected to get it is beyond me.

Lay off the hate of one of better players on the park.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Already a bit fuzzy in my mind,.

EXACTLY

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Go and watch the replay with a clear mind.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Great effort by the boys with a gutted team against the top side in the League.

A display of heart and guts, while being under the pump for 90 mins.

Top 3, Reddy, Fitz and Hutch.

Great attacking cameo by Bernie, but when he came on for Mile they started to carve us down the right.

Hon. mention to Mile, wonderful professional display. Wish he was 10 years younger.

Will say more after calming down and watching the replay.

We nearly got away with what would have been a great steal. Future looking good.

 

[tsd]

Gotta feel for storm, completely owned by broich all night then gives them the winner.

Great effort against the best team in the comp by a country mile

 

[dibo]

Unbelievable game from Fitz

 

[nebakke]

BULLSHIT,
hoiw someone can be expecting a pass to be 2 metres behind them and then be expected to get it is beyond me.

Lay off the hate of one of better players on the park.

Oi! Calm down, I'm not calling for Hutch to go at all, in fact, I've steered well clear of the discussion in part because I actually thinks he deserves to be there but I don't know enough about the game to comment appropriately on why, beyond that he's been doing a nice job as far as I can see.

Doesn't change that I saw him moving towards the ball as the pass went, then he just stopped dead and watched it roll to the Roar. I will get around to watching the replay when the frustration goes away, until then, calm down man, we're all on the same side here.

 

[Roy Law]

Almost but not Quite​

After the loss of Sainsbury and McBreen the last fixture the Mariners would have wanted would have been away to Brisbane. That they almost pinched something from the game is a credit to the culture of the club but ultimately the result was predictable and inevitable. I doubt Phil Moss will lose sleep over it.
When the commentators said that Brisbane had 62% possession to the Mariners 38% in the first half you thought that was generous to the Mariners. Anthony Caceres, playing at No. 10, did not have a meaningful touch on the ball until the 17th minute; the Mariners simply could not hold on to the ball.
Only Nick Fitzgerald seemed ready and able to take the game to Brisbane despite the clumsy attentions of Donkey Donachie who three times in a row flattened the little man from behind; I really don’t understand why Seb Delovski did not give him a yellow card. It was no surprise that he was heavily involved in the Mariners opening goal. The goal though was a surprise; a great example of positive play on the break. Fitzgerald picked the ball up on the edge of his area after Brisbane had sliced open the Mariners defence: Anderson’s vital deflection denied Berisha and Fitz was away. Holding off a challenge he played a one-two with Simon and then crossed to Sterjovski in the penalty area; Sterj’s touch was too heavy but he had the presence of mind to force Theo into a clumsy challenge to concede a penalty. Sterjovski, ice-cool, calmly tucked the ball home.
It wasn’t the Mariners only chance; Josh Rose had almost scored after the Brisbane back line was caught square but there was no confidence in the shot which Theo saved. Whisper it quietly but Rose may just be showing signs of decline; this was the third such chance this season. His body language does not look convincing. Or perhaps he is just missing his mates at the back!
The Mariners then sat back and absorbed the Brisbane pressure; and they did it well; Anderson looked composed and Seip wasn’t exposed. Montgomery got a yellow for a studs up challenge; Reddy powerfully headed the ball clear and flattened Tomas Broich. The Mariners went to the sheds with Reddy largely untroubled; could they hold out for the second 45?
Brisbane did not need any invitation to push forward in the second half but the Mariners didn’t help their cause by sitting too deep and making poor decisions when in possession. The brilliant Broich was really turning the screws - and the defenders. It seemed though that the desperate swarming defence would hold the day, the Mariners simply got as many bodies as possible in front of the Brisbane attackers and when they didn’t Reddy saved well from Petratos. But they could not hold on forever and their nemesis the gifted Henrique calmly drilled the ball past Reddy after Broich took Storm Roux to school.
Fitzgerald responded with a shot from distance that forced Theo into an uncomfortable save. Duke came on for Monty; Caceres and Simon dropped back. Duke horribly mishit a good chance and then Fitzgerald produced a clever shot but Theo easily claimed it.
Ibini, on for Sterjovski, was doing his best to lift the siege, running at the Brisbane defence, giving hope to the cause but when Roux, who could not cope all game with the Roar press, simply passed to Henrique instead of Hutchinson; the ball was moved to Broich and then Berisha. Berisha got his shot away under pressure from Anderson and although Reddy parried the shot it spun agonisingly into the back of the net.
Mitch Duke almost equalised in the last seconds when his volley from Ibini’s cross glanced off the post. Not only did the Mariners need that goal but so too did Duke who has lost his way in recent times. We need the old hyper energetic Dukey back and a goal would have given him a real confidence boost.
Phlegmatic Phil Moss will feel the Mariners did as well as they could; he will take heart that next time they play Brisbane, or any other team for that matter, he will have a full complement of players to choose from. There is no doubt Sainsbury’s composure and ability to play the ball out from the back was missed. Caceres showed he is too passive to be number 10; no. 10’s demand the ball and want to run the game.
In a difficult game I thought the lively Fitzgerald, the calm Anderson and the intelligent Sterjovski were our best, and Ibini showed he is not far away from a starting role; Nick Fitzgerald is my pick as MoM.

 

[midfielder]

I took some positives out of today's game.... Caceres showed us he is a six not a ten... Fitzy is getting better each week as is Matty S ... Ibini like wow ... with the new players in ... we could be quite a force ... Duke is my main concern... needs to get his confidence back...

The big question is their is no room for Caceres, Monty & Hutch in the starting line up ... Caceres is the first choice for me leaving Monty and Hutch to share the other position...