Friday 27th October 2023

• Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
  Suncorp Stadium
  Kick-off: 18:45 (QLD time) / 19:45 (Eastcoast time)
  Broadcast: P+

Saturday 28th October 2023

• Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory
  Sky Stadium
  Kick-off: 17:30 (NZ time) / 12:30 (WA time) / 15:30 (Eastcoast time)
  Broadcast: P+
• Western Sydney Wanderers vs Western United
  CommBank Stadium
  Kick-off: 7:45pm
  Broadcast: 10 Bold / 10 Play / P+

Sunday 29th October 2023

• Central Coast Mariners vs Macarthur FC
  Industree Group Stadium
  Kick-off: 15:00pm
  Broadcast: 10 Bold / 10 Play / P+
• Melbourne Victory vs Newcastle Jets
  AAMI Park
  Kick-off: 17:00pm
  Broadcast: P+
• Adelaide United vs Melbourne City FC
  Coopers Stadium
  Kick-off: 18:30 (SA time) / 19:00 (Eastcoast time)
  Broadcast: P+

Middle of a dry spell and on gameday for our first home match the entire South East region of Queensland is copping rain.

Gotta love the rain when you need it - but someone, somewhere is taking the piss.

Mariners are known as the droughtbreakers on the Central Coast. Especially noticeable early in the season. so far this season 2 AFC home matches for 2 full matches of rain.

My personal belief is that in wet conditions the team with the better quality individuals copes better than the team with the better teamwork.

So with that in mind, Roar will only win by 2 today instead of giving them the flogging we would in the dry.

I'd like a clean sheet so 2-0, but I would begrudgingly accept 3-1.

bugger you cane toad, 3-1 sfc :)

Friday night football

Brisbane 2-1 for me 

Roar tearing Sydney apart

Shades of Roarcelona tonight. Not sure if Brisbane were great or Sydney just poor or a bit of both.

Lots of young guns running around which is good to see.

This Hore bloke goes alright.

Roar look really good. Maybe Ross discipline with youthful spirit with backbone Brits might surprise this year. Make the finals for me.

Bloody good game to be at!

Crowd was only 7688 I think, but it looked and felt like maybe 10k or so. Den were awesome with their noise. So good to have them back in numbers at Suncorp.

Roar played really good football for the first half, decent football for the next quarter and desperate football with some quality in the final quarter. We were running out of legs for the final 15-20. Sydney did not wear their shooting boots I think it is safe to say and they did get opportunities that they failed to put away. Redders had a bit of a shocker with one miss hit kick causing a goal for us and a fumble that had him worried and scrambling.

Lolley had some chances but was kept much quieter than the last time we met. He certainly wasn't kept out of the game though. Still such a dangerous player. Most of the Sydney attack was limited by solid and energetic defence keeping pressure on.

Ryan Grant was getting really frustrated with his team's decision making in the second half. At one point he gave a pass inside into a dangerous area and after a couple of passes it came flying back his way. His grunt of disgust was audible and telling.

Under Aloisi we continue to play great attacking football - with one particular moment in the second half showing maybe 5 or 6 one touch passes zigzagging up the flank from the backline into the forward line. It wasn't flashy - it was just really good controlled football. I saw O'Shea picking out a good pass to Berenguer who then picked out a good pass into the forward line. That is the sort of thing I have been waiting for as opposed to them just both being on the park together and each doing their own good things. There is something about two quality players combining that unlocks so much more of a resilient defence.

One of Hore's much better games - once again he was legless by the end but putting two away was brilliant for him. Waddingham looked dangerous again and competes for the ball physically and mentally so well. At the other end, Trewin had a huge impact as the game wore on - tireless in his effort to shut down attacking raids.

Fantastic game again from Freke, and even better; I don't think anyone had a bad game for us.

Mileusnic continues to be wayward with his shooting but works so hard in both directions and creates many chances every game. I am happy to have him in the side.

Great to be at Suncorp. Great to have the rain hold off for the whole game. Great to get such a solid win. Great to consign those ratbags from Sydney to the bottom of the table eh LFC ;)

Corica getting a yellow card was an added bonus for my ears...

Kudos bud - from the first early silly goal the path set to me and then in stone by redmaynes park football show off angle footed clearance skied gift !
Pathetic at this level to see.
As much as BR was on top I think sfc was totally ineffective mostly and proving corica is way passed his use by date. 

I don't think anyone would have predicted SFC would have conceded five and were goalless after two games. Major defensive errors in both games. We know there is plenty of quality in that squad, so for me it appeared like a lack of preparation (maybe respect) for the opponent. Corica probably needs to bench a few players next week to send a message, but I bet he won't. Like MV last week, I wouldn't say BR were necessarily great yesterday but they defended really well and capitalised on their opportunities. Kudos to RA, his approach so far has been bang on. As a neutral, it was the first time in a long time I actually watched an entire BR game. 

If city lose tomorrow night then Friday night against Sydney could be a very interesting game 

Seems to me like Lolley has been your main attacking play the last two games instead of being just one effective part of your arsenal. It did not feel like you were sustaining pressure then using him as the catalyst to either break the defence or score outright.

Having said that though, plenty of times SFC were able to bring the ball easily through most of our team from deep defence into an attacking position then did not capitalise on it. Our backline have been standing up great these two games as individuals but we are still far from bulletproof. Freke in goals also had to make some excellent saves to keep you out. Won't take much to get back on top of your game.

When Wood came on you got more dangerous and he broke the line clear but had such a hideous touch trying to dribble that the ball went all the way to the keeper instead of getting him a chance. That was uncharacteristic of him.

SFC have drawn Victory, Roar, City then Adelaide this season as their first 4 games. Previous seasons that would not have been such a bad thing but it is a pretty tough line-up this season.

Competition doesn't settle and start to balance out till about Round 5 in my eyes. That's when I think teams have settled into their season form and results start to reflect more of season prospects. Bonus points to win in the early rounds but they are just points to be held or lost across the rest of the season.

Possibly the wakeup call SFC needs this season to be stung early.

As a non-neutral it is so good to see Roar playing good and entertaining football again :)

Wow I was expecting a draw between two good sides but Brisbane blew them out of the water. 

Or play 2 upfront?

Nix and Perth was a bit dire. Both sides seem to be very early in their season form - neither hitting the high points very often. Sail had a horror run in goal against his former club much like Redders yesterday - awful distribution to opposition giving away a well taken goal.

Nix playing a very slow defensive game to hold the lead from early in the first half then trying to hit fast on the counter but passing quality was not good enough to sustain anything.

Glory seeming quite unfocussed bringing the ball up but the better side generally in a comparison of two sides out of form. Williams was as effective as I have seen him in a long time and with the early injury to Ivanovic he got more of a run than usual. High crosses from Glory to Taggart when he was among tall defenders was pointless, fruitless and common.

Both sides have a lot more in them than showed in that game and either side could have won it, lost it or drawn it just as easily.

Brook with an early double. Paramount works on laptop with VPN but not new phone. Rewind feature! Now I can see the goals I missed.

Great first goal by Brook and good vigour to score the second. He's doing exactly what I'd hoped.

What a bloodbath. 4:0 WSW on 38. Here's hoping WU can get a goal by 50min to give them at least the smallest of hopes.

No way, cleansheet for my boys.
 3 more goals for my boys in the second half

5! Good night!

Wonder if Corica is watching this or at the Paul McCartney concert at Allianz?

Yeah I was hoping for a 45 and 49 goal for WU for a bit of entertainment but they're so off the pace and WSW just solid.

John Alo-ouch-i

Wanderers are just playing demolition football with skill and persistence. WU chasing shadows when they can see what is happening and chasing nothing when they can't.

I knew Brook was going to kill it this season. He has been so good for the Olyroos.

Nothing added to the score in the second half, but Wanderers did not waste effort trying to force extra goals - which is not to say they took it easy by any means - just did not run in numbers with the effort they showed in the first half.

WU got better, there is no doubt, but they just held level with the dominant Wanderers without swinging the game their way.

I think the first half was WU showing a training pitch mentality. Wanderers committed to every challenge and tackle with their full body. WU just put a foot out and expected to win the ball. Far too many times in the first half WU would break the first line of Wanderers then pass the ball inexplicably back to their CBs and keeper when they had options to promote the ball. If they had shown trust and confidence and pushed on who knows what might have happened - but they protected the ball at the cost of any attacking movement. The final training pitch play in the first half was WU players each leaving the ball for a team mate and neither getting it - where every Wanderers player wanted the ball and took it when it came their way.

WU a team unprepared for full competitive football floundered in the first half.

Wanderers a very sharp, ruthless and composed team totally ready for business.

Predicted temp at 3pm at Gosford 26C
Both the Mariners and Macarthur played an AFC Cup game. Macarthur travelled, no Farrell for Mariners.
Probably fizzles out in a draw.

After the dismal performance by the Smurfs on Friday, the Melbourne Victory game against Newcastle might give a better gauge of true form.

Then the Adelaide v City game on at the same time as the Matildas game. City played an AFC Champions League game away midweek. Are City missing Berenguer? 

Winner of Adelaide v City will be the first sign of who will boss the ALeague this year.

Wanderers and Roar on their tails if a draw.

Hoping Central Coast will get points this afternoon.

Just my 1 cents worth!