Putting the "roar" back into Brisbane was one of Michael Valkanis' key messages when he was first appointed as Brisbane Roar boss. It was a rallying cry, an emphasis on giving long-suffering supporters an A-League Men team that was proud to represent them, would fight for them, and wouldn't take a backward step. But after their 2-1 loss to the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday, a post-game red card, and a public apology issued on Monday, the time for rubber to meet the road at Lang Park is here.
Cautioned for dissent during his side's loss to the Mariners and then shown a second yellow by referee Lachlan Keevers when these remonstrations continued after full-time, Valkanis launched a tirade against the officials post-game, first in an interview with Paramount+ in which he declared, "It seems like [referees] are against Michael Valkanis and the Brisbane Roar," and then in his post-game press conference.
Reaction swift and mostly unsympathetic, the Roar then released a statement from Valkanis on Monday, one in which he acknowledged, "I did not meet those standards when questioning the referees, and for that I am genuinely sorry." It also noted a desire to stage an in-person meeting with Football Australia head of referees Jon Moss, and alleged previous requests had been ignored. So not devoid of combativeness.
After the doldrums of recent years, Valkanis' early rallying cries and fighting spirit went a long way with Roar fans. They'd spent years as a punching bag, as an easy three points, and were thus a receptive audience for a message promising not just to earn respect back, but to fight for it. An uncompromising style of play was implemented and, amid promising early signs, supplemented by a siege mentality embraced by orange partisans, quick to agree that their side was the victim of narratives thrust upon them. But rhetoric invariably begins to ring hollow in the face of consistently losing football games, and a siege mentality with no end in sight begins wear down even the most loyal of soldiers. Reaction to Saturday's defeat showed a clear shift in tone from Roar supporters, who, while still feeling hard-done-by by officiating, showed clear signs of disillusionment with both results and performances failing to meet expectations.
And therein lies the rub. Infuriated with his red card, the coach said, "I don't even want to speak about the game," in his post-game press conference but, if he had been more talkative, he would have been reflecting a run of form featuring seven losses in 10 games, compared to just two wins, and a slide down the A-League table into eighth. Speaking on a home record that, while better than the historic wretchedness of previous seasons, is the second-worst in the league. Musing on a defence that was amongst the most miserly in the league at season's commencement, but, while still stout, has started to revert to the mean and is now dealing with the loss of Lucas Herrington to the Colorado Rapids. Pontificating on an attack that ranks second-worst in the league for both actual and expected goals (xG), and whose descent into long balls and hope against the Mariners was described by commentator Erik Paartalu as "like watching kids playing, it's juvenile, they need to be more constructive with the ball."
It feels like an inflection point has, rather quickly, arrived at Lang Park.
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Adelaide United
Stocks Up: Fresh off being voted Adelaide's player of the month by supporters, Jonny Yull put in another strong shift in the Reds' midfield on Sunday, albeit one that ended with his side falling to a 3-2 defeat to the top-of-the-table Jets. He even came close to what would have been one of the best assists of the season when he swung a 44th-minute pass to a just offside Brody Burkitt.
After battling injuries and being in and out of the lineup during his first years of senior football under Carl Veart, Yull has proven he's capable of meeting the challenge of regular starts afforded to him by new Reds boss Airton Andrioli this campaign. The former West Torrens Birkalla junior has been well-hyped during his journey, but it's good to see him really starting to kick on this season and cement himself as one of the league's better prospects.
Stocks Down: Almost half an hour before Clayton Taylor put the Jets ahead, the Reds were dealt a major blow at Hindmarsh when skipper Craig Goodwin heard a pop in his groin and immediately signalled to the bench that his race had been run. The hobbled winger had scans on Monday, telling 10 Sport he had his "fingers crossed for the best possible result."
On a collective level, Goodwin's importance to the Reds is obvious -- he's literally nicknamed the King of Coopers -- and he entered Sunday afternoon as the side's equal leader in goal involvements, second in expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA), and creating more chances than any of his teammates. In a young side, he provides irreplaceable experience and leadership and commands a level of respect that is beyond reproach.
Individually, any extended absence has the potential to deal a major blow to the veteran's hopes of reaching a second FIFA World Cup -- with Goodwin already having acknowledged he's at an age where he won't get a third. With just over a month until the Socceroos' friendlies against Cameroon and Curaćao -- the last before Tony Popovic names his extended World Cup squad -- and competing with the likes of Nestory Irankunda, Connor Metcalfe, Martin Boyle, Nishan Velupillay, Adrian Segečić, Lachlan Brook, and more, any extended absence would be a big blow to Goodwin's hopes.
Auckland FC
Stocks Up: It took a while for Sam Cosgrove to get up to speed in the A-League, with his move to Auckland representing the first time he had ever played outside of Britain, but the big striker's seventh goal of the campaign on Saturday, securing his side a 1-0 win over Sydney, moved him equal top of the league's Golden Boot standings and offered further evidence the former Barnsley star has found his feet Down Under. No team has been more prolific with their crossing than Auckland this season and, with set pieces a key part of their attack, the 192cm tall striker has become a key cog in their play.
Stocks Down: Sitting second on the table, Auckland hasn't been punished to the same extent as Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, or Western Sydney have thus far, but Saturday's win showed how Steve Corica's side continues to underperform in front of goal. Compared to their actual total of 23, the defending premiers are underperforming their expected goals (xG) of 29.6 by 6.6 after 16 games -- a figure only "bettered" by City's 6.7 and the Wanderers' astounding 10.1 discrepancy. No team can beat Auckland's 41 missed big chances, either, and while they lead the league in shots on target per game, their shot conversion rate sits at just 8.7% -- superior only to Victory, Western Sydney, and Brisbane.
Many of these figures were bolstered by Saturday's contest, one in which Sydney FC keeper Harrison Devenish-Meares was immense -- more on him below -- but in which the Kiwis scored just once with 3.95 xG, missed all but one of their eight big chances, and sent only eight of their 25 shots on target.
Brisbane Roar
Stocks Up: After coming off the bench in his first two A-League appearances since returning on loan from Viking FK, Nicholas D'Agostino got his first start for the Roar on Saturday and made it count: netting a then-44th-minute go-ahead goal when he reacted quickly to Storm Roux's deflection of a Youstin Salas cross and decisively converting a swivelling half-volley.
One of several contenders for the very much still up for grabs striker positions in the Socceroos squad for the World Cup, Saturday afternoon saw the 27-year-old do the two things he needed to do to press his case against the likes of Mitchell Duke, Zac Sapsford, Adam Taggart, and more: starting games and scoring goals.
Stocks Down: D'Agostino's promising afternoon, however, was soured when he went down without contact in the 68th minute and, after a few minutes of stretching and treatment on the field, was substituted off. And while he was able to walk to the bench under his own power and without obvious major impediment, Valkanis' short post-game press conference was focused on the officiating and didn't feature an update on the striker's condition.
To say D'Agostino has been through it in recent years is to undersell things significantly: the striker suffering an almost complete rupture of his meniscus, a stress fracture and stress reaction in the tibia, and rupture of the syndesmosis and deltoid ligament during his time in Norway. The hope will be that his exit this weekend doesn't augur anything too severe and that the Queenslander is back for the trip to face Victory.
Central Coast Mariners
Stocks Up: In the wake of their 2-1 win over Brisbane, Central Coast is now unbeaten in four, winners of back-to-back games, and sitting just four points outside the top six. Yep, despite ownership chaos, rampant squad upheaval, and the departure of their coach on the eve of the season, the Mariners have found a way to start bloodying some noses this campaign and, if nothing else, taken real steps towards avoiding another wooden spoon.
Certainly, that they've been able to do this despite these challenges should raise eyebrows at the supposedly better-off clubs surrounding them -- especially Western Sydney at the table's foot. And expecting them to perform the same kind of miracles that they did during their title-winning campaigns is a step too far -- Josh Nisbet and Max Balard aren't powering one of the league's best midfields this time around. But it's also a credit to head coach Warren Moon and the squad, infused with some much-needed reinforcements in the January window, that they've not simply wilted as the season progressed.
Stocks Down: Given everything that's going on in the background at the Mariners, this is the kind of week where it feels somewhat churlish to pick out the eyes of a good win on the road.
Yes, CCM didn't create much in the way of an attacking threat whatsoever -- their two goals came off their only two shots on target and they touched the ball all of five times in the Roar's penalty area -- and one imagines that a side that doesn't devolve to hoofing balls towards James Donachie and Brad Tapp in their attempts to come-from-behind will give them more trouble. But that's a future problem for Moon.
Macarthur FC
Stocks Up: Socceroos striker Duke has now logged four games since returning to the A-League, with the last three of those starts, and, after his 60th-minute goal in Macarthur's 2-2 draw with Perth on Friday, the 35-year-old has had three goal involvements, two goals and an assist, in those appearances. Pretty good.
His effort against the West Australians was vintage Duke, too, hurling himself horizontally at a cross driven in by Callum Talbot -- who would later go on to net his first-ever A-League goal -- and directing a diving header around the corner and inside the near post. Further bolstering his hard-working brand, he ended the evening with 12 duels won (eight of those from aerial battles), which was four more than any other player on the park.
Coming back to the A-League seeking to press his case for a second FIFA World Cup opportunity, Duke still has plenty of work to do, but all in all, it's hard to envision his efforts starting much better.
Stocks Down: It can't be put any other way: if not for two howlers from Filip Kurto, the Bulls likely beat Glory, move into third, and go within a game of top spot. But because the veteran keeper was unable to get a handle on Nicholas Pennington's 36th-minute opener and then misjudged the flight of a long ball forward and clattered into Jaiden Kucharski in the 90th minute, allowing Stefan Colakovski to net a late leveller, Macarthur were forced to settle for a point.
Kurto hasn't been a net negative for his side this season, producing some clutch saves and being credited, per FotMob, with a positive number of goals prevented thus far, but it's also not unfair to observe that he's not been the same force he has been in years past. Nonetheless, Macarthur coach Mile Sterjovski was quick to defend his custodian following the game.
"I really feel for our players, because they deserved a lot more out of that game and they put in a lot of effort," Sterjovski said. "[Kurto] has been our saviour many times before in many games, and we'll allow him to have this one tonight.
"Hopefully it doesn't happen again because he's been great for us all season."
Melbourne City
Stocks Up: Pouncing on an errant pass from Nathan Barrie before driving into the penalty area and bending an effort beyond Lawrence Thomas (with his non-preferred right foot, too), Aziz Behich once again provided his side with the drive they needed to take something from a game this season, with his goal ultimately enough to ensure City took a point from their 1-1 draw with Western Sydney.
The veteran defender has proven one of City's most consistent performers this season and, alongside Nathaniel Atkinson on the opposite flank, has often taken it upon himself to try and spark his side's possession during the increasing periods they have bogged down this season. With a World Cup looming, the veteran defender is doing everything he can to ensure he remains a part of Popovic's plans.
Stocks Down: City's issues in front of goal this season have been well-documented here and elsewhere, but of concern during their recent run of poor form -- Aurelio Vidmar's side has just one win in its last five games, and just the two in their last 11 -- is that errors and lapses in judgement are increasingly creeping into the areas of the pitch they've traditionally done well.
Bozhidar Kraev's 77th-minute headed equaliser on Saturday evening, for instance, served as the latest example of the defensive foibles the side has begun to show without Kai Trewin, with Vidmar and assistant coach Scott Jamieson left agape on the sideline as the Bulgarian casually split defenders Max Caputo, Samuel Souprayen, and German Ferreyra on his way to the ball. Seeing just 36% of the ball in the opening stanza, City's possession also featured several sloppy moments -- Souprayen almost gifting the Wanderers a 15th-minute goal with a blind back-pass to Patrick Beach -- and continued a trend of being less connected and penetrative and in their build-up play.
Melbourne Victory
Stocks Up: Victory didn't play all that well in their 3-2 win over Wellington on Friday, nor did Juan Mata have one of his better games since moving down to Victoria. They had just 43% of the ball and fashioned just 1.02 expected goals from a total of 12 shots. Yet they were still able to grab a vital three point that moved them back into the top six. And that's notable, as Arthur Diles' side has had plenty of games this campaign in which they've created more than enough chances to get the win, only to be forced to settle for a point or, worse, fall to a defeat. Winning is a skill in and of itself, and in a season in which no team can count themselves as being a class above, which is duly reflected by the compact nature of the table, being able to pick up three points on off days is vital.
Stocks Down: After BJ Hamill logged another game with Victory's youth side over the weekend -- his last opportunity to do so before they open their VPL1 campaign next week -- Diles might want to start stocking up on paracetamol, because a rather large selection headache at centre back will soon be upon him.
Roderick Miranda and Sebastian Esposito started for the coach in the win over the Phoenix, and while the former did score an unfortunate own-goal, his absences have been felt this season. Esposito, meanwhile, was amongst his side's best on Friday, leading them in defensive contributions. If Hamill can rediscover his form, he, too, is an obvious candidate to start. But who does he come in for? Esposito is on loan while Miranda is part of the leadership group, but the youngster is also in red-hot form, and the latter is himself off contract.
Newcastle Jets
Stocks Up: Clayton Taylor requested his release from the Jets on multiple occasions before the 2025-26 season began, nominally over concerns surrounding the club's medical and high-performance departments as it entered yet another new era, and he underwent offseason surgery. The Jets refused, holding him to his contract. One has to imagine that, after a 3-2 win over Adelaide that made it six wins in a row and moved them back to the top of the league, both are quite happy with how things have played out since then.
The 21-year-old, who has perhaps been overshadowed by the likes of Alexander Badolato, Lachlan Rose, and Eli Adams at times this season, exploded on Sunday afternoon, netting a maiden senior hat trick that moved him to seven goals for the campaign and made it three straight in which he'd found the back of the net. Taylor's sharpshooting ensured that the Jets remain well on their way to scoring their most goals since the 2017-18 campaign, one in which Ernie Merrick led them to a Grand Final. Further, they've already equalled their points total from last season, with three months of the campaign remaining.
Stocks Down: The Jets once again played some pretty scintillating football during their trip to South Australia but, alas for Mark Milligan's blood pressure, also made some errors at the back that made their win a lot more stressful than it otherwise needed to be.
First, Juan Muñiz -- not exactly the most fleet-footed member of the Reds -- was given all the time and space he needed to tee up a side-footed finish into the bottom corner to halve what was at the time a two-goal deficit early in the second half. Then the Jets' practice of getting numbers around the ball in possession was ruthlessly punished in transition when the Reds won the ball, rapidly switched play, and equalised through Yaya Dukuly. Taylor would restore the lead, but in a grandstand finish, the hosts hit the woodwork twice in a rip-roaring ending.
Then again, maybe there's a silver lining; that even when put under the cosh, the Jets' young line-up held firm.
"Even in tough conditions, Adelaide did extremely well to get back into the game," said Milligan. "But I knew, I could see it in our boys, we're in a place now where we believe that our performance is going to get us an opportunity to go and win a game.
"And that's what we say today. That's just another step in the development in this side in terms of the belief they have, and that's not from me, that's the belief that they're developing."
Perth Glory
Stocks Up: You'd rather be good than lucky, but if you're not going to be good, you might as well be lucky. On a night in which they started quite well but faded and fell behind, as well as suffered some potentially key injuries, two moments of madness from Kurto ensured that Glory took a point from their trip to Campbelltown, one that keeps them within a game of the top six and two within third place on the ladder.
In throwing Kucharski, Colakovski, and Lachlan Wales on from the bench in the second stanza, Perth boss Adam Griffiths also demonstrated the speed and the depth that the Glory has in reserve, which could prove vital in the weeks and months ahead.
"The first half, I felt we performed quite strongly. We had a lot of good moments, and we attacked, but just broke down in that final third," Griffiths said. "The second half, probably the last 30 minutes, the whole game switched, and we lacked energy in wide areas, allowed them to get crosses in, allowed them to get shots, and that was a little bit disappointing."
Stocks Down: Perth were dealt a blow before kick-off when skipper Adam Taggart, who has only just worked himself back to fitness after a groin injury, was ruled out before the game with a glute issues -- that or the acerbic Griffiths was cheekily calling him a pain in the arse -- while Tom Lawrence was forced off in the 70th minute with a foot issue.
"[Lawrence] has got something going on the bottom of his foot. I can't elaborate, but it's a sore foot," said Griffiths. "I think [Taggart] should be OK for the next game. He had an issue with some sort of muscle within his glute."
Any extended absence from the duo would obviously be less than ideal for the West Australians, especially with the table-topping Jets coming to town next Friday.
Sydney FC
Stocks Up: Devenish-Meares has to be putting himself into contention for one of the best single-season turnarounds in A-League history. After an error-prone, sometimes comedic first season as the Sky Blues starter in 2024-25, the 29-year-old has transformed into arguably the league's best keeper across its opening five months, with further weight added to his claims against Auckland on Saturday.
Making six saves and credited with 1.03 goals prevented, the Sydney custodian maintained his place as the league's leader in the latter stat during the trip to New Zealand, as well as bolstered his status as the competition leader in save percentage.
Stocks Down: So ... perhaps the Sydney Derby wasn't a case of the Sky Blues turning a corner so much as it was them catching a poor Western Sydney side on a bad evening. Despite having 63% of the ball and sending in 16 shots during their trip to Auckland, Sydney could only muster four attempts on target and 1.00 xG across the 90 minutes, all the while surrendering enough chances to ensure Devenish-Meares was man-of-the-match.
Wellington Phoenix
Stocks Up: Giancarlo Italiano and the Nix took a flyer on Carlo Armiento and Ramy Najjarine heading into the season. The former, as we have since learned, was coming back to the A-League after recovering from Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The latter had trialled with Victory after leaving Western Sydney and was met with little excitement and some raised eyebrows.
The duo, however, have repaid the faith by becoming regular members of Italiano's squads as the season progressed, particularly Armiento, who has started all 15 games he has featured in and whose sweet left boot has provided five goals, the latest of which came in Victory's visit. Najjarine, for his part, has also started all of his 14 appearances while contributing four goal involvements -- assisting Armiento in Friday's loss -- and leads the side in big chances created.
Stocks Down: While there was a fair bit of controversy surrounding Armiento having a penalty decision overturned by the VAR, the fact remains that the Phoenix's loss, combined with the Mariners surprise surge in form, has now seen them fall to second-bottom of the A-League table. Winning just one of their last five games, the Nix's 31 goals against mean they are conceding a league-worst 1.9 goals per game so far, with their middle-of-the-pack attacking metrics unable to shield a defence that has conceded 29.7 xG. And despite talk of a high line, the Kiwi outfit has won the ball in the final third, per FotMob, on average of 3.3 times per game this season, fewer than any side not named Central Coast.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Stocks Up: The Wanderers needed a response after their Sydney Derby thrashing and, to an extent, that's what they got against City. Low as the bar is, their first-half display against the defending champions was one of their best of the season, producing two-thirds of the shots and xG they would record over the course of the 90.
They faded noticeably in the second stanza -- allowing a City side that had been dour to re-establish themselves in the game and take the lead -- but didn't fall to pieces after Behich opened the scoring and, eventually, mad a set piece count.
Stocks Down: They may have come back and rescued a point through Kraev, but Central Coast's win over Brisbane means that the Wanderers are now three points back at the foot of the table and, with games against the 11th-placed Phoenix and 10th-placed Mariners coming next, WSW are facing what looks to be a destiny-defining fortnight.
"You've got to be pretty transparent," caretaker coach Gary van Egmond said after the game. "You pick up a phone or look on the TV, and you're going to see that the table doesn't lie, right?
"I think if you talk about it too much, then it becomes an issue. I think if you don't talk about it at all, it becomes an issue, too."
Socceroos World Cup bolter watch
Stocks Up: The most obvious name here is newly unveiled Norwich City striker Mohamed Touré, who became the first player since David Nielsen in 2001 to come off the bench and score on his Canaries league debut when he netted in the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
"He's a young, talented player," Norwich manager Philippe Clement said. "He's not yet a top scorer. He's not been until now. We, as a staff, will work really hard to get him in the right places."
Stocks Down: Harry Souttar's long absence from the Leicester City line-up continues and, with every passing day, the situation that he'll be walking back into gets that little bit worse. Still searching for a permanent replacement for the sacked Marti Cifuentes, Leicester fell to a 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City over the weekend, making it five games without a win in league play, with three straight defeats. Combined with their six-point deduction last week, it's a run of form that means the former Premier League champions sit above the Championship's relegation zone on goal difference alone.
For Souttar's part, there's been no reported word from Leicester staff on his status since a January update that said he was a few weeks away, with the Foxes bringing in former Newcastle United skipper Jamaal Lascelles on Deadline Day as defensive cover.
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