Sydney FC to rest stars Rhyan Grant and Alex Brosque ahead of finals
Sydney FC will use every critical extra day off to nurse key players back to health before must-win Asian Champions League and A-League clashes.
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When Sydney FC tied up second spot with a week to spare, coach Steve Corica might have viewed the extra time off as a bonus.
Now he’ll undoubtedly see it as a necessity, using every one of those critical days to nurse key players back to health.
Skipper Alex Brosque and Rhyan Grant look set to be wrapped in cotton wool until Sydney’s semi-final in the hope the pair can overcome their respective niggles in time for a knockout showdown demanding both’s big-game experience and attacking flair.
Brosque has had at least one injection to help speed up recovery of his bruised heel sustained while scoring his seventh goal of the season in the Sydney derby a fortnight ago.
The 35-year-old appears unlikely at this stage to travel to Korea on May 7 for the must-win Asian Champions League group match against Ulsan Hyundai, as he races the clock to get up for what shapes as - depending on the result - potentially his final A-League match on May 12 before retiring.
Compounding Corica’s fitness concerns was the hamstring issue seemingly suffered by Grant in Saturday’s 2-0 final-round away loss to Newcastle Jets.
The recently established Socceroos fullback limped from the field midgame, however the club yesterday said he had only hamstring cramp and would not need scans, though would probably not travel overseas next week.
Left-back Michael Zullo has also been sidelined the last three weeks with his own hamstring injury.
“A couple of weeks ago we’d just got everyone back” said defender Alex Wilkinson.
“Siem and Danny had come back and all the injuries apart from Benny Warland and the other long-term ones were looking like being fully fit for the run-in.
“Then we copped a few minor injuries in Brosquey and Zulls (Michael Zullo), and hopefully Rhino’s is nothing too serious.
“But these guys are integrally important to the team. The most important thing for them at the moment is to rest and get their bodies right.
“We were lucky enough to sew up second spot with a couple of weeks to spare. It gave them the opportunity to not be rushed back and go through the proper rehab to make sure they’re ready to go for the must-win games coming up.”
Sydney have a week to recuperate before the flight to Korea, where they’ll play the Tuesday night and hightail it home to get ready for that Sunday’s semi-final, likely at Jubilee Stadium.
The break will be welcome on a few fronts, allowing tired bodies to rest from a heavy load across two continents and minds to refresh after what Wilkinson labelled a sloppy, disappointing display against the Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium.
“This last month or so has been pretty heavy in terms of games and travel,” Wilkinson said.
“To get second spot was really vital, being involved in the Champions League as well.
“If we ended up finishing third we’d have a game next weekend then the ACL game midweek, and potentially then the semi-final.
“This gives us a bit of time to rest over the next couple of days and then give us a good lead-in.”
Originally published as Sydney FC to rest stars Rhyan Grant and Alex Brosque ahead of finals
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