Brisbane Roar wary of Wellington Phoenix attack ahead of match in Cairns

THE bite of Wellington Phoenix’s attack in Cairns threatens to be as potent as that of the snakes that forced Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi’s father-in-law out of the tropical Queensland city.

The Brisbane Roar A-League soccer squad train at Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, ahead of their match against the Wellington Phoenix this Saturday. Photo of Henrique. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

THE bite of Wellington Phoenix’s attack in Cairns on Saturday threatens to be as potent as that of the snakes that forced Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi’s father-in-law out of the tropical Queensland city.

The Roar will face a Phoenix team high on confidence after the New Zealand club’s upset 2-0 home win over champions Melbourne Victory last Saturday.

Brisbane knew how the Victory felt, having come unstuck in Wellington in October when the Phoenix, inspired by the likes of Michael McGlinchey, Roy Krishna and Roly Bonevacia, beat the Roar 3-2 at Westpac Stadium.

“I was not surprised at all about Wellington beating the Victory,” Roar marquee man Thomas Broich told The Courier-Mail.

“We all know that Phoenix can be absolutely lethal up front. I think they can beat any team in the league.

“They’ve got the individual quality, they play a great style of football, a great system and they’re a pleasure to watch.”

But Broich vowed the Roar would not again fall into the trap of showing the Phoenix “too much respect”.

“We can’t allow that to happen again ... we’ve got to make sure that we control the game,” he said.

Coach Aloisi was confident of leaving the north Queensland city with better memories than his wife’s father, Tony Cassetta, who cut sugarcane in the 1960s in Cairns.

“He soon left when he found a group of snakes under his bed. He’s got a phobia of snakes,” said Aloisi, who was pleased match venue Cazalys Stadium was far more appealing than his father-in-law’s old digs.

“The field’s brilliant ... I’m very impressed. Credit to the groundsman and everyone involved.”

Aloisi, who with the Roar squad has been in Cairns since Wednesday, said the expected heat and humidity would not be a problem for his players.

“We’re fit enough as a group to deal with it. It might impact a little bit on the game but hopefully it impacts on them (the Phoenix),” he said.

“We’re not mixing up anything. We prepare the same way every week.”

The Roar, last-start 2-1 losers to Western Sydney, enter Saturday’s contest in fourth spot on the A-League ladder and one point ahead of the Phoenix.

“We know that last week was a negative result but really positive performance,” Aloisi said.

“We know that if we keep performing like that and improving each game that the results will come for us.”

Originally published as Brisbane Roar wary of Wellington Phoenix attack ahead of match in Cairns