Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo says his club abided by the rules in not releasing Curtis Good for Socceroos duty

Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo had no qualms about preventing defender Curtis Good from possibly earning a Socceroos cap.

Curtis Good (left) stumbles as he tries to challenge Brisbane Roar’s Luke Ivanovic. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo has made no apologies for denying Curtis Good the possibility of a Socceroos cap, saying his club had “followed” the rules by not releasing the defender for national team duty.

Instead of being in Socceroos camp ahead of Australia’s World Cup qualifier against Japan in Sydney on Thursday night, Good was at Moreton Daily Stadium on Wednesday night helping City to a 2-1 A-League win over Brisbane Roar.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold wanted to this week call 28-year-old Good – capped just twice for Australia – into his squad as a replacement for Kye Rowles, who tested positive to Covid-19.

However, City, which had already lost four players – Jamie Maclaren, Mathew Leckie, Marco Tilio and Connor Metcalfe – to Socceroos duty, refused to allow Good to leave.

City claimed it did not have to release Good because he had not been named in a provisional 50-man squad and already had four of its players in the squad for the match against Japan.

“Legally we don’t have to (release Good),” Kisnorbo said.

“A rule is a rule. We followed that rule.”

When asked if as a former Socceroos defender he was comfortable with denying Good the possible chance of earning a Socceroos cap on Thursday night, Kisnorbo replied: “I didn’t deny him the chance. It was the rule that denied him the chance, not me. Maybe you need to look at the rules.”

Melbourne City’s Curtis Good (right) battles with Brisbane Roar’s Ryo Wada. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Kisnorbo said Good accepted the club’s decision.

“I can’t change a rule. We abided by those rules,” the City coach said.

City’s win over the Roar moved them three points clear at the top of the A-League after second-placed Western United drew 1-1 with Melbourne Victory in Wednesday night’s earlier match at AAMI Park.

City’s teenage striker Raphael Borges Rodrigues scored his first A-League goal in his side’s win but not before the Roar had taken a ninth-minute lead through in-form midfielder Henry Hore.

Found unmarked on the edge of the penalty area from what seemed a rehearsed short-corner move, Hore placed his shot into the bottom corner of the net to score his fourth goal of the season.

However, it was a short-lived lead for Brisbane, with City equalising five minutes later through an own goal from Brisbane defender Kai Trewin.

Having got behind the Roar defence, City’s French playmaker Florin Berenguer unleashed a stinging cross across the face of Brisbane’s goalmouth, with Trewin’s attempted clearance ending up in his own net.

City’s winner came four minutes into the second half, when Rodrigues, the son of former Adelaide United Brazilian striker Cristiano, tapped home from close range after getting on the end of an Andrew Nabbout cross.