A-League faster without VAR: Moon

Brisbane Roar coach fears the return of the Video Assistant Referee will be to the detriment of the A-League finals.

Brisbane coach Warren Moon looks on at Roar training at Blacktown in Sydney’s west on Wednesday Picture: Getty Images

Brisbane Roar coach Warren Moon fears the return of the Video Assistant Referee will be to the detriment of the A-League finals series.

Having shelved VAR for the closing stages of the regular season since the A-League’s resumption last month, Football Federation Australia this week announced a video referee would again be used in the finals – which start on Saturday – to aid the on-field match officials.

It’s a decision that has divided the football fraternity, with several fans having enjoyed games not being bogged down by VAR stoppages in recent weeks.

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Moon has also liked the flow of matches in the absence of VAR.

“I’ve really enjoyed the games without VAR,” Moon said.

“If you ask everyone, matches without VAR are certainly quicker and you get used to accepting the (referee’s) decision and moving on.

“We’ve had VAR so we know what that’s like, then we’ve had some games now without VAR, so we can compare the two, so we know what the pros and cons are.

“But you could point to every game and every side might say if VAR was in, the game might have gone differently, so there are pros and cons to it.

“The decision’s made and we’ve just got to adapt to it.”

Moon was only appointed Roar coach last month following Robbie Fowler’s June departure while the competition was suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He said Fowler’s decision to lodge a wrongful dismissal petition against the Roar to FIFA had not affected the team ahead of the finals.

“It’s not even been brought up or mentioned, it’s not in our focus – everyone’s moved on,” Moon said.

“We’re in our position to try to win some silverware, the mood in the camp is great, and our focus has been that.”

A foundation Roar player who last year returned to the club as general manager of Brisbane’s football academy, Moon said while an A-League title would be the ideal way for him to start his top-flight coaching career, it would be even bigger for a club that finished second last in the 2018-19 season.

“It would be big for the club, it would be big for our state, it would be big for these players who have sacrificed a lot to be here,” said Moon, who previously tasted success as a coach with Lions FC in the NPL Queensland competition.

“Always when you win something it means a lot, whether it’s personal or whether it’s as a collective and for the fans.

“We’re very confident about what we can do and what we can do well.”

On Wednesday night, Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren snared sole possession of the A-League’s Golden Boot, scoring a brace in Melbourne City’s 3-1 win over Western United at Jubilee Stadium

Maclaren’s double, his 21st and 22nd goals of the season, denied Sydney FC’s Adam Le Fondre a share of the scoring gong, with the English marksman finishing the regular season with 20 goals.

United’s Besart Berisha, who started the game on the bench, finished with 19 goals after scoring a penalty five minutes after entering the contest in the second half.

Berisha was among a host of players left out of United’s starting side by coach Mark Rudan, who had an eye on this weekend’s elimination finals.

City’s win stopped United’s run of three straight victories and ended the A-League newcomers’ hopes of finishing the season in third spot. United placed fifth and will now meet fourth-placed Brisbane Roar in Sunday’s sudden-death playoff

In Saturday’s do-or-die final at the same venue, Wellington Phoenix, who finished the season in third place, will take on sixth-placed Perth Glory.

NCA Newswire