By Nick Wright
Standing under the shade of the Suncorp Stadium tunnel, revelling in his Brisbane homecoming, Ben Halloran admits he still desires a return to the international arena.
But his focus was on unfinished business – spearheading the Roar back to championship contention, while helping usher in a new generation of Australian talent.
The 32-year-old has not featured for the Socceroos since 2014, managing six games before playing in Germany, South Korea, Japan and Adelaide.
Ben Halloran has returned to the Brisbane Roar, determined to guide the club back to its glory days.Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
New Australia coach Tony Popovic has rejuvenated the line-up, and Halloran knows it would be a long shot for him to earn a spot in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup in North America.
But the striker declared that was not high on his radar.
Instead, he was intent on mentoring the side’s rising stars, including Thomas Waddingham, Lucas Herrington and Quinn MacNicol, to the business end of the season.
“We have a relatively young squad ... I think the onus is on me to be more of a leader,” Halloran said.
“The expectation is there to help these young boys, but I think the way I lead is more setting standards in my own way.
“I’m not really thinking about playing for the national team. Every player wants to play for the national team. Tony Popovic is an A-League coach, so he’s seen me play a lot, which is helpful.
“But I’m really just focused on the Roar.”
On Friday, Halloran will be out to avenge the squad’s A-League Men’s season-opening 2-0 loss to Auckland when they return home, where they will face Sydney FC – who may be without Brazilian star Douglas Costa (hamstring).
Douglas Costa had a terrific A-League debut.Credit: Getty Images
But Halloran believed that under coach Ruben Zadkovich there would be the makings of the famed “Roarcelona days” – the club’s back-to-back championships under Ange Postecoglou.
Halloran’s sole season with Brisbane came after the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s days – the 2012-13 season that ended with a semi-final appearance, before the Roar prevailed again the following year.
During Postecoglou’s two campaigns, the Roar’s 108 regular season goals dwarfed the next best (Central Coast Mariners, with 90).
Halloran recalled being attracted to the play style that was “dominating teams, we’d have 78 per cent possession”, a brand he said Zadkovich was beginning to implement.
The hope, he said, was this would not only prove the catalyst for a return to the club’s glory days, but draw crowds back to Suncorp Stadium.
“I know it can be done. We need a few things to come together – you need a few young boys to break through, we need everyone to be playing well because it’s got to be tough,” Halloran said.
“Getting back to that possession-style ‘Angeball’ is what we’re aspiring to get. The Roar played a completely new brand: no matter what position you’re in on the pitch we’re going to pass our way out of trouble.
“It was revolutionary for Australian football, and there’s no reason Australia can’t be like that at a domestic and international level.”
Ben Halloran
“It’s not great for home fans to be watching a team with 20 per cent possession and scoring on a late penalty. You want to be watching a team on the front foot.”