Round One of Season 7 has barely finished and it’s on again: the rabid, salivating, sycophantic Cult of Roar. 

Roar have had one (yes, ONE) good win against their Season 6 rivals, yet the general reaction seems to indicate every other team may as well give up hope now. “Roarcelona are going to outclass all-comers again this season! Ange’s new recruits are even better than the players he lost! Not only will they retain their crown but just for fun, Ange will make them Champions of Asia!“

Now you might expect Roar fans to get excited, but this team seems to make even the most rational observer resemble a drooling 13-year-old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. The breathless response from football commentators is expected but what baffles me is the way supporters of other A-League teams seem to happily join the party. On any Roar discussion thread there will be dozens of football fans who seem caught in a bizarre love triangle involving their own team and (“oh, I just can’t help myself….”) a bit of Roar on the side.

Why, people, why?  Isn’t loving your own team enough for you?  What ever happened to loyalty, bitter rivalry and blind devotion? Aren’t these the cornerstones of a true and lasting relationship between a fan and their team?

The “We Are Football” slogan doesn’t mean you have to flirt with the first fluoro orange floosie that makes a few flashy passes (“ooh, Mitch Nichols!”) forgetting the pain they will inevitably inflict on the one you love.  Although it may seem like harmless fun, joining the Roar’s fan club, however briefly, will have lasting consequences for your ‘primary football relationship.’ 

The tide of “we are not worthy” praise is so overwhelming, even Arnie has joined in, saying Brisbane are “the favourites” to win this season. Perhaps it’s all a cunning plan to try and reclaim the Mariners’ underdog status, something irretrievably lost when 9 out of 10 pundits  tipped us to reach the final this season (surely the kiss of death!)

Now I appreciate a nice bit of football skill as much as the next girl, but when it comes to Brisbane I couldn’t care less how well they play. They are The Enemy and I want to see them fail. They caused me and my beloved team abject pain, the sort of pain that makes grown men cry and leaves lasting damage.

You could see this so clearly on Saturday as the Mariners walked onto the pitch at Suncorp. Although 209 days had passed since that terrible day in March, they still looked a bit psyched-out, and who can blame them? Even sitting in my loungeroom thousands of miles away I felt slightly nauseous. And they played, at least in the first half, like a team that lacked confidence. 

Although Zwaanswijk was a fine choice for captain, the absence of Wilko with a fractured arm was a terrible blow. His leadership, consistency and defensive ability formed the cornerstone of our success last season and it will be difficult to do without him for the next few weeks. 

What cheered me (apart from the ever-brilliant Matt Ryan and some great work from Simon and Baird) was the efficient way Brad Porter slotted in as centre-back. Having been out injured for the past 12 months, it’s great to see him back on the park and proving again the value of hard work and tenacity. 

You could say these qualities epitomise Mariners’ values and it was fantastic to see how they fought to the end against Brisbane, making some great counter-attacks that caught them off-guard.  But it was McBreen’s steely attack on goal ending with him crunching into Theoklitos that was really good to see. McBreen looked shattered after the Grand Final but you get the sense he will not rest until he’s proved himself again. My hope is that the whole team will be similarly motivated because we have a squad that is capable of greatness.  

So it wasn’t the fairytale revenge we wanted but as Arnie noted “at least we won’t have to watch that Grand Final Special again”. Time to put last season behind us and enjoy the beautiful prospect of “every second Saturday” at Bluetongue. Let Roar and their followers predict world domination all they want, it will only make their inevitable fall all the more satisfying.

There are 26 weeks of tough competition ahead. And toughness is what the Mariners do best.