WHEN a washed up AFL porn star starts spruiking "the soccer" in central Brisbane, you know it's going to be a weird week. And Round Ten at Suncorp did not disappoint.
With so many big names missing and both teams battling poor form, this was never going to be the big rematch that some people wanted. Even an unusually soft-spoken Miron Bleiberg knew it.
"The issues that surrounded the first match for me personally are no longer there," he declared on Friday, "and that is history now."
Translation: it's hard to get fired up about a local derby when the other team is under-manned, under-performing, and almost under FFA administration.
Twenty-four fouls and four yellow cards later, Bleiberg still didn't have a bad word to say about the "brave" boys from Brisbane.
"They've got a lot to look forward to this season," insisted the tee-totalling Israeli. Yeah, like a new coach, maybe.
Frank Farina must have been delighted when his son, 17 year old Jordan Farina, scored the equalizer to earn Roar's youth team a point against Gold Coast United later on Friday afternoon. Maybe a little too delighted.
Driving to training at 7 a.m. the next day, with young Jordan in his car, Farina allegedly blew nearly double the legal limit. I can only wonder what Robbie Kruse thinks of it all.
Clive Palmer might also have had a drink or two before he "choked on a pretzel" at the end of the game. And Big Bob Malcolm probably needed a drink after he knocked down that lovely header for Joel Porter to put away. Ouch!
Still, I can't help thinking that Roar's latest troubles might be just the tonic they need to re-invigorate their campaign. Sometimes you have to hit the wall before you wake up, survey the damage, and then suddenly start smelling the roses again.
And I think that's what's happened to the Gold Coast United team over the past month. We hit a low point against the Nix last week, but there was enough in that Suncorp performance to convince me the boys are back.
Spring is in the air, my friends, and the signs of new life blooming are everywhere to be seen. Best of all, perhaps, was the long-awaited admission from the club, arguably prompted by a disgruntled Jason Culina , that they need to do more to attract fans.
I'm looking forward to a big crowd, resplendent in Pink Day Out glory (in support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation), and a great game against the boys in purple at Skilled Park next Sunday afternoon. See you there!
