Is it over? Can I come out now? Are those pesky finals matches finally gone? It would seem that they are and I can once again return to the world of A-League football.
For the past month I ignored the A-League in the same way that everyone, including the canned laughter and the later ill-inspired variety show, ignored Jan on The Brady Bunch. I did it for no better reason than good old-fashioned sour grapes. My team had failed to qualify. It was that simple.
It was surprisingly easy to avoid these do-or-die clashes in Sydney, Wellington and Melbourne while enjoying the lingering Brisbane summer. In hindsight, it was a little too easy.
The local media coverage was sparse with the "footy" pre-seasons receiving equal billing with the Vancouver Olympics. Few of my football-loving friends seemed excited by this season's finals either but then again most of them are Brisbane Roar supporters too.
But now, with the matching toilet seat and lid awarded to Sydney FC and the finals finally finished, I can return to Brisbane Roar refreshed and more optimistic than I otherwise would have been.
I admit I am heartened to know our new Gold Coast rivals didn't claim the title at their first attempt but I've stopped short of outright schadenfreude - I acknowledge how cruel the penalty shoot-out can be.
But that is all behind us now, a new era looms large and Ange Postecoglou has already taken the first steps in shaping his squad for the next campaign. In his first decisive action that hasn't involved the ritual culling of Frank Farina's former favs, the oft-maligned manager has significantly strengthened the club's goalkeeping ranks.
I have never been a great fan of the previous Roar goalkeeper policy both under Bleiberg and Farina. I always thought Tom Willis was the club's best gloveman and the acquisition of Liam Reddy at the start of season two was ill-timed. Reddy's sudden departure resulted in game time for stop-gap shot-stoppers Griffin McMaster and Matt Ham, but their inconsistency and lack of communication seemed to crumble the confidences of an already inexperienced backline.
The announced signing of Andrew Redmayne did little to change my mind on the goalkeeper recruitment policy. While he is a more than capable player, he wasn't what Brisbane needed.
The club needed an experienced and consistent goalie that could inspire confidence in his defenders. We needed a goalie that could occasionally remind Ivan Franjic that he is a defender first and an overlapping attacking threat second. We needed someone who has done it all before.
I wondered who we could sign. My favourite obscure Australian goalkeeper playing in a foreign league, Caleb Paterson-Sewell, didn't seem to be on the club's radar. Then I thought hopefully that Tom Willis' time in the national youth set up could see him primed for a sensational reunion with Ange Postecoglou. Maybe if I had been watching the A-League finals on Fox Sports then Mark Bosnich would have entered the frame as well.
But then came the announcement that Michael Theoklitos - two-time grand final winner, two time A-League Goalkeeper of the Year and the unfortunate conceder of seven goals for Norwich - had signed for Brisbane on a three year deal. And just like that the two first team goalkeeping positions were assigned exactly as I had always wanted them be - a Goalie the Elder and Goalie the Younger.
I challenge any Brisbane Roar supporter to make a coherent argument that this is not the best choice of keepers the club has ever had. Forget Jesus Willis, Rocket Reddy Jr, and The Sherminator because no combination of the three would see me as cocksure barely a month after finishing second last.
While it's too ridiculously early to make a call on the club's prospects for next season, it seems that if the effectively finalised goalkeeping line up is any guide that things may just turn out okay for the Brisbane club. Confirmed signings Erik Paartalu and Costa Barbarouses will make for solid squad players upon which to build while Postecoglou waits to see if Tommy Oar and Michael Zullo return from their Holland trip.
Belgian defender Pieter Collen has also been retained and I expect his ventures forward from the defensive line to add a further dimension to Brisbane's play. Either running with the ball or deftly passing, several threatening counter attacks late in the season were started or significantly supported by Collen. He even occasionally managed a strike at goal from general play. The added confidence that comes with a quality goalkeeper can only mean more of this.
There are still many positions to fill and in the club's current financial state I don't think Roar fans should expect a marquee of signing of any real fame. But it's encouraging to note that while six teams played finals football, Adelaide focused upon Asia, North Queensland partially imploded and Graham moved to Gosford, that Ange Postecoglou and the Brisbane Roar have been taking the first steps in assembling a competitive squad for the next campaign.
And to think that I wasn't even looking.
***As a quick note I would like give a big thank you to Ian Shaw and Pat McCann at Capital Football. They took pity on your ticketless blogger the night before the Socceroos qualifier against Indonesia and provided me with an excellent seat that came with a little television and cup holders. Thanks lads.
