There was a different kind of support on display at Suncorp Stadium last Saturday night. And no, I'm not just talking about Reinaldo's sports bra.
That sweaty smell of trepidation that usually defines the Brisbane crowd was conspicuously absent during the top of the table clash against Adelaide and in its place was something very foreign to river city residents - expectation.
You see as far back as I can remember, no Brisbane based football team has ever really been expected to do much of anything in a national competition, this season included*.
Be it City, Lions, United, Strikers or Roar, Brisbane have always been considered the underdogs, the outside chance, the little team that could (but probably won't).
Because of this, Brisbane crowds have always been rather forgiving, almost apologetic, toward their teams. All we Bris-vegans have ever asked is that our players try their best. No more, no less.
Well, I'm not sure if that is true anymore.
It seems in all the hooplah surrounding Brisbane's awesome second half many have forgotten just how well-fought the opening exchanges were on Saturday night.
Adelaide were at times gifted possession in dangerous areas and if not for poor finishing could have taken an early lead. Additionally several attacking raids from the home side were prematurely ended courtesy of misplaced passes and tired legs - a by-product of a gruelling schedule and a still worrisome lack of depth in the squad.
At any ground across the A-League such things as misplaced passes, heavy first-touches and skewed shots are not unheard of, but the grumpy groans of disappointment that accompanied them on Saturday night perhaps were (fickle Sydney-siders excluded, of course).
This crowd expected far better and I don't believe that is entirely fair. I think they have been misinformed as to how good this team is.
Locally, much was made of Brisbane's destruction of Wellington in the days before the top-of-the-table clash, but due to the vagaries of time zones (and the Queensland government's deep-seated fear of offending dairy cows and curtains) the game was concluded before many had managed to finish their working day and/or daily commute.
Hence, a large percentage of fans only saw the good bits on the free-to-air television news reports. They didn't see how close Wellington came throughout the match and several reports I watched completely ignored Tim Brown's nifty strike as well.
So it is completely understandable that many expected more than was plausible on Saturday night. And in some ways I am a little disappointed that their unrealistic expectations were met by a team currently blessed by both form and fortune.
I have thankfully been able to watch every minute of Brisbane Roar's current season and I don't believe it is fair on the players or on ourselves as fans to expect the goal routs we have been served recently to continue. This team will sooner or later be brought back to the field as our fair share of Socceroos call-ups, injuries and bad refereeing decisions inevitably come our way.
Therefore we as Brisbane fans need to ask ourselves truthfully what we expect from this team. And perhaps more specifically, is it fair that we expect more of this side than we have of the other teams that have represented our oft-maligned metropolis.
After all, there is very little doubt that this team and the individuals therein are performing at their best. And, for me, their best was all I ever expected. To expect anything more will only ever lead to disappointment.
* Refer to the September issue of FourFourTwo. I will not embarrass one particular pundit that tipped my beloved Roar to finish this season dead last.
