Look, I knew it was a long shot from the outset.  A hit-or-miss moment that I simply couldn’t let pass.  And although I failed, I would’ve regretted saying nothing more than falling flat on my face as I inevitably did.

You see, your humble and always mild-mannered blogger was on the bus, snaking slowly southward through suburbia following Roar’s anti-climatic one-all draw with Wellington Phoenix.  And somehow, be it a result of fate or just plain ol’ dumb luck, I found myself seated beside the girl of my very deluded dreams.

I won’t bore you with the poetic description her features deserve – this is still a football blog after all – but let me say she reminded me of the Venus de Milo, only more beautiful since, among other things, she still had both her arms.

So, with my window of opportunity narrowing, and each revolution of the bus’ wheels counting another lost second, I decided to give it the old college try.

Now, what I said to her doesn’t matter.  Neither does the fact that despite my esoteric charms I could not get past her defences.  All that does matter is that given the opportunity I took my shot – which is more than I can say for my beloved Brisbane Roar on the weekend.

Over the past 34 games, it has been hard to find fault with the way my club has performed. They have undeniably set the benchmark for the way the beautiful game should be played in our big, brown land.

The problem though, both last weekend against Phoenix and the week before against a nine-man Victory, is that with all the focus on playing beautiful football Brisbane Roar have seemingly forgotten how to pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat.

For large stretches of Sunday’s second half, Brisbane found themselves on the edge of the Phoenix box, with acres of space and ample opportunity, and yet not once in that position did they take a shot at goal.  Instead, they passed right or left, trying to get in behind a tightly packed and deep-set Phoenix defensive line.

It was the same story and the same result against Melbourne Victory the week before – a draw that should have been more and not a goal scored from open play.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand as much as the next guy that this is the way Brisbane Roar play.  I also understand it is indicative of a team that has confidence in a system that has been remarkably successful.

But, like me, opposing teams are catching on that Brisbane’s midfield, either by coincidence or by design, are increasingly loathe to pull the trigger from distance.  Instead Brisbane much prefer to pass-and-move their way to a higher percentage opportunity.

As such, smart defences looking to secure a point are no longer being drawn out to pressure the ball carrier outside the box. In turn, this has clogged the channels available in the final 18 yards for those decisive runs and splitting passes that have become so familiar over the past year or so.

Personally, I consider this an unexpected consequence of Matt McKay’s departure to Glasgow Rangers in the off-season.

One of the least lauded aspects of the midfield maestro’s play was his tendency to have a pop from distance.  While his accuracy wasn’t much better than average by world standards, the mere fact that he might shoot was enough to draw in defenders, thus creating a confused scramble in the defensive line that resulted in better opportunities for others.

So far this season nobody has taken over this role, with neither Massimo Murdocca nor Mitch Nichols noted for their willingness to have a crack from long-range and the always audacious James Meyer conspicuously absent from the senior squad.

And while some might nominate Thomas Broich as the man-most-likely to fill this void, he is perhaps the poster boy for this problem-you-have-when-you-don’t-really-have-a-problem.  Despite Broich’s outstanding play across so many facets of the game, commentators and fans alike agree that he sometimes neglects shooting opportunities when they are on offer.

It’s not that the German playmaker can’t score from outside the area either – last season he did it on more than one occasion – it’s just that far more often than not he attempts to pick out the runs of increasingly marked players rather than attempt to curl one in to the top corner.

Similarly, on three occasions late on against Phoenix, the ball fell to an unmarked Luke Brattan at the edge of the area; and each time he opted to ignore the home end’s pleadings for a shot, instead passing the ball short.

Of course, I am more than aware that the players have their instructions and it would be foolhardy to risk Ange Postecoglou’s wrath by ignoring them.  When competition for places is high, you must do what the gaffer tells you or wear the consequences.

But I also believe it is somewhat foolhardy to not allow the players a certain amount of freedom in the final third, no matter the system.

Sometimes, be it on the football pitch or on the bus ride home, you simply can’t afford to ignore a chance to score.  It might be a long shot, but then again every so often long shots will come out in your favour.  All you got to do is have a go.