The finale on the dissection of the Roar Roster.
David Dodd - An often maligned player in the Roar squad. He was the butt of many jokes and dubbed the worst player on the team. He often gave the ball away too easily and he collected yellow cards like they were pokemons. However, he showed a never say die attitude and strung a couple of competent performances together including coming on against Sydney and playing a blinder at right back. It's also my opinion that one of the biggest and loudest moments at Suncorp this season was when Dodd galloped into the box and mishit a shot to nutmeg the keeper and actually score against Phoenix. The Den was ecstatic and Dodd had gone from scapegoat to superstar (well, sort of).
6/10
Massimo Murdocca - Poor lil Massy was set for another solid season until Mr Clogs snapped his leg like a bread stick during preseason thus signalling the direction that our campaign was set to take. Mini Mass is my wife's favourite player so I have to tread lightly here. I take nothing away from Massy's motor, desire and passion, but he lacks direction. I have lost count of the amount of times Mass will get the ball midfield, stand on it, then dribble in a circle and kill all forward momentum. He is reliable and the man most likely to chase back like a madmen in defence, but he is not the type of player to complete killer through balls or take over a game. He often gets dominated by larger more physically imposing players in the midfield.
6/10
Steven Bryce - A quizzical signing. As I have said previously I am willing to give Ange a chance, but after hearing he had signed him as a number 10 playmaker, then to have Bryce come out and say he is NOT a playmaker made me raise my eyebrows. He then put up some underwhelming performances.
4/10
Adam Sarota - There is a lot to love about Adam. If Mass is the momentum killer then Sarota is the anti-Mass. One of the most pleasing sights in Roar games this season is watching Sarota get the ball midfield and go for one of those surging runs forward, putting the defence on their heels and the fans to the edge of their seats. His potential is high, but has a few cracks in his game. His touch can be heavy at times. He loves to spray a cross pitch passes, but these can be ill advised and misplaced most of the times. At least he has the cajones to make to play. Towards the end of the season Ange played Mass and Matty in the midfield but i hoped he would put Sarota in there at the expense of one of the energiser bunnies. I hope his European training trip to Holland adds to his arsenal of skills.
7/10
Matt McKay - I was very keen for Matt to come back from China uber-fit and ready to take on all challengers this year, but alas he is another player struck by the injury curse. I was happy he got the armband as Roar captain when Craig split as he is the first player to hit 100 games in Roar colours. His highlight of the year was his game-winning goal against the Mariners, but otherwise it was plenty of the same from McKay. His game is all action and intention with a bucketful of aggro. It often gets him in trouble and sometimes it seems as if he goes looking for a yellow card. It will be interesting to see where he fits into the side next season. The addition of Paartalu as a defensive midfielder may see him take on a new role.
6.5/10
Mitch Nichols - How do we solve a problem like Mitch Nichols? Last season I often referred to Mitch as Mr "Right Place, Right Time". His partnership with Serg almost got us to the Grand Final last year when Miller was out injured. This year however he was slow, sloppy and lazy. His passes missed the mark, and when he did get into goal scoring opportunities (when he did get on the field) he muffed the chances. Which Mitch will show up next season and will Ange give him a chance?
5/10
Isaka Cernak - Limited opportunities for Isaka, When given the opportunity he didn't set the world alight. He's 20 and in comparison to other youngsters in the team, maybe isn't measuring up too well. He is out of contract and it looks like he may not get renewed as Ange builds his own squad.
4/10
Tommy Oar - Poor Tommy. If I hear another "the next Harry" comment I may scream. I started watching Tommy play a few preseasons ago when Roar first signed him. He was young, but willing to take anyone on down the wing. He tormented the local Brisbane sides with his pace and everyone who was watching knew he could be anything he wanted IF he wanted it. There is no downside to this kid. He has a positive attitude whilst being down to earth. He is willing to learn and work hard and doesn't expect anything to be handed to him on a silver platter. He has a dangerous left foot capable of whipping in a ferocious cross or free kick. This was his coming out year. He got a bucket load of game time as well as playing in the Youth World Cup. He was also awarded A-league young player of the year. The league was put on notice as he strung several strong performances together. I think he needs to work on tackling and defence, a few different moves to beat players, and more consistency with his crossing. The sky is the limit for Tom.
8.5/10
Charlie Miller - I have come up with an ideology concerning Charles and other older, less physically capable players trotting around the league. It's called "acceptable liability". Farina was willing to swallow the chance that Charlie would struggle to play 60 minutes, that he wouldn't be an asset in defence, and that he would smack Kruze behind play if it meant that he could provide flashes of brilliance to set up a goal or to score one of his own. It was acceptable for Farina that Miller's positives would outweigh his negatives. Ange wasn't willing to accept these liabilities. It was widely known that when Ange came on board he wanted physical fitness and a more intense training environment which doesn't suit Charles. In my opinion, the Miller situation was open and transparent. Ange said he wasn't in their plans for next season, which is fair enough, Charles wanted a release to seek employment, fair enough, he went to Gold Coast - well, there is no accounting for taste is there? Overall though I thank Charlie for his time in Brisbane
5.5/10
Danny Tiatto - Applying the same acceptable liability analysis as we did with Charles, Frank was willing to swallow the likelihood that Danny would most likely only play 60 minutes, that he will get a yellow card, that he will go close to getting a second yellow, that he may get a straight red, that his passing may be erratic if he can provide...well...um....hard tackles I guess. In my opinion he was more a liability than an asset, and his behaviour in the paper towards the end of the season was ugly and unprofessional. He gets a decent score from me because of his goal against Victory and no, he may NOT "shag my wife".
5/10
Sergio van Dijk - Well you can't argue against SVD's scoring rate. Another solid year for the Dutch Indonesian. The thing I can't understand is some Roar fans don't actually rate him. For me though there is no better player in the league who can control the ball and hold it up with his back to goal. He got smashed by every centreback in the league trying to put him off but he backed up every game and had a strike rate of a goal every two games (even if a percentage of those were penalties). Still some people don't rate him. However his time is finished at Roar, and I doubt I would want him back after wearing an Adelaide jersey.
7.5/10
Reinaldo - Hey-naldo had a lean time in front of the goals this campaign and quite honestly hasn't been the same since his return from South Korea. He has been injury-plagued and out of sorts. However I will back him every time because he is a nice bloke and shows a lot of passion and fight when he puts on the orange. He is on the cusp of being able to be naturalised and despite his perceived short comings I would still have him in my team as long as the memory of "that" goal against Sydney in the finals lives in my memory.
6.5/10
Henrique - The slippery fish started the season like a house on fire until he was injured against Victory. He's a very likeable player even though sometimes he runs faster than his brain works which leads to him falling over or just plain making the wrong decision. His crossing lets a lot to be desired to and it seemed to me when Charles left, Ricky found it more difficult. He has been signed for a couple of seasons after this one so it will be interesting to see how he goes next season.
6.5/10
Tim Smits - Did a good job occupying the bench and making the odd appearance in the 89th minute of a game. I doubt his contract will be extended.
2/10
