Now to the flashy part of the team. The midfielders and forwards who get the majority of the plaudits for their feats. Brisbane had a lot of winners at this end of the field considering that we dominated possession for the majority of the games we played this season, and we led the league in goals scored as well.
Here are my ratings for the rest of the team, and remember it is only in my opinion.
6 - Erik Paartalu - MF - Erik was a Clydesdale for the Roar this campaign. Playing 33 games and scoring 4 crucial goals, two of which will be long remember. The first was a thunderous volley from a Thomas Broich cross that got goal of the year, and the second was the equalizer in the grand final that enabled us to get to the penalty shootout and win. Erik is 6 ft 4 tall and a colossus as a defensive midfielder, stopping almost everything that came his way and bossing the game when required. His combination with Matt Smith and Devere / Susak formed the cornerstone and the launching pad of Brisbane's success. I can not stress how impressed I am with Paartalu. In my opinion he should be in the Socceroo camp ahead of the likes of Jedinak and Valeri. He is only 24, and has already spurned approaches from K-League raiders to stay in Brisbane and continue his improvement.
Roar Rating - 9 / 10
7 - Kosta Barbarouses - FW - When the Roar announced we had signed the Kiwi kid I thought it was a sound signing of a youngster that could add to the squad in bits and pieces. 33 games, 12 goals and 6 goal assists later Kosta took a strangle hold on a starting birth in the team and didn't let go. The funny thing is that Brisbane were in with a shot to get Kosta and Rojas last season but the Rojas deal fell through. Despite the fantastic return from Kosta in his first season in oranje, his goals came in bursts and he went through periods of being very quiet and not effective. How can you argue with equal 2nd in the league for goal scoring?
Roar Rating - 8 / 10
8 - Massimo Murdocca - MF - 27 games this season for one half of M & M this season. An illusive goal to add to the very empty goal collection for Massy as well, against the Nix. I will go on record on saying I have been very critical of Massy's performances during his time at the Roar. His motor and workrate is never questioned. However his decision making and touch can be awful. I have also said in the past that he never passes forward and he gets the ball, dribbles in a circle and passes backwards 9 times out of 10. He has improved somewhat this season. His passing forward is a lot more frequent and overall I suspect his play has benefited from Ange's game plan. He has had to share game time with Mitch Nichols this season as it seems Ange sees them as filling the same position.
Roar Rating - 7 / 10
9 - Jean Carlos Solorzano - MF - signed on loan from Costa Rica, Nico came to the squad, unfit and with an injury which ensured a slow start to his campaign. He eventually played 25 games for the club and scored 11 goals playing at the pointy end. In summarising Nico's time at Brisbane I can say that he did what was asked of him, nothing more, nothing less. He knocked in the goals, nothing spectacular or earth shattering. I have no ill feeling towards him for going to Melbourne Victory, and I don't fear losing him either as I'm sure he will be replaced as there is no shortage of people wanting to come to a program like the Roar's.
Roar Rating 7 / 10
10 - Henrique - MF - Ricky missed 2 months of the season after an encounter with the infamous Kevin Muscat who motioned for him to get up after the encounter. Little did he know he had broken his arm. This was a low point for Ricky and the club as it was our only loss of the season. Ricky made a timely return to the squad as we approached the finals and scored some very important goals for the club, including one in the grand final. He will stay forever timeless in the re-runs of his spot kick that clinched the first title for the club against the Mariners as well. A crowd favourite and always dangerous when attacking, what surprised me when he returned was his willingness to get back and help in defence as well.
Roar Rating 7.5 / 10
11 - Reinaldo - FW - It's no secret that I have a soft spot for the long lanky Brazilian, and I have to admit it was kind of sad that he wasn't there on grand final day after playing over 90 games in oranje. Added 5 goals to our tally in this campaign before chasing the money in Qatar, because we all know there is a tonne of it over there. My favourite Reinaldo moment this season was the goal against Adelaide as he held off the defender and powered it into the net (subsequently got a second yellow and was sent off but let's forget about that shall we.).
Roar Rating 7 / 10
14 - Rocky Visconte - MF - Another young player returning to Oz via the Roar. Rocky didn't make a particularly big splash on his return, playing in 15 matches predominantly from the bench with cameos. When he was playing he seemed out of touch and looked like he needs to work on a couple of facets of his game. Although he did score the winner against Perth Glory and won us the corner in the grand final that led to the equalising goal.
Roar Rating 6 / 10
15 - Matt McKay - MF - This was Matt's season to announce himself as a force in the league, and he did. What can I add to all the plaudits he received all season? He is our captain, our games record holder and the man that lead us to the Promised Land (with Ange). 27 appearances for the Roar, a staring role for Australia in the Asia Cup campaign and breaking down the barrier of if you play in the A league you are not good enough to be a Socceroo. Matt added 3 goals for the team this year but should have had more as his finishing is sometimes wasteful. One of the most important things he did for us this season was lift 2 trophies.
Roar Rating 9 / 10
17 - Mitch Nichols - MF - 32 games, 6 goals and 6 goal assist. Mitch has rebounded somewhat from the self imposed funk he was in last season. Ange seemed to play him further back in the midfield where Farina liked to play him more forward. This led Mitch to being more accountable and motivated him to work harder. In my opinion he is much more dangerous coming into the game from the bench. Mitch is another player in the squad who is guilty of sometimes fluffing his chances. Overall I'm just happy that Ange has set him straight and has his effort and commitment level increasing.
Roar Rating 7.5 / 10
18 - Luke Bratten - MF - I have been a big fan of Luke Bratten for the last couple of seasons having watched him in preseason matches and his cameos during the regular season. Luke again received a spattering of game time this year, and again he impressed me. He definitely needs more game time, but it is going to be a difficult task with the amount of midfielders the Roar has. I have always felt, and continue to feel that he will be a star.
No Roar Rating, not enough game time to rate.
19 - Chris Bush - MF - The 19 year old captain of the Roar Youth team made one appearance for the senior squad.
No Roar Rating, not enough game time to rate.
21 - James Meyer - MF - James played 3 games for the Roar and scored 4 crucial goals for us this campaign. It was at a particular time when the squad was a little thin and Meyer made telling contributions to keep the winning streak alive and maintain momentum going into the finals. Unfortunately he was cut down with an injury late in the season.
No Roar Rating, not enough game time to rate.
22 - Thomas Broich - MF - What can be said about Thomas that hasn't already been said or written. One of the major signings that turned Brisbane's fortunes around from last season. At times he made opposition defences look pedestrian and had them flailing like keystone cops. His foot control and touch are second to none in the A League (I stick to that statement). Thomas featured in 32 games and scored 5 goals for the oranje but perhaps his most telling statistic was the 13 goal assists he provided. My only negative about Thomas was he tended to drift out of the game at times, but hey, you can't dominate a contest for 90 minutes.
Roar Rating 9 / 10
