Bolton, 36, a foundation A-League player with Sydney FC but now with Heart, is well-placed to gauge comparisons having also played for Sydney Olympic, Brisbane Strikers and Parramatta Power in the former NSL.

Comparing Roar with the great NSL teams is often debated with NSL championship winning teams such as Ange Postecoglou’s South Melbourne, Branko Culina’s Sydney United as well as Melbourne Knights and Wollongong Wolves often cited as the NSL’s best teams.

And while the A-League is clearly faster-paced, Bolton remains an admirer of the old league’s technical level.

“It’s hard to gauge but with some of those [NSL] teams, some of their players were gifted technically probably beyond what we see in the A-League these days,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“In the NSL those teams mentioned – and that includes Sydney Olympic who won it in  2002/3 – they were, man for man, for me, more technically gifted than what we see now."

Bolton noted the extraordinary pace of the A-League made it harder to compare eras but what he is clear on is what Roar have done.

“What we’re seeing from Brisbane Roar, what they can do for 90 minutes, is above any other team," he said.

“It’s just the pace Brisbane play at and for how long they can maintain that speed of game.

"In my opinion Brisbane Roar raised the bar last season to a level we haven’t seen in the A-League before, that’s for sure.

“And because of that, it’s raised the bar for every team."

He pointed to the longer off-season as one reason why this season has been so good.

"Each team has had more time to devote to their style of play the coaches want," he said.

“Now most coaches are catching up with what’s current in the style of football that most people want to see played and also probably the most effective formations.

“For these reasons it means this season will be the highest standard across every team.”

Bolton added that he liked to see teams play without fear – something his own team Heart were accused of by their own coach earlier in the season.

The respected keeper said it was right for Heart boss John van’t Schip to raise the “fear” point earlier in the season. 

And Bolton pulled no punches about the red and whites' season so far – a season which has them winless from five, on three points and propping up the A-League ladder.

“Fear was a word the coach used and he was spot on… that was relevant in the first couple of games," said Bolton.

"If you go out there and try implement a game plan and two, three, four players are not confident within that system to stick to that system, then the whole thing breaks down and has a flow on effect on the rest.

“Once he [van't Schip] brought it up, it’s given confidence to the boys to know that, nah, we stick to the system, you might make mistakes but if you keep sticking at it, it will work eventually.

“Once he brought it up he got it into the guys' heads that this is the way we want to play, but know you’re allowed to make mistakes. Just don’t be afraid and the system will work eventually.

“I think since the coach brought it up we’ve seen a change."

Certainly in the final 20 minutes against Adelaide United last week, Heart showed little fear hurling themselves forward for a winner even though they were a man down against a rampant Reds.  

“We’re now more confident in the style of football we’re playing than ever before," added Bolton. "The fact we’re three points and bottom of the ladder doesn’t mean anything to us.

“Look at Adelaide [United game] people would’ve expected us to wilt after Simon was sent off and they scored, but I think we rebounded very nicely. And that comes from not panicking.

"These are signs that the fear has gone.”