The club stalwart and vice-captain was expected to step into the breech when Smith was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip injury.

But last year’s Johnny Warren medallist Thomas Broich has been leading the defending champs on the pitch instead as they look to make a late charge into the top six.

Broich took the armband while vice-captain Stefanutto was suspended for the round 18 match away to Perth - and the fullback says he was impressed by the contribution of the stand-in skipper.

Before the next game he spoke with head coach Mike Mulvey, saying he felt “very comfortable” leaving the captaincy in the German playmaker’s hands.

“I watched that game and thought Thomas had an excellent game as captain,” Stefanutto told au.fourfourtwo.com “I love captaining this club but this doesn’t change the way I act.

"I see myself as a leader and a communicator and a talker out there anyway and a senior player. For me, that doesn’t change if I’ve got the armband or not.

“For the team, I thought it was good to keep Thomas as captain and I think over this period he’s had the armband, he’s really stepped up and his football has gone to yet another level.”

Roar’s gutsy 2-0 win against Phoenix on Sunday after a week of dramas - including a loss to Sydney FC and going down to Thai outfit Buriram United in the AFC Champions League qualifier - impressed the leftback.

“I think we worked super hard and from time to time that’s all you can expect – that the boys put in a really good shift for 90 minutes,” he said.

“You can’t fault the boys’ effort on the weekend and that was pleasing after a long week. A lot were cramping towards 80-90 minutes and you know that they’ve given their all.

"I think that’s a really positive sign for our fans and everyone involved with the club.”

It wasn’t that long ago the team looked down for the count but such is the unpredictability of the league, a win away on Friday will see them leapfrog their opponents, Newcastle Jets, into sixth spot.

With plenty of experience in the line-up and some exciting young talent finally getting an opportunity to shine, Stefanutto says the vibe in the dressing room is positive heading into the last six rounds of the regular season.

“I think we’ve only got one injury which is Matt Smith – everyone else is fighting fit,” he said. “Competition for places is healthy and that means that young players are stepping up which is always a positive sign.

“Of course Smithy would love to be out there, contributing and helping us out but people don’t realise how much involvement he still has off the field in terms of talking to the boys.

“And now he has the opportunity to watch the football and take it all in. He spots a lot of good things from his vantage point and he’s always constructive and giving advice. Even though he might not be on the field he’s helping the boys out all the time.

“And the direction we’re travelling with Smithy our captain off the park helping boys – Thomas on the field, me there, Michael Theo, Jade North coming in now – we’ve got experienced players now who are all contributing and it’s very positive.

“Of course it’s difficult this position we’re in at the moment but we’re always fighting. We’re in the running now and we’re really making a concerted effort to put everything in over this next six to eight week period to try and be successful again as a club.”