On the eve of the 2014/15 A-League season the players share their excitement ahead of round one and reveal their expectations for their respective teams.
Danny Vukovic, Perth Glory
It’s very exciting. This is the 17th week of pre-season training, so we have been waiting for a long time for this. We know it is very important for us to get a good start. Traditionally teams that have gone on to be at the top of the table generally start well and get the pack chasing them and that is what we want to do.
Everybody is very positive in the squad. We lost some very experienced players but I think we have managed to recruit really well to fill the void. We lost Shane Smeltz but signed Andy Keogh and all over the park we have strengthened and now we have real competition all over the park for spots.
Matt Smith, Brisbane Roar
You work hard and plan so much in pre-season that by the end of it you are itching to play for points. There is a lot of anticipation. Every year people tip who is going to finish first, who is going to finish last, but you never get a true idea until the first couple of rounds. In the first few weeks teams will be keen to see how all the other teams are looking and you are never too sure of what to expect.
Expectations are high at Brisbane, we as players have very high standards. Collectively there are so many good players coming into the league and every team has strengthened, and teams have four or five months to prepare themselves. We know how difficult it will be to go back-to-back and we expect this season to be very tough.
Nigel Boogard, Adelaide United
The excitement is high. This is why we train so hard during the off-season to make sure we are ready for this moment. To get on the park for the first round will be great, I’m sure there will be a few nerves. The first game is always a little cagey and teams will try to feel each other out and get used to the speed of the game when three points is on the line.
We have some great players that have come in this season. Last season we were given some leeway with the coach asking us to adapt and learn a new style but this year it is all about being successful and winning. I think this club, with the squad we have, we have to aim for the Asian Champions League spots.
Taylor Regan, Newcastle Jets
We got together in June, so we have been training hard and getting to know the new philosophies that Phil (Stubbins) wants us to adapt to, slowly but surely we have done that, we now feel we are ready to get a good result in round one and go on from there.
We have not been in the finals for a few years now and that is not good enough in a ten team competition. First and foremost we want to get into the finals. We also want to be the team the fans deserve. We have one of the largest Member bases in the competition and for our fans to have been so solid during the disappointing recent seasons it is crucial we repay them.
Zac Anderson, Central Coast Mariners
It’s very exciting to be part of the 10th season of the A-League. The players are really looking forward to this weekend’s F3 Derby and getting off to a good start. This is a really important year for the club, with the likes of our captain John Hutchinson playing his tenth year, and it is a really exciting time to be at the Mariners. The first few rounds are almost like finals with teams trying not to give too much away and teams are often very different to what they were like in pre-season.
We have bred a really strong winning culture here and we have managed to bring in some real quality players in the off-season to fill the void of players that have left. Our expectations internally we keep to ourselves but we are very driven to do everything to be successful.
Glen Moss, Wellington Phoenix
I have been looking forward to it for a long time now. We have had one of our best pre-seasons ever at the Phoenix, with clubs such as West Ham and Newcastle United coming out for pre-season games. We have also played some really tough A-League sides as well.
We are always looking to get a spot in the finals. I think this year is one of our best opportunities. Our squad depth is really good this year, especially with the signings of RolyBonevacia, Nathan Burns and Michael McGlinchey and this could be one of the best Phoenix sides we have had in recent years.
Ante Covic, Western Sydney Wanderers
We have waited a long time for the A-League to get started again. The ACL has been an unbelievable ride, it is a different competition and it is a different way to prepare. We came in earlier and had to prepare for competition games much earlier than normal. We took it one step at time and tried to prepare for each game one at a time and as any player will tell you, you much prefer to be playing for points.
Our expectations are very high, we as a club have had high goals from day one and we have constantly proved people wrong and have always believed in our ability. We expect to be successful and be in Asia again. We have been successful but have fallen short on two occasions and that has been a bitter pill to swallow. We want to make amends and try to go one further.
Nick Carle, Sydney FC
It is extremely exciting even at my age. It has been a long pre-season but it has been a great one for us. We want to now kick-on, it is all well and good to have a good pre-season but you have to take that into the season proper.
Expectations are high as always are always high at Sydney FC and this year is no different. Arnie (Granham Arnold) has been great in getting everyone very tight knit and making us work together. We know what we have to do and our own expectations are high and we feel through the work of Arnie and Clarky (Andrew Clark) we are ready to have a very successful season.
Patrick Kisnorbo, Melbourne City
We have had a long pre-season and have worked very hard and everyone is extremely excited about getting the season started. The first game is a game that can set-up your season. We know there is a lot of expectation on the playing group but we have blocked that out and we are only worried about ourselves.
We are very fortunate to have signed some very good players so expectations may be high for many. But as a playing group we are focused on what we need to do and will do that in a quiet way, exactly as we have been doing throughout pre-season.
Adrian Leijer, Melbourne Victory
It has been long off season and we are really excited to get things started, I think players and fans everywhere are really excited off the back of the World Cup and hopefully we can carry that through. It always takes one or two games to find your rhythm, we know we have done the work and we are looking forward to it.
Expectations are high, as they always are at the club, and we expect to be at the pointy end of the table. We have made some very good signings and they will help us improve but we know it will tough as everyone has improved.
