Brisbane Roar’s towering midfielder Erik Paartalu has been working overtime to grab a chance to battle the Hyundai A-League’s new boys Melbourne Heart in Toowoomba on Friday night.
Brisbane Roar-s towering midfielder Erik Paartalu has been working overtime to grab a chance to battle the Hyundai A-League-s new boys Melbourne Heart in Toowoomba Friday night.
Paartalu has been putting in the hard yards – working extra training shifts – in a bid to boost his fitness ahead of the historic clash against the Heart at the Clive Berghofer Stadium.
The first Hyundai A-League squad to take on the Heart, Brisbane officials are hoping a large crowd attend the game and help the club extend its unbeaten pre-season run.
And Paartalu is hoping he can do his part to help his new club continue its excellent form as the kick-off to the new Hyundai A-League season draws near.
“I had half an hour against the Ipswich Invitational and did ok, came on in the last half an hour,” the 24 year-old said.
“I-ve got to look after myself and build up to peak fitness
“But I-ve trained a fair bit away from the squad when they have had days off … and I-ve felt as if I-m getting back into it.
“And hopefully I can get a run against the Heart.”
Brisbane has been in dominant form in its pre-season Roar Roadshow tour, claiming impressive victories against Queensland State League and Brisbane Premier League sides.
Despite the Heart-s relative infancy, Paartalu believes the match in Toowoomba is the best indication of the squad-s pre-season progress.
“The players the Melbourne Heart have are of really high calibre … and that-s why you play these games,” he said.
“And as a squad, it-s great to see where we-re at against another Hyundai A-league opponent.
“After this match, we will hopefully know what we need to work on before we meet them in the regular season.”
Gates for the match open at 5pm with players making appearances from 5pm to 6.15pm.
Tickets for the match are $15 for adults and $5 for children 15 years & under.
Match tickets are available online at Empire Theatre or at the gate on match day.
