Our Young Roar head into their final Foxtel Y-League clash against Melbourne Victory at the top of Conference A & in contention for a Grand Final berth.
The two sides meet in the final fixture of the Foxtel Y-League regular season at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium on Friday afternoon (3pm KO QLD time).
Following a physical 2-1 defeat against the Reds last Saturday in Adelaide, a place in the decider remains in the Young Roar’s hands.
A win would just about book the Roar’s spot in the Grand Final against the Conference B winners, while Melbourne City’s clash against Adelaide United, which kicks off half-hour later, could also prove decisive to the final standings.
Coming up against a Victory side who our Young Roar beat 6-0 in their last meeting before Christmas, Head Coach Drew Sherman and his side are taking no chances in this pivotal contest.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult challenge when we go down there [Melbourne],” Sherman said.
“They’re going to have a point to prove and we will be a little different in terms of players.
“It’s going to be a tight contest, we know that, but we are preparing the boys for that and they are up for the challenge.”
In the Victory’s last outing, they suffered a tight 3-2 loss to cross-town rivals Melbourne City.
After a positive season thus far, Sherman is pleased with the development of his young squad after coming up against some of the best young players the country has to offer.
“When we started the campaign, to be in the type of position we are in now, coming into the final round and knowing if we go down there [Melbourne] and get a win, this is the perfect position,” Sherman added.
“We do believe in the group of young players we have and they’ve justified our belief in them.
“I’ve been very impressed with the maturity they’ve shown as a collective and their ability to turn performances into results.”
Perhaps the cherry on top so far for the Young Roar are the opportunities and experiences some of the squad have earned with the Hyundai A-League side.
“We are seeing now opportunities for some of those kids to step up and play minutes in the first team or travelling with the squad,” Sherman concluded.
“Aaron Reardon has been exposed and played in the [Hyundai] A-League along with Jay Barnett travelling with the squad, and Daniel Leck has first-team experience too.”
Follow @brisbaneroar on Twitter for live updates from Lakeside Stadium from 3pm on Friday.
MATCH DETAILS
Foxtel Y-League 2018/19 – Round 10: Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar
Lakeside Stadium, Melbourne
Friday, 25 January (3pm KO)
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