Brisbane are back. Reinaldo is better than ever and could be the best striker in the A-League. Too fast, too strong, too clever. Great ball skills.
Newcastle, with the only defence to close out Gold Coast, had no answer to the Miller, Van Dijk, Henique and Reinaldo combination. Even Mitch looked very composed in a defensive mid-field post. Add to that a much better performance from Malcolm who is very comfortable moving forward.
Ivan Franjic made it possible. After a shaky start, 'Ivan the good' looked sharp in essentially a back 3 with Moore and Josh McCloughan (sub). Tiatto only last 10 minutes and I wonder how much more we will see of him. He has been terrific so far but he just can't hold his body together.
As for the goals, the first showed just how far Reinaldo has come. He put Newcastle's defence into disarray 3 and 4 times. Van Dijk was unlucky not to score several times. And Newcastle had their chances early including an offside no goal. But it was Reinaldo and Henrique that finished the business. First Reinaldo walked calmly through some rugby style stuff to bounce the ball off Mitch Nichols and then step back and cross for Henrique to finish. Then Miller, from deep in the Roar half lobbed the ball for Reinaldo to run through the middle and one-on-one keeper Kennedy - bouncing the ball off him to push the rebound into the goal. Goal one 24 minutes, goal two 26 minutes. Then after 70 minutes Brisbane held the ball for pass after pass, before Malcolm crossed for Henrique to lob into Miller waiting in the box - chest down back to goal and then swoosh turn and shoot. 0-3.
Newcastle looked beaten.
Can Brisbane play like this at home? If the can they must.
Only 6,000 to watch this game, and only the Roar fans were heard.
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