Matt McKay - key link for a Brisbane team

Matt McKay had a good game leading the team against Fury.

It will be a backward step for Brisbane if his agent is doing more than trying to force his exit by claiming the Roar may sell him at the end of the season. If McKay leaves it will be very unlikely that a Brisbane local will captain the team into the foreseeable future.

The club knows that Australian players will be at a premium next year as 11 teams ensure they have 18 locals. Its ranks of locals are looking thin. Only 5 of the current squad grow up in Brisbane, and of those only 2 get regular starts. Is this a factor in the low level of support the Roar attracts from local clubs?

The development of Brisbane as a club owned by local fans and embraced locally requires that it can show that players have come up through the local ranks - and local schools - to play for the local team. It will also be vital to have players who have grown up in Brisbane. Without locals who can demonstrate star quality, Brisbane has little prospect of developing the grass roots support they covet.

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Brisbane Roar locals:

- Matt McKay

- Isaka Cernak

- Tim Smits

- Michael Zullo

- Andrew Packer (Ipswich)

Murdocca, Devere and Franjic are from Melbourne.

McCloughan was born in Sydney and lived on the Gold Coast as did Griffin McMaster, Tommy Oar, Mitch Nichols, and David Dodd.

Matt Ham and Adam Sarota are from North Queensland.

Matt Mundy is from Canberra.

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Brisbane must already buy 3 to 5 average quality Australian passport holders next year without considering who else may leave. With a year on his contract, and so few quality Australian players available to buy, can Brisbane really afford to let Matt McKay go?