Brisbane Roar 2024/25 A-League Men Season Review

There was little expectation coming into the season for Brisbane Roar, and rightly so, after the turmoil and coaching turnover experienced last season with three different managers at the helm, in the next edition of Round Ball Australia’s A-League season review series.

It was supposed to be a fresh start for the club, which had been starved for success, with the arrivals of CEO Kaz Patafta and COO Kevin Anderson supposed to offer new ideas that fit the modern game with their young business minds.

Despite winning one of their last seven matches to conclude last campaign, Ruben Zadkovich was given a full pre-season to prove his worth after originally taking over from Ben Cahn in January 2024.

Fast forward 12 months later, and it can be argued that the three-time A-League Men Champions have actually gone backwards, and in a big way.

Season Grade: D

The only reason Brisbane avoided the dreaded F grade was that they somehow found a way not to end up with the wooden spoon.

It took them 14 games (yes, fourteen) to register their first win of the season, against Sydney FC of all sides.

But five wins out of a possible 26 with a points total of 21 should be viewed as an incredibly underwhelming and disappointing season.

What’s more frustrating is that there are glimpses of hope, as demonstrated in their rare victories against Sydney and Western United, for example.

Especially in the first half of the season, Zadkovich aimed to implement a possession-based style of football. However, that possession was useless possession for the most part; at times lost for answers whenever they were challenged to create meaningful goalscoring opportunities.

Off the pitch, the crowd numbers at Suncorp Stadium have been below expectations for a club with such a rich A-League history, as they only managed to average 6,216 home fans, representing a five per cent drop off.

Zadkovich’s unpleasant tactics

There have been quite a few negative scenes throughout the season, but none more so than Brisbane’s second-half antics against the Western Sydney Wanderers in December.

Attempting to settle for a 2-2 draw instead of pushing for a winner with little to play for and nothing to lose, Zadkovich was captured on broadcast promoting time-wasting tactics by clutching his hamstring, as goalkeeper Macklin Freke dropped to the ground with minutes to spare, and Wanderers captain Brandon Borrello called out the Roar post-match.

“I may be calling them out, but that was atrocious today,” he said. “Surely you can hand out a few yellows, if it’s part of the game, and part of the rules for time-wasting, either add it on or send them off. I’m tired of it,” he said.

Zadkovich defended himself and his players, telling the media that “sometimes as a manager you have to be there and fight with your players, and you have to help support them through difficult times. It’s a difficult time for our club,” he said.

Any Roar fan who watched that second half would have every right to feel embarrassed, because even though Zadkovich dug out the result he craved, where did that one point get them? All that just for second-last place?

It was an incredibly concerning point in the season, as it showed how little identity and ambition they possessed in a competition that doesn’t even have a relegation system.

Experienced leader the clear individual stand-out

Captain and influential leader, Jay O’Shea, was one of Brisbane’s few bright sparks for another season despite the lack of adequate support around him, and he won the Gary Wilkins medal at the clubs award night.

The 36-year-old’s obvious football IQ helped the struggling side string some promising patterns of play in a limited environment, as he notably contributed with six assists.

Sam Klein, an academy midfield product, finished as the side’s top goalscorer with five goals, but that’s a worry in itself and highlights the lack of quality depth in the front third after the departure of Thomas Waddingham in particular.

Striker Asumah Abubakar showed some signs of life with his hold-up play and willingness to get stuck in, albeit he played less than half a season. But the real disappointment was Indonesian Rafael Struick, notching one goal in 12 appearances.

A lot of work to do

A loss to the Wellington Phoenix in the early stages of Australia Cup action mid-May was the final nail in the coffin to conclude a miserable season for Brisbane.

Despite receiving continuous backing from the board, Zadkovich mutually parted ways at the end of the domestic campaign, and for many supporters, it’s good riddance.

This is a team that, it’s safe to say, has so much rebuilding to do in the off-season, but first, they must pinpoint an identity, a philosophy, an end goal, and stick to it.

So, does newly-appointed manager Michael Valkanis stand a chance?