Hopeful Optimism To Uncertain Pessimism: Brisbane Roar 23/24 Season Review
Christian Montegan 
Brisbane Roar 23/24 Season Review. Photo: Brisbane Roar. Design: Round Ball Australia
What started as a prosperous future with light at the end of the tunnel soon turned into darkness with more questions than answers, as the Brisbane Roar failed to reach finals for the third consecutive season.
Fresh faces appointed behind the scenes during the off-season were responsible from the get-go to map out a plan for long-term success of the Roar, with CEO Kaz Patafta and COO Zac Anderson hoping to instil their business and football intellect.
Despite a heart-breaking 3-1 loss to Sydney FC in the Australia Cup Final in October, Brisbane produced exciting and entertaining football all while embedding young talent through the likes of 18-year-old Thomas Waddingham and 22-year-old Taras Gomulka.
Just one defeat in their first seven games of the season offered fans hope to cling onto, inspired by the work done by coach Ross Aloisi in a bid to propel the club back to the heights they experienced a decade ago.
However, the 51-year-old departed after round nine with an offer to work with Kevin Muscat in China, deemed too good to refuse. As a result, the squad experienced two more managers and from that instability, it was too late to rediscover their cohesiveness.
Season Grade: C
A ninth-place finish and possessing the equal-second worst defence in the competition could have some questioning why this grade isn’t lower. Still, considering the disruptive campaign endured, it could’ve been much worse for the three-time A-League champions.
The appointment of Ben Cahn from Melbourne Knights to replace the void left by Aloisi lasted a mere five games before announcing his decision to remove himself due to medical reasons. In stepped former Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich, a permanent deal for the 38-year-old, further proof that the club are planning for the future.
Three coaches in less than three months mean the players can’t be blamed for topsy-turvy and inconsistent performances. With that said, there are promising signs of Zadkovich’s attacking philosophy taking shape whilst experimenting with multiple formations.
It’s not easy to judge the club when vast amounts of change have transpired, yet when judged by results, eight wins in 27 outings sway toward an underwhelming season with many things to improve come the off-season.
Highlight: Revenge over Melbourne City
Days after losing Aloisi abroad, the Roar suffered their heaviest defeat in the club’s history as they were thumped 8-1 at AAMI Park against Melbourne City in what was an embarrassing stain on their reputation.
Coming off the back of a positive display against a high-flying Wellington Phoenix to snatch a draw, Zadkovich’s tenure commenced in the best possible fashion to hand City a taste of their own medicine thanks to a dominant 5-1 victory at home.
A double from Waddingham helped the Roar race out to a 4-0 lead, offering an insight into the potential that the squad is capable of producing.
High intensity and a willingness to press up the pitch without fear were nothing short of impressive and provided fans with an early glimpse of how Zadkovich wants his side to set up and take the initiative.
Lowlight: Poor Crowds at Suncorp
Before the 2023/24 season, COO Zac Anderson used the model of the Matildas and the FIFA Women’s World Cup to draw inspiration regarding a push to see more spectators flooding through the gates.
“Sometimes you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and instead just look sideways, and I think watching that story unfold, especially at Suncorp against France, witnessing that atmosphere again is something that we all aspire the Roar to build towards,” said Anderson.
If history is anything to go by, success is fundamental to drawing large crowds as we have been accustomed to with the Newcastle Jets in 2017/18 and the Central Coast Mariners recently. Australians love to attend big games and a finals series, but the Roar have to get there first.
Brisbane averaged the eighth-worst attendance record this season with an average of 6,510, according to Ultimate A-League. To see rows upon rows of empty seats is a depressing look for a stadium capacity of 52,500.
Western United and Macarthur are newly established clubs, so the low figures have been expected. For Brisbane who holds a proud prestige and is about to enter their 19th season, the balance between a ‘traditional home’ and club-appropriate stadia will continue to cause headaches for Roar decision makers.
Youth Is The Way Forward
There is little doubt that the Roar sit down the pecking order when it comes to being a destination club for marquee players who have the ambition to win silverware.
However, their youth development has been one of the few positives this season where they can attempt to follow the Mariners’ blueprint of developing teenagers and promoting them to the senior squad.
With a young coach still learning his craft, the long-term focus remains paramount if Brisbane wishes to form another dynasty. By doing so, they will need to sell youth for profit and try to reinvest those funds back into the club and academy.
Currently owned by Indonesia’s Barkie Group, further planning and investment will be necessary to be in contention for a finals berth in 2024/25 – because they have some promising pieces along with an attractive location.
Individual Performers
In terms of standouts, Jay O’Shea displayed his quality and leadership attributes during a challenging period for the club with 11 goal contributions from central midfield—the heroics of goalkeeper Macklin Freke kept Brisbane in the fight at times, while more productivity was expected former Melbourne City attacker Florian Berenguer.
Three joint top scorers with seven goals will be one area where the club should seek revamping to identify an out-and-out number nine that can contribute consistent goals.
In saying that, Waddingham performed above expectations for a young teenager with minimal experience and will only mature further with time and careful development.
- Gary Wilkins Medal (Best Player): Macklin Freke
- Players’ Player Award: Jay O’Shea
- Golden Boot: Thomas Waddingham, Jay O’Shea, Henry Hore
- Young Player of the Year: Thomas Waddingham
- Fans’ Player of the Year (Tiparra): Macklin Freke
Conclusion
It was an average season at best, unable to avoid the bottom four despite taking into account the inconsistency at the managerial helm, it should be viewed as a mini confidence booster to realise they have the mentality and character to achieve better results.
If Zadkovich has the backing of the board, which has been questioned with their two previous coaches, then Brisbane has the necessary foundations to build a successful model.
The fans will understand that a rebuilding process is the only way forward, but their patience is running thin.