Central Coast Mariners defenders Joshua Rose and Trent Sainsbury have identified Wanderers’ attacking recruit Tomi Juric as one man the yellow and navy will need to keep quiet in Saturday Hyundai A-League round 1 blockbuster at Bluetongue Stadium.
Central Coast Mariners defenders Joshua Rose and Trent Sainsbury have identified Wanderers- attacking recruit Tomi Juric as one man the yellow and navy will need to keep quiet in Saturday Hyundai A-League round 1 blockbuster at Bluetongue Stadium.
While the 2013 Grand Final winning defensive duo are aware of the many threats Wanderers have in their front third, both believe the recently capped Socceroo – who played for Adelaide United last season – will be a key man for Western Sydney this season.
“I think they-ve (Wanderers) bought really well,” Rose said on Thursday. “Young Tomi Juric has been in the Socceroos squad in the off-season, so he looks like a good addition up front for them.”
Sainsbury was in camp with Juric in Korea Republic throughout Australia-s 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup campaign, and is likely to be in close contact with the former NK Inter Zaprešic man throughout the contest.
“He-s a good striker,” Sainsbury said. “He-s very physical for a young boy, and he-s very direct as well, so I am going to have to be on my toes when I play against him.”
Despite Juric-s ability being noted by two of the Mariners- key defenders, both players are focussing on their own – and the team-s – performance against the second-season side on Saturday.
And, the anticipation of playing infront of a close to capacity crowd at Bluetongue Stadium in round 1 has both players primed for action.
“There-s a great buzz around training with all the boys, and the excitement is building with the Memberships as well as the strong ticket sales,” Rose said. “We-re all just looking forward to getting into it.”
“All the boys have been waiting a long time for this game, and there-s a lot of buzz around, a lot of excitement. We-ll be ready to go from the first whistle,” he said.
Sainsbury added: “I think it-s one of the perks of being a professional athlete, playing infront of big crowds. Western Sydney have very passionate supporters and I think it-s going to bring out the passion in our supporters as well.”
“Arnie (Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Graham Arnold) will have firing on the day.”
Rose is highly regarded in the Hyundai A-League for his work rate and endeavour down the left flank, however explained that he, and teammates such as skipper John Hutchinson, are happy to do the grunt work to enable the Club-s creative players to shine.
“The way Hutch (Hutchinson) puts it is he carries the piano out and lets the boys play it out on the pitch,” Rose said. “There are a few of us that do that and we let a few of the boys like Marcos (Flores) play the piano for 90 minutes and then we-ll carry it back off. We-re happy to do that job and hopefully we-ll get the three points.”
Tickets for the Round 1 encounter are selling fast, and fans eager to ensure they’re at the clash are encouraged to purchase soon to avoid disappointment.
Central Coast Mariners vs. Western Sydney Wanderers – Hyundai A-League 2013/14 Round 1
Saturday 12 October, 2013
Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Kick-off: 5:30pm
Gates open: 4:00pm
Tickets: Please CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the match.
Twitter: Join the match conversation on Twitter! The official match hash-tag is #CCMvWSW
