Brisbane defector making a splash

AN impressive pre-season has former Brisbane Roar defender James Donachie in line to start for Melbourne Victory against his old club at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

Donachie took advantage of a wrongly dated contract to turn his back on the Roar at the end of last season and join the Victory.

The Roar weren’t surprised that Donachie left Brisbane, but had been expecting him to move to an overseas club, as he had stated was his preferred wish.

Instead, he popped up in Melbourne, where according to Victory coach Kevin Muscat, he has “embraced the culture ... and environment”.

Donachie has performed in recent weeks, probably nudging ahead of Nick Ansell in the battle to partner Spaniard Alan Baro in the centre of the Victory’s defence when the new season starts on Friday.

“We’ve got three very good central defenders. It’s going to be tough leaving one of them out, but it’s just the way it is,” Muscat said.

“He (Donachie) has settled in really well.

“He’s got a great work ethic and he’s working very hard on the defensive side of his game because he’s always been really comfortable with the ball.

“He’s put all the bricks in the right places to give himself a good opportunity to have a good season.”

The Roar ended the Victory’s title defence last season with a thrilling 2-1 semi-final win at Suncorp Stadium.

“They’ve always been good games when we play the Roar so I’m looking forward to another good encounter,” said Muscat, who expects Brisbane coach John Aloisi to tinker with the Roar style.

Roar attacking weapon Dimitri Petratos’ chances of being available for selection have slightly improved after he was cleared of a break in his injured ankle.