Go hard, go early

Skipper spells out Victory’s semi-final agenda

MELBOURNE Victory captain Carl Valeri says a fast start is a priority in tomorrow night’s semi-final against Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park.

But if things don’t go to plan early, the dogged defensive midfielder insists Victory will not panic in its search for a result that will send the club to a fifth A-League grand final.

Valeri said Victory players, refreshed after having the elimination final weekend off, are “buzzing” to get on the park again.

Indeed, Victory players could be forgiven for having been waiting for this game for some time given the team had all but wrapped up second spot with a month to play in the regular season.

Brisbane has had an arduous back end to its campaign, juggling Asian Champions League commitments and a hefty injury list in the run to the finals.

Last Friday it played 120 minutes in difficult conditions to overcome Western Sydney before several players had to fly to Thailand midweek for an ACL game.

The Roar also has a habit of starting slowly in finals, falling behind in its three playoffs under coach John Aloisi.

Valeri said he didn’t expect fatigue to be an issue for Brisbane tomorrow.

But his team was determined to get on the front foot early in front of an expected boisterous home crowd.

“Starting well is one of our main focuses. We know how important it is to start well,” Valeri said.

“But that’s not just about creating chances, scoring goals, it’s about being mentally ready and being willing to fight for each ball or to sacrifice yourself for the team by playing the right pass or making the right run.

“Sometimes that pass might not come off, or you might not get there, but as long as you’re switched on, as long as we’re all on song and we all know that our teammates are doing the right things by each other, then I know we’ll be OK.”

In winning the 2014-15 championship, Victory dominated both of its finals from start to finish.

But Valeri said there were contingency plans should the team strike early trouble.

“We’re prepared for anything,” he said. “If things don’t go well for us at the start, we know not to panic because we know that if we stick to what we do best and we get on top of things then we can get the result we need in this final.”