Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis has urged his players not to get carried away with their good start to the A-League season following the club’s dismal end to its 2025-26 campaign.
The Roar have picked up four points from their two games, but face a stern test on Sunday against another of the competition’s unbeaten teams, Macarthur FC, at Campbelltown Stadium.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Valkanis said in perhaps reflecting on last season when after starting well, Brisbane faded away, failing to register a win in the club’s final 12 games of the campaign.
“We’ve started well and now is not the time to rest on our laurels. We’ve got to keep going.
“This week poses a completely different challenge to what we’ve had so far, so it’ll be a nice test.”
Macarthur has five points from three matches under new coach, former Roar and Socceroos defender Sasa Ognenovski, who was also a teammate of Valkanis’ at Adelaide United.
“I know Sasa very well .. and I know his character and the type of person he is, and what he’s going to want his team to replicate, and they’ve shown that in their last three games,” Valkanis said.
“They’ve started the season really well. Two unbeaten teams … it’s going to be a really good clash early on in the season.
“We’ve just got to keep dominating, keep playing our way regardless of what happens in a game.
“Whether we’re winning or we’re losing and trying to get back in the game, we just stick to the plan and stick to the way we want to play.”
Valkanis said the Roar’s late equaliser – through captain Tom Aldred – in last week’s 1-1 home draw with Auckland FC felt like it was a winner.
“That’s really important because our job is to make people happy, leave the ground happy and get them excited for what’s next,” he said.
“We’re really happy that we didn’t lose and we didn’t let our supporters down.”
