MASTER mentor Wayne Bennett has taken Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi under his wing in a boost to the A-League club’s hopes of playing finals football for an eighth successive season.
Ahead of the Roar’s Suncorp Stadium showdown with Melbourne City on Sunday evening, The Sunday Mail can reveal Aloisi met with Brisbane Broncos boss Bennett last week.
Aloisi, under pressure to turnaround the Roar’s fortunes in what has been largely a forgettable campaign, sought the meeting with Bennett, who was happy to meet with his A-League counterpart.
The former Socceroos striker had similar meetings with AFL coaches during his time as Melbourne Heart coach.
And it’s not the first time seven-time NRL premiership winner Bennett has passed on his words of wisdom to football coaches.
W-LEAGUE: Roar eye rewards for hard yards
Championship-winning Roar coach Mike Mulvey regularly went to Bennett for advice, while all-conquering Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold often picks the brain of the former Maroons and Kangaroos coach.
Aloisi, who regards Bennett as rugby league’s equivalent of legendary former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson, was thrilled with the outcome of the pair’s lunch meeting at Gambaro restaurant.
The duo have exchanged numbers, with Aloisi set to speak to Bennett regularly as he seeks to return the Roar to the A-League’s summit.
Suncorp Stadium general manager Alan Graham and Roar managing director David Pourre were also at the lunch, with Bennett stressing the need for stability within Brisbane’s coaching ranks.
Aloisi is in his third season at the helm of the Roar and has had to cope with the club’s ongoing off-field problems since starting in the role in June 2015.
Despite the Roar’s issues, Aloisi led them to third place on the ladder and to within a win of the grand final for two successive years before this season’s struggles.
The club hit rock bottom last month when they were beaten 3-2 in front of just 1279 fans at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre by Filipino minnows Ceres-Negros.
But with their crippling injury toll easing, the Roar are slowly turning around their form and will aim for a third straight A-League win.
“We know it’s another final for us,” Aloisi said.
“The last two A-League games have been good in terms of performances and wins and we want to keep on making sure we pick up the points that we need to make finals.
“Also we have to plan already for next season. We have to make sure that we build a squad that we believe is going to win it next season … but at the moment our main focus is this season and making finals.”
