With eleven games gone and only the postponed game against City to complete the first round lets look at how we are travelling so far, remembering that in the Pre-Season Silver Boot we beat Olympicand then the star studded Strikers in the Final with a goal to the pacy young Schiavo.

During the season proper we have not had our full complement of players available with Curtis missing eight games and Tumusiime having not played much since round 14 last year.

We currently have four players following in the footsteps of Mundy and Tumusiime and trialling with A League clubs for a position in there Youth squads. This can be difficult for the player as he must continue to do what got him there in the first place, which was to play well for his club, yet impress and be full of energy when trialling. We at Rochedale have the utmost respect for both Rado Vidosic and Mike Mulvey and know that they will do the right thing by the player and of course make sure the players are fresh for games with Rochedale.

In many of our games we have had to battle for the result, something you would expect in Brisbane`s Premier League. Another good thing is that we have played away at a few difficult grounds in Taringa and at Peninsula. Taringa especially can be a nightmare late in the season where the pitch is terrible to play any sort of football on and basically you just have to lump it forward.

Lets hope for some decent weather and that the pitches dry out a bit because the next period will be very challenging with midweek friendlies against Brisbane Roar and Gold Coast United, coupled with probable midweek cup matches we will need our full complement of players hungry and ready for the next crucial middle period of the season when it gets cold and the team with the most driven, focused attitude usually comes out with some decent results.

It is a bit like birdie-ing the 9th hole at golf to be leading by three, you still need to concentrate and get the process right on the tenth tee otherwise you're in the water then the bunker and your tournament is stuffed.

On a final note it is great to see club captain Steven Carter doing well, he is more than a captain at Rovers he is our social organiser, golf tournament director and speech writer at all awards nights. We look forward to your return to the training ground and unbelievable enthusiasm.

Tim Brown