Transformed Heart give Glory food for thought
A fit and firing Travis Dodd is sure Perth Glory will not be guilty of complacency when they take on Melbourne Heart at nib Stadium on Sunday.
The attacking midfielder was a spectator when Glory teammates demolished Heart 5-0 in a pre- season match less than a month ago and admitted being shocked by the Victorian club's transformation.
Just two weeks after that Glory mauling, Heart kicked off the season with an upset win over Melbourne Victory before drawing with Wellington Phoenix, despite Simon Colosimo's dismissal early in the second half.
"Looking at where they were in that pre-season game to how they were in the round one game against Victory. I wasn't expecting that," Dodd said yesterday.
"It was a shock compared to what we saw two weeks previously.
"Pre-season can be false sometimes and we've spoken about that within the playing group and with the coaching staff.
"Once you're playing for points and the pressure is really on, it can bring out the best in people.
"That's certainly been the case with Melbourne Heart. But we're all smart enough and wise enough to know that it was pre-season.
"As much as it's good to get the results, the results that really matter are when you play for points."
After a win over Brisbane Roar in the opening round, Glory were beaten by Central Coast last Sunday.
They are determined to bounce back against Heart.
Dodd, who was dogged by a niggling Achilles problem for much of last season, believes the suspension of former Glory defender Colosimo could be significant.
"He's a natural leader and he's been in the game a long time," Dodd said. "He marshals the team from the back and it's a big loss for them. It's something I think we can exploit on the weekend."
Dodd, Dean Heffernan and Bas van den Brink did not train with the main group yesterday but are expected to be fit to face Heart.
