This was published 7 years ago
Melbourne Victory's Marco Rojas a dark horse for golden boot, but Kiwi winger would prefer the title
By Michael Lynch
Anyone having a bet on the race for the A-League golden boot could be forgiven for focusing on the top two strikers who will face off on Saturday night in the third Melbourne derby of the season.
Besart Berisha, Melbourne Victory's main hitman, tops the standings with 13 goals after 17 rounds and stands alone at the top of the pile as the A-League's all-time goal scorer, having eclipsed Archie Thompson's total of 90 earlier in the season.
Melbourne Victory's Marco Rojas celebrates a goal.Credit: Getty Images
Close on his heels is Melbourne City captain Bruno Fornaroli, who has hit the back of the net 12 times this campaign in his bid to snare back-to-back golden boots following his prodigious first season in Australia last year.
But anyone seeking value in a narrow market would do well to look to Berisha's teammate, Marco Rojas, the former Johnny Warren Medal winner and New Zealand international.
Rojas is back for his second stint in navy blue after three years in Europe, where things didn't work out as he would have liked after a move to Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart.
His return to AAMI Park has been just the tonic his game needed, and with 10 regular season matches left, Rojas is third in the golden boot standings with 10.
Rojas' contribution is even more meritorious given that unlike Berisha and Fornaroli he does not take penalties, preferring instead to cut in from wide areas and create opportunities through pace and skill.
The All White star is firm in his belief, however, that it is a collective trophy he would prefer to win rather than any individual award.
"I am very happy to have got 10 goals so far, but if you ask me I would be happy if we could win the whole thing and for me to end the season with the same number of goals – although I would like to get a few more, of course," Rojas said.
His return to Melbourne, he said, has been good for him.
"I am feeling good about my game and my form. I always knew it was going to be tough when I went to Germany, but I maybe didn't foresee how tough it was going to be.
"But that's football and sometimes those things happen for you and against you. I feel coming back to Melbourne I have been able to enjoy my football again and that always helps you play well."
Victory has had a hectic month with four games in quick succession against Brisbane, Wellington, Perth and Sydney, including two trips to WA and New Zealand.
Victory beat Brisbane in a five-goal thriller when Berisha was sent off, but then lost three in a row to slip 11 points behind Sydney in the title race.
Such was the fixture pile-up that all the players had time to do was play, go through tactical briefings and travel. Rojas said the nine-day break between the 2-1 home loss to Sydney at Etihad on Australia Day and Saturday night's fixture is beneficial.
"It has given us a chance to rest but also to have some diversion in our preparation. Today we played just possession games and that means you can work a lot harder. Between the other games it was all about recovery," he said.
"The derby will be a big test. All of them are, but the way the league table is at this stage and our results in the last few weeks definitely make it an important game.
"I am pretty sure it will be a feisty game, like the last couple between us. Obviously in the first game we were not good enough [City won 4-1]but we played well in the second one and got the result."
Rojas was not happy to lose to Sydney but even though the Sky Blues are title favourites the winger agrees with coach Kevin Muscat that Victory can trouble Graham Arnold's team whenever they meet.
"I feel that in the last couple of games we have played Sydney, on any other day we could have gone on and won both games. To lose both matches 2-1 was disappointing but its not like they beat us 5-0 or played us off the park. We look forward to playing against them again."