Tarek Elrich has said the Reds are ecstatic with their Premiership win, stating the entire team are “buzzing” that their hard work during the season has paid off with silverware.
The Adelaide United playing squad gathered to watch Brisbane Roar’s match with Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, knowing a win form the Roar would see United drop to second on the Hyundai A-League ladder and miss out on the Club’s first Premiership since the inaugural season of the competition.
But a misfiring Brisbane failed to beat Victory, the sides playing out a scoreless draw and seeing the Reds claim a deserving Premiership.
Speaking on the result, Tarek Elrich said he and his teammates were thrilled to have been together in watching Roar drop points to Victory, unifying the Reds ahead of their two-week break prior to their home Semi-Final.
“I can’t say I’ve watched a match too many times with my team, hoping for a Victorian team to win a game,” Elrich said. “It was very stressful, but at the end of the day it was a great result for us.
“It was emotional to have all the boys (together) and a lot of the boys haven’t finished first before or won much silverware, so for us it’s a massive achievement and something we all deserve.
“I didn’t know what to expect (when the final whistle was blown), but all the boys were jumping around and we were in a huddle.
“It was a massive buzz and something that’s very hard to describe.
“I’ve won things with other clubs, but this one just means that extra bit more because of all the hard work the team has put in.”
Elrich also took the time to highlight the input of the Adelaide coaching staff, Head Coach Guillermo Amor in particular, saying: “I remember at the start of the season, Guillermo kept telling us to go game by game.
“Then we went on a bit of a roll (of winning games), but he made sure we only looked at the next game, which is how we are looking at it now.
“I can’t wait to go to training on Tuesday and see our coaching staff because it’s not only the hard work that we’ve put in, there’s a lot of work that everyone else that’s involved with the Club has put in too.
“This (Premiership) is for them as well because we’re one big family.”
United’s Semi-Final opponents are yet to be determined, with Elimination Finals between the third placed and sixth placed sides to be played next week.
But Elrich isn’t concerned with the Reds’ opposition, rather choosing to focus on the achievement of being crowned Premiers after what was a very difficult start to the season.
“I could understand the frustrations of the supporters at the start of the season because it was the same for us as players.
“It was a hard place to be at the start of the season. Not winning in eight games, the pressure was on, but as a team we believed (we could turn it around).
“Now we’re here and it’s a great achievement for the Club and the players and it shows when you stick to a goal and believe in each other, anything’s possible.
“For a club like ours, to say we were going to win the league, a lot of people would have doubted us. But we’ve done it.”
