Adelaide United defender Nigel Boogaard rejects claims that have hovered over Sunday’s opponents Perth Glory as a team that is overly physical and thrives on the rough stuff.
Adelaide United defender Nigel Boogaard rejects claims that have hovered over Sunday-s opponents Perth Glory as a team that is overly physical and thrives on the rough stuff.
In the build up to the Reds- highly anticipated Remembrance Day clash against the Glory, a game that will pit first against third on the table, Boogaard sees nothing wrong with the way the team from the west go about their business and says the Reds would need to match the level of both the Glory-s intensity and football prowess.
“They (Perth Glory) are a tough side regardless of where they are on the table. Obviously there has been a lot said about them being over physical, but personally I think that-s part and parcel of the game these days,” Boogaard said.
“They are physical but there-s no malice or anything, they-re just in your face wanting to win the ball back, and they play some good football, so it-s definitely going to be a challenge for us on the weekend and hopefully we can get the result.”
“You should have that approach every week to be physically dominant over the opposition and I think that goes a long way to winning a match.”
“As people say, the first 15 minutes of a game is always a battle and after that the football flows, so hopefully we go in with the right mindset on the weekend.”
Perth have won three of their opening five games and would count themselves unlucky not to have taken anything from their other two encounters. All three of the Glory-s victories have come at home, making them an even more dangerous adversary on Sunday as they chase their first points on the road.
The Reds have not crossed paths with Perth at all since last season, including the club-s pre season matches, however Boogaard can lay claim to being familiar with a host of the Glory-s personnel.
Adelaide United-s Best Team Man of last season was a team mate of Travis Dodd and Scott Jamieson while they were at the Reds, while Boogaard also played alongside Dean Heffernan and Danny Vukovic during his time at the Central Coast Mariners.
Glory coach Ian Ferguson is also no stranger to the 26 year old, the Scotsman an assistant to Lawrie McKinna at the Mariners during Boogaard-s time in Gosford.
Boogaard admits it is always fascinating coming up against old team mates, although his primary focus is on the Reds putting in a better showing than when they took the points in Brisbane last week.
“A few boys I used to play with…there are quite a few actually, so it should be an interesting match, but I think the boys are switched on, we-re sitting pretty at the moment but there is a lot of improvement still and today at training the boys got stuck in and I think we-re well on our way to a better performance than last week,” Boogaard said.
Former Reds defender Jamieson, who joined the Glory for Season 8, has never been one to shy away from the chance to have a sledge or chat on the pitch, and it is sure to be no different when he returns to Hindmarsh on Sunday. However, Boogaard is more concerned about curtailing the left back-s football ability than about what comes out of his mouth.
“Scotty-s banter is pretty average so I-m sure it won-t really affect anyone,” Boogaard said with just a hint of tongue in cheek.
“But he-s in some good form at the moment so hopefully we can keep a lid on him.”
Sunday-s match will also feature a special recognition of Remembrance Day, the day that marks the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One.
It will be the second time the Reds acknowledge the day with a Ceremony of Remembrance prior to kick-off, and Boogaard believes it will definitely add to the occasion.
“It-s a great day. Obviously Remembrance Day means a lot to so many people so hopefully there-s a big crowd here,” Boogaard said.
“It should be a great atmosphere and I-m sure the game will live up to the billing.”
Kick-Off is at 4.30pm and tickets are available through Ticketek.
