Returning stars add extra shine to a season already bright with promise
Michael Cockerill
SYDNEY FC
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The Sydney Morning Herald
Positive: Organisation

Negative: Who will coach the team and where will the goals come from?

Sacking coach Branko Culina and losing marquee star Jason Culina before he'd kicked a ball for his new club are devastating blows. The key to the season will be whether owner Nathan Tinkler digs into his pockets to fund the striker the team clearly needs. Elsewhere, things are encouraging - new Brazilian defender Tiago looks to be a gun, Tarek Elrich has hinted he's getting back to his best, Marko Jesic and Jeremy Brockie are showing more durability, and youngsters James Virgili and Jacob Pepper look ready to make the breakthrough. The Jets might not lose many but, without a recognised goal scorer, they might not win enough to make a dash for the flag.

Possible team [4-2-3-1]: Kennedy; Tiago*, Byun*, Topor-Stanley, Elrich; Wheelhouse (c), Wehrman; Zadkovich, Jesic, Griffiths; Brockie*

CENTRAL COAST

MARINERS

Coach: Graham Arnold

Positive: Continuity

Negative: Delivery from the right side

Arnold is desperate to stay under the radar again but, after going so close to winning the championship and having strengthened his squad since that epic grand final, that's not going to happen. Newcomers Troy Hearfield, Stuart Musialik, Adriano Pellegrino and Brad McDonald aren't big names, but they're all hungry to prove something and are thriving in the no-frills Mariners environment. Big things are expected of fit-again Michael Baird, emerging star Bernie Ibini-Isei and the rapidly developing Rostyn Griffiths, but again it will be a staunch back line, led by imperious Dutchman Patrick Zwaanswijk, that will lay the foundation. The Mariners for the title? Why not?

Possible team [4-4-2]: Ryan; Bojic, Wilkinson (c), Zwaanswijk*, Rose; McGlinchey*, Griffiths, Bozanic, Pellegrino; Simon, Baird

PERTH GLORY

Coach: Ian Ferguson

Positive: Experience

Negative: Lack of pace

Muscular is a word easily associated with a Glory side that has beefed up during the off-season - think Billy Mehmet, Shane Smeltz, Travis Dodd and Adam Hughes - and continues to be led by the league's most combative individual, former Socceroos midfielder Jacob Burns. While the late signing of Mehmet, who thrives with his back to goal, makes the long ball an easy option, the plan is to play to feet through the likes of ball-playing recruits Andrezinho and Liam Miller. Tactical flexibility is also a focus for a side which, last season, was accused of being one-dimensional. It's a new-look squad which, Ferguson hopes, will produce a more professional approach.

Possible team [4-4-2]: Vukovic; Neville, van den Brink*, Mitchell, Howarth; Dodd, Burns (c), Miller*, Andrezinho*; Smeltz, Mehmet*

GOLD COAST UNITED

Coach: Miron Bleiberg

Positive: Squad balance

Negative: Durability of key players

Not long ago, Gold Coast were accused of assembling a glorified youth team and disrespecting the competition. Times have changed. Clive Palmer gets more interested in the project each week and, after a flurry of seasoned signings, stage fright won't be a problem. Apart from two positions, where rookies such as Dylan McGowan, Josh Brillante, Chris Harold and Ben Halloran are in the mix, the graduates from the championship-winning youth side might have to bide their time. Instead, experienced recruits Ante Rozic, Dylan Macallister, Maceo Rigters, Peter Jungschlager and Paul Beekmans will figure prominently. Clever paper-shuffling means there'll be eight ''imports'' for five visa spots.

Possible team [4-3-3]: Moss; Brillante, Thwaite (c), Rozic, Traore*; Jungschlager*, Beekmans*, Robson*; Rigters*, Macallister, Harold

MELBOURNE HEART

Coach: John van 't Schip

Positive: Possession game

Negative: No recognised scorer

The Heart's recruiting for their debut season was flawed - too many old, injury-prone players - and the lesson seems to have been learnt. A quicker transition will come from newcomers Maycon, David Williams, Mate Dugandzic and Fred, while the scoring load has seemingly fallen on Alex Terra, who flattered to deceive in an injury-plagued debut season. For a Dutch coach, van 't Schip's team have been surprisingly easy to stretch out of shape, but new Argentine anchorman Jonathan Germano could be a solution. The Heart are blessed with an abundance of attacking players, but finding the balance to improve on last season's poor scoring record is their biggest challenge.

Possible team [4-2-3-1]: Bolton; Marrone, Colosimo, Thompson, Behich; Srhoj, Germano*; Fred (c)*, Terra*, Worm*; Maycon*

ADELAIDE UNITED

Coach: Rini Coolen

Positive: Depth

Negative: No creator to fill the shoes of Marcos Flores.

A huge clear-out has seen stalwarts like Lucas Pantelis, Travis Dodd, Robbie Cornthwaite and Iain Fyfe shown the door, but the big surprise was Coolen allowing Johnny Warren medallist Marcos Flores to leave for China. The Dutch coach has backed his judgment by recruiting an impressive list of replacements, and there's a lot of smart money on the Reds winning the championship for the first time. There's quality in virtually every position, and Coolen might have to rethink his strategy to accommodate the balance - notably utilising Sergio van Dijk and Bruce Djite to best effect. Pre-season form suggests he's on the right track.

Possible team: [4-4-1-1]: Galekovic; Dilevski, Mullen, McKain (c), Cassio*; Vidosic, Levchenko*, Caravella, Slory*; Djite; van Dijk*

MELBOURNE VICTORY

Coach: Mehmet Durakovic

Positive: Harry Kewell

Negative: The Kewell effect

Kewell is either going to be the biggest star of the season, or the biggest disruption. For rookie coach Durakovic, it's a massive challenge, which is why he's delegated his new assistant, Kevin Muscat, to mentor his old mate ''H''. If Muscat can't keep Kewell focused, no one can. Kewell's arrival poses another question - what to do with Carlos Hernandez, Last year's Johnny Warren medallist? Come the January transfer window, perhaps ''Carlito'' will be shown the door. Whatever the case, the Victory are full of attacking talent, but undermanned in defence. What's new. Again they'll be a team worth watching, although the title seems beyond them.

Possible team [4-2-3-1]: Velaphi; Kemp, Leijer (c), Vargas, Fabio*; Broxham, Brebner; Thompson, Kewell, Rojas*; Solorzano*

WELLINGTON PHOENIX

Coach: Ricki Herbert

Positive: Experience

Negative: Lack of depth

The ownership saga will have had a mental, and material, effect on a squad that has made the finals for the past two seasons. Strong characters are needed, and in the likes of Andrew Durante, Ben Sigmund, Paul Ifill and Mark Paston there's leadership to steady the ship. The Phoenix still look short in key areas - notably central defence and up front - and there's a lack of creativity and cutting edge. Pocket-sized Spanish import Dani Sanchez could make a difference, but much seems to depend on the contribution of a fit-again Ifill, the drive of the underrated Manny Muscat, and the organisational skills of Durante. A long season looms.

Possible team [4-4-2]: Paston; Downey, Sigmund, Durante (c), Lochhead; Bertos, Brown, Muscat, Sanchez*; Greenacre*, Ifill*

BRISBANE

ROAR

Coach: Ange Postecoglou

Positive: A winning culture

Negative: Assimilating an eclectic mix of foreigners

Can you top winning the league on the back of a 28-game unbeaten run? No. Postecoglou is a realist and, while he won't drop his standards, he accepts there'll be a loss or two along the way. Imports Issey Nakajima-Farran, Besart Berisha and Sayed Mohamed Adnan all arrived at different stages of the preparation, while the departure of Matt McKay might not be so problematic if a fit-again Massimo Murdocca can step up to the plate. As always, Postecoglou has focused on technique and mobility in reassembling a squad he believes can also make an impact in the Asian Champions League. In German midfielder Thomas Broich, he has the best player in the A-League.