Melbourne Heart FC central defender Simon Colosimo has seen and played in his fair share of Hyundai A-League matches – 133 to be precise – but one showdown stands alone as ‘special’
Melbourne Heart FC central defender Simon Colosimo has seen and played in his fair share of Hyundai A-League matches – 133 to be precise – but one showdown stands alone as ‘special- for the 33-year-old campaigner.
The colour, passion, excitement and drama of the Melbourne derby draws the attention of football fans across Australia, divides a city and is always a dramatic affair and for players, says Colosimo, it is a one of the biggest occasions of the season.
“I don-t think either camp or any player could treat [the derby] like just another game; it-s the derby, it-s one that both Clubs look forward to it, both sets of players look forward to and probably most importantly both sets of supporters look forward to it most,” Colosimo said.
“Form and ladder position sort of goes out the window and you could say it is just another week but it isn-t.
“You see on social media, the fans really love derby day.”
With Heart boasting the superior record in the derby fixtures, with three wins three draws and one loss, Colosimo believes Heart can improve that record against a Victory side finding form, but expects the contest to be hard fought.
“We enjoy playing in the derby and I think every game has been tight,” Colosimo said.
“Every tackle is going to count and every 50-50 ball is going to count, and that goes for both teams.”
With Heart lingering just outside of the top six, a derby victory would not only garner bragging rights, but could boost John Aloisi’s side into the top half of the table.
“I think we-re only a game out of the six and we-re seeing every single year in the A-League, because there are only 10 teams they are playing for six points so to speak,” Colosimo said.
“You just have to get on a good run of just two or three good results on the trot and you-re right back in the hunt.”
While Josip Tadic is set to make a return after missing the clash against Central Coast Mariners with a back injury, Colosimo expects the team to bounce back, especially Heart’s shot stopper.
“If you-ve looked at Clint-s form over the past 15 years, he-s probably had four average nights over his career, we know it-s going to be a very long time before he has another one,” Colosimo said.
“We-re not concerned about whether Clint-s going to bounce back or not because we already know the answer to that.”
