Last Friday night, Melbourne Heart FC faced Hyundai A-League 2013-14 Premiers Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
Last Friday night, Melbourne Heart FC faced Hyundai A-League 2013-14 Premiers Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
In a show of respect for Brisbane – who were crowned premiers for a second time the week prior – and their achievement, the Melbourne Heart playing and coaching staff formed a guard of honour prior to the match.
As the Roar players walked on to the pitch, flanked by Melbourne Heart, the gesture was widely appreciated among the club, the fans in Brisbane and neutral supporters around the country.
The idea came about while Melbourne Heart were on the bus in Brisbane, where Head Coach John van-t Schip, Assistant Coach Gerard Nus and General Manager, Football Operations, John Didulica all agreed the Club should show their respect for the premiers.
While uncommon in Australian football, a guard of honour for the champions of a competition is a regular occurrence in places like Europe and South America and is a show of sportsmanship.
Check out some of the reactions from Twitter following Heart-s guard of honour for the Roar:
*Photo courtesy of Brisbane Roar/Sport-in-Digital
