We Could Use Moore Like Him

By: Ahmed | November 24th, 2008

What a week for Craig Moore. Having announced, at the start of last week, that he had undergone surgery for cancer, many thought he would be out for months before he returned to full football action. Moore had other ideas however, returning that same weekend to lead the Roar to a 4-1 win over Perth Glory. He was his usual self, making strong tackles and showing no signs of any surgery or ailment. As a fellow defender myself, I just sat back in awe of Moore and his mindset and ability to return so quickly after surgery. The game itself was fairly one sided in the first half.

Perth had some good chances but got hit right at the end of the first half, through more lack of concentration. Sergio Van Dijk scored his second goal of the season, yes you guessed it, it was a penalty. Tahj Minniecon broke through a minute later and was on the receiving end of a hard hit low pass from SVD. The second half didn’t really improve for the Glory; Charlie Miller scored a spectacular volley from a pinpoint Michael Zullo cross. Jamie Harnwell pulled one back for the visitors, but the hope was short lived when Mitch Nichols looked to better Miller with a volley of his own from outside the box. Perth goalkeeper, Tando Velaphi stood no chance of saving it as The Roar secured their first home win of the season.

In all the excitement of the win though, not one person could stop commenting on the courage of Craig Moore and the inspiration he provided to the team, just under two weeks after cancer surgery. For years he has epitomised the Australian defender. He is strong and hard in his tackles. He leads by example as a captain and shows no fear on the pitch. His determination and commitment to the cause for both club and country, cant be measured, its just far too much. Moore holds a calm head as a defender and smart head as a leader. His decision maker has been fantastic and his guidance has been hard to match. The young lads of the team keep commenting on how inspirational Moore is, and I couldn’t agree more.

“It was amazing. I don’t think anyone imagined that he’d be back for a while and it’s the epitome of who he is and what he is to this team. That’s why he’s our skipper.” These were the words of Michael Zullo after the game at Suncorp Stadium and the youngster could not be more on the ball. Craig Moore has for years been regarded as one of the best defenders Australia has, and his ability to play against Perth this past weekend just goes to prove that point. We need to start breeding more of such defenders. Every young defender in the country should stop and take a look at Moore, then go back out on to the field and try to copy him in every way possible.

Not everyone is going to be a Craig Moore, but they can learn from him and start playing like proper footballers. The defenders job is not to be flash or fancy, its not how many keep yuppies one can do, or how many Ronaldo flicks you can master, its about keeping that ball away from your net at all costs. Craig Moore does just that, and he does it no matter what the circumstance and regardless of the situation. The Roar were lacking everything in the first half against Perth, but they rose to the occasion and judging from Zullos comments, Moore was surely a reason why. He showed his teammates and everyone in the football world, that nothing can keep you down from playing the game. No matter what you have gone through, always keep believing and keep moving forward. His ability to continue defying age (ok, I know he is not that old, but he did retire once) and now surgery, and continue playing football is inspiring. I hope he stays in the game for many more years to come.