Griffin Signs For The Strikers

Wednesday 25th Nov, 2009

Brisbane Strikers coach Stuart McLaren has landed the first telling blow in his fight to rebuild his depleted squad for a strong defence of its QSL title, with former Queensland Roar defender Ben Griffin having agreed terms with the Strikers for the 2010 season.

Griffin, who spent four seasons in the A-League for the Roar before being released this year, agreed terms with the Strikers on Tuesday night.

Despite an unusual and frustrating set of circumstances that has seen McLaren watch half of his championship-winning squad leave the club since September, he has gone on the record saying that even if he had to start the 2010 season with a totally new squad he would be confident about putting a good team together.

The acquisition of Griffin, who arrives at the club with a point to prove about his abilities after spending much of his time at the Roar on the fringes of the starting eleven, gives credibility to those words and will put other QSL clubs on notice that the Strikers remain deadly serious about their defence of their title.

McLaren said that Griffin, who is still only 23 and has represented Australia at junior levels, retains ambitions of carving out an A-League career and sees a successful stint with the Strikers as being one of the things that could propel him back to the top level.

“In my own time at the Roar I was always a fan of Benny Griffin”, McLaren said today. “He sometimes could have been a bit more positive in his approach at training and he was a little bit reserved, but I have no doubt that he has the capabilities football-wise and the athletic ability to play well at that (A-League) level. If we can play some small part in getting him back to that level we will be rapt.

“For most of his time with the Roar, Ben was used as a right back. That wasn’t his strength. He is an out-and-out centre back but it was tough for him when for most of the time Craig Moore was a certain choice for one of those positions and he was in competition with the likes of Josh McCloughan and Luke De Vere for the other.

“He is very much needed for us in that position after we’ve lost Matt Smith”.