Hunt and United head Down Under

By Kgomotso Sethusha

New SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt is looking forward to leading his new team on their tour of Australia.

Hunt will officially assume his duties as United head coach when he guides his new side against Australian club Queensland Roar in their match in support of anti-racism campaign this weekend.

The match will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday.

While proceeds from the match will benefit the campaign, established by hosts Queensland, United will most probably benefit in terms measuring their skill at international level ahead of the new domestic season in August.

Hunt is pleased with talent at his disposal. "I've never seen such talent and ability in my 27 years in football," said Hunt yesterday.

"This team has the ability to challenge for everything. The challenge for now, is transforming that ability into match-winning performances."

Concerning the tour Down Under, Hunt said: "We're going there to build our team spirit and also test our skills at international level to see where we need to strengthen and improve.

"With the potential that's in here, it should not be difficult to build a team of good, honest professionals, who are capable of making a great impact in the league. I have no doubt this team will do well this season.

"We haven't had too much time to prepare, but so far I've noticed plenty of positives going to Australia. We are taking the whole team there and most of these players will be given a chance during the tour.

"I haven't yet imposed much of my philosophy on the team and at the moment we are adjusting to a different type of play, but we'll have enough time to go through all that during the off-season.

Despite the long sporting history of rugby and cricket that exists between these two countries, the same, however, could not be said of soccer.

And unlike the rugby Tri-Nations and Super 14 tournaments, the Australian football A-League is an unknown quantity to most soccer fans.

While Queensland remains a closed book to the local side, Hunt will certainly be glad to learn that the hosts are not one of the strongest sides in the A-League, despite their huge fan base.

Queensland Roar were officially launched as a club in two years ago and most of their maiden season in the bottom half of the A-League.

Last season they finished in fifth position, but had to replace their coach Miron Bleiberg with current coach Frank Farina.

Their leading scorer was Dario Vidosic with five goals. They could boast a strong following and as Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said last month, thousands of football fans will flock to support the team and its good cause.