A disappointing Round of 32 Australia Cup exit to National Premier League (NPL) side Queensland Lions on penalties has Perth Glory fans wondering whether they are watching the same movie all over again.
Now, to their credit, Queensland Lions are top of the NPL Queensland table and are one of the strongest semi-professional sides in the country. However, the concern for the Glory is that many of the same issues that plagued them throughout last season were immediately visible again: a lack of attacking cohesion, an inability to impose themselves on a favourable fixture, and a tendency to spend long periods reacting to the game rather than controlling it.
The Glory named a reasonably strong starting side, featuring experienced figures such as Adam Taggart and Brian Kaltak alongside new signings Henry Hore, Lucas Scicluna and Matt Dench.
They almost made the perfect start inside six minutes. A long clearance from Kaltak found Taggart inside the area, who held the ball up intelligently before finding Hore. The new signing delayed his return pass well, but Taggart’s strike was directed straight at Jacson Riley.
It proved to be one of the Glory’s few genuinely dangerous moments in normal time.
The Lions responded quickly. Lucas Scicluna was dispossessed by Luke Broderick, who surged forward before forcing a save from Matt Sutton. It was an early indication of a pattern that would develop throughout the evening, in that the Lions looked sharper, more assertive and more comfortable dictating the terms of the contest.
By the midway point of the first half, it was the Queensland side carrying the greater threat. Their best chance arrived after Shaun Carlos found space outside the area and quickly combined with Mitch Hore, whose effort forced Sutton into a save. The rebound fell invitingly for Broderick, only for Charbel Shamoon to produce a crucial intervention.
Again, the warning signs were there, as Perth Glory were surviving moments rather than creating them.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Sebastian Despotovski forced a save after a quick throw-in from Sam Sutton caught the Lions off guard, while Anthony Didulica later tested the goalkeeper following one of the Glory’s better passing sequences. Yet neither opportunity truly felt like the product of a side building sustained pressure. Instead, they were isolated moments in a performance that struggled to establish rhythm or authority.
When the breakthrough eventually arrived in extra time, it was difficult to argue it had not been coming.
Eremugo Debele held his width well before being found by Jerson Lagos. Debele’s initial effort was blocked, but the loose ball fell perfectly for Lagos, who unleashed a stunning strike into the top corner to give the Lions a deserved lead.
To their credit, Adam Griffiths’ side responded.
Henry Hore released Sam Sutton down the left, whose deep cross was met emphatically by Andriano Lebib at the back post. The defender, having shifted from centre-back to right-back, powered home the equaliser and briefly rescued the Glory’s night.
But when penalties arrived, the Lions held their nerve better. Jacson Riley denied both Sebastian Despotovski and Arion Sulemani, sending the Queensland side through and Perth Glory crashing out at the first hurdle.
The result itself is disappointing; however, the performance is where the real concern lies.
This was not a smash-and-grab victory by an underdog. While the final possession numbers suggested an even contest, the Lions were the more proactive side for much of the evening. They controlled territory more effectively, won more second balls, and consistently advanced into dangerous areas (dominating shots and touches in the opposition box).
More plainly, they looked like a team with a clear attacking plan; the Glory did not.
Adam Griffiths recently told Will Schofield on the Backchat podcast that he believes Australian football requires greater scrutiny of its tactical and technical standards. If that’s the case, then the Glory’s performance must invite exactly that scrutiny.
There were moments of structural fluidity, with the side shifting between a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 shape in possession, but those rotations rarely translated into meaningful attacking advantages. The movement existed, but the purpose behind it often felt absent. Too frequently, the Glory lacked enough ways to challenge the Lions defenders seriously.
The numbers reinforce the eye test.
Perth Glory generated an xG of just 1.03 across 120 minutes, with a significant portion of that figure arriving from Lebib’s equaliser deep into extra time. The Lions controlled field position for extended periods and won 56% of ground duels compared to Perth’s 44%. In the moments where games are often decided — loose balls, second contacts and contested possessions — it was the semi-professional side that consistently came out on top.
Equally concerning was Perth Glory’s continued reliance on direct balls towards Adam Taggart, as the primary form of progression. The Socceroos striker won none of his three aerial duels and was comfortably handled by Cher Deng, who delivered an impressive defensive performance. When the primary route into attack is repeatedly neutralised, alternative solutions are required. Too often, they never arrived.
Which raises a broader question that fans became increasingly familiar with last season: what exactly is the Glory’s attacking identity?
Anthony Didulica, a technically gifted attacking midfielder, spent much of the evening performing the physical demands of a winger. Despotovski and Taggart drifted in and out of the contest as service dried up. Hore and Scicluna showed encouraging flashes on debut, yet neither received enough possession in areas where they could consistently influence proceedings.
The talent was there. The platform for that talent was not.
Context matters, of course. Perth Glory are only four weeks into pre-season, while the Lions are deep into their campaign and approaching finals football. Differences in sharpness, cohesion and fitness were always likely to exist.
But context should explain shortcomings, not excuse them.
The deeper concern is that many of the structural issues visible against Queensland Lions looked remarkably similar to those that haunted the Glory throughout last season. The attack lacked fluency. The defensive unit relied heavily on individual interventions from Brian Kaltak and Matt Sutton. Too many passages of play felt improvised rather than intentional.
For a club already dealing with reports of recurring late payments to players and staff, as confirmed by The West Australian, and a fixture schedule that has done little to generate optimism among supporters, this was hardly the ideal beginning to a season that already carries considerable pressure.
One Australia Cup result will not define Adam Griffiths’ tenure.
Nor should it.
But football clubs rarely get into trouble because of one bad night. They get into trouble when the same warning signs appear over and over again and nobody acts on them.
Yes, it’s still early days, yet after 120 minutes against Queensland Lions, Perth Glory have given their members and fans a reason to fear that last season’s problems have not been left behind.
The coming weeks will determine whether this was merely a rusty pre-season performance or the first indication that the cycle is beginning again.
