ROAR boss Mike Mulvey has refused to rule out returning Besart Berisha to a wide attacking role as the defending premiers scramble to find another goal-scoring outlet.

The reigning Golden Boot winner was used on the left flank in Sunday's horror 3-2 A-League loss to Melbourne Heart, with German playmaker Thomas Broich employed in the "False 9" role made famous by Barcelona whiz Lionel Messi.

Brisbane aborted the tactic after 30 minutes but not before the hosts had stormed to a two-goal lead.

Mulvey insisted the shift was not responsible for the defensive leaks and it could be a ploy worth persisting with.

"I think it is something that worked very well for us in the first 15 or 20 minutes," Mulvey said upon returning to Brisbane yesterday.

"Once we reverted back to that (old formation) after about 30 minutes we had a better balance to us.

"(But) it's not a failed experiment at all, it's not an experiment. It was something that we decided to do and it wasn't an experiment in any way, shape or form."

The Roar meet Newcastle at Hunter Stadium on Saturday night.

Originally published as Berisha could go wide again