ROAR star Thomas Broich has been shocked by the reaction to Brisbane's 2-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners, insisting the premiers will hit back hard in Sunday week's sudden-death semi-final at Suncorp Stadium.

The Mariners' clinical disposal of the Roar last Saturday night has pundits and supporters questioning the Roar's ability to break down well-organised defences and cope with pacy forward lines.

But Broich was in fact encouraged by aspects of his team's performance and wasn't concerned that the Roar would be taking losing form into an elimination final.

"I felt that we had a pretty good game," Brisbane's marquee man told The Courier-Mail yesterday.

"I guess we over-committed a little bit and got caught out on the break, but apart from that I really liked our football.

"We played penetrating passes, we found the pockets, we created some really good chances, so it was just one of those nights where we couldn't capitalise on our chances, where we got caught out on the break and it went the wrong way.

"But I'm not concerned with the team's form. It's more the experts, media and fans that might be worried about us losing a home game leading into the finals.

"Obviously we would have rather won and built some momentum, but for us at this stage it was more important to stick to what we're trying to do, and for a few boys to get a few minutes game time.

"You've got to give them some credit also. The Mariners played an awesome game of football.

"Their game plan worked quite well. We fell into the trap of over-committing, then it's really hard with those quick attackers. They can hurt you on the break."

Veteran left back Shane Stefanutto was particularly susceptible to the pace of Mariners pair Bernie Ibini and Nick Fitzgerald, leading to some calls for his axing.

But the 34-year-old former Socceroo yesterday found support from teammate Michael Theo.

"Shane's been a fantastic servant for us," goalkeeper Theo said. "He's been brilliant. He's been one of our most consistent players over the past four years.

"Of course there's going to be young fast players such as Ibini who can cause havoc to any team. We've just got to make sure we're smart about how we set up defensively and covering each other.

"We've done that well to date. We just want to fine tune things heading into the finals campaign."

Depending on the results of this weekend's two elimination finals, Brisbane will host either Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC or Adelaide United on Sunday week.

The Victory meet Sydney in a sudden-death encounter tomorrow night at Etihad Stadium, while the Mariners take on Adelaide United in another do-or-die finals match on Saturday at Central Coast Stadium.

The Roar can only again meet the Mariners — who placed third on the ladder — in the grand final.

If the Mariners beat Adelaide on Saturday, they will take on Western Sydney Wanderers — who like Brisbane have this weekend off — in the second week of the finals series.

The Roar yesterday announced that long-time major sponsor The Coffee Club had renewed their partnership with the club for another season.

"Today's announcement shows the continued realisation of potential around Brisbane Roar both on and off the football pitch," Roar managing director Sean Dobson said.

Originally published as Roar still have firm grip on cup