DISTRAUGHT Newcastle Jets coach Ernie Merrick said the 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday “meant nothing" after a horrific injury to marquee midfielder Ronny Vargas
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Roy O’Donovan scored his fifth goal in three games and Dimi Petratos produced a wonder strike to secure the Jets three points and move them into second place on seven points – the club’s best start to a season.
But the victory came at an enormous cost with the Jets’ little master, Vargas, having surgery overnight after suffering a gruesome ankle injury.
The Venezuelan went for a 50-50 challenge with Roar captain Matt McKay in the 58th minute.
His left leg folded under his body and took the full weight as he went to ground. Players immediately called to the bench as Vargas screamed in agony. Play was held up for five minutes as Vargas was treated on field before stretchered off and taken to hospital. He was expected to have surgery overnight.
Early reports were that the 30-year-old had broken his tibia and fibula and dislocated his left ankle.
An emotional Merrick struggled for words at the post-match press conference.
He sat silent for 10 seconds before saying “we played well in patches in the first half”.
“I think we could have scored more goals and played good football. Second half we held on and Roar were unlucky not to get an equaliser. We would have given that away for no injury to Ronny.”
Jets football operations manager Joel Griffiths went in the ambulance with Vargas to hospital and said the Venezuelan was in good spirits and wanted to know “if we had won”.
Merrick called the players to the sideline as Vargas was taken down the tunnel.
“There was a lot of distractions, it was a pretty bad injury and some of the boys had seen it,” Merrick said. “They did a very good job under difficult circumstances.”
Merrick said it was one of the worst injuries he had seen.
“Especially with the way he had come over and was settling in,” Merrick said. “He was loving life in Newcastle.”
The Jets, with Vargas influential, had bossed the game until that point.
Brisbane coach John Aloisi felt for Merrick and the Jets.
“No-one wants to see anyone get injured, especially like that,” Aloisi said. “It was tough for our players, their players. I know Matt McKay was distraught. He found it hard to get going again. To see it and be right next to it. We all know there was nothing in the tackle. It was hard. We wish him a good recovery and hopefully we get to see him play again because he was a quality player.”
In a drama-charged clash, the Roar thought they had equalised in the 70th minute through Massimo Maccarone but the goal was overturned by the Video Assistant Referee for offside in the lead-up.
“The rule, as I interpret it, and as they explained it; if the ball is going forward and it is the final bit of the phase, then you can come back and call it offside if it is offside,” Aloisi said. “It deflected off Matt McKay and Massimo was slightly offside, then he plays it backwards, it is not forward any more. It is a pity because it was such a great goal. If we are going to go back three phases to disallow a goal, then we have issues.”
The Jets took a deserved 2-1 lead into the break after an entertaining opening 45 minutes.
That man O’Donovan put the Jets ahead in the 12th minute.
Ivan Vujica, who was outstanding, collected a pass from Andrew Nabbout and slid a cross behind Luke De Vere for O’Donovan to tap in at the back post.
The Roar equalised, against the run of play, when Nigel Boogaard turned a Jack Hingert cross into his own net. It was the Jets captain’s fifth own-goal in 197 A-League games.
A minute later the Jets were back in front thanks to a thunderbolt from Dimi Petratos.
Playing on his old home ground, the winger was given a mile of space and unleashed a strike from 20m which arrowed into the top right corner.
