The official arrival of Socceroo Jade North at the Brisbane Roar coincided with Erik Paartalu’s banishment as the A-League premiers prepared for his likely departure to China.
Roar coach Mike Mulvey told 2011 grand final hero Paartalu he must train with the club’s National Youth League ranks until his future is decided.
Paartalu appears to have played his last game for the Roar.
The towering defensive midfielder – who has started 85 straight games for the Roar since his 2010 arrival – is expected to announce a lucrative two-year Chinese Super League deal this week.
Mulvey’s call came days after maintaining his faith in Nick Fitzgerald despite the exciting winger signing a two-year deal with the Central Coast starting next season.
Paartalu’s absence almost overshadowed the presence of North who underwent a fitness test while his new team-mates trained this week.
North has been injected into a Roar side that sits one point clear of dead-last Wellington on the A-League ladder due to nine losses in 16 games.
A question mark over Paartalu’s future only adds to the pressure ahead of the Roar’s tough home game against in-form Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday.
North – whose most recent club stint was in December for Japanese outfit Consadole Sapporo – hoped to be the catalyst Brisbane needed to turn its season around.
“Hopefully I bring something different to the team. If it is a bit stale hopefully I can freshen things up a bit by just having a different personality around the training room or on the pitch,” North said.
“(And) players come and go, it’s part of football – we are all professional.
“Everything they need is here. They have won back to back (titles). They just need to grab it by the scruff of the neck and show who the true champions are.”
