A-League Men: Perth Glory coach Adam Griffiths wary of Western Sydney Wanderers’ potential ‘new coach bounce’

Perth Glory coach Adam Griffiths is wary of a potential ‘new coach bounce’ for Western Sydney Wanderers ahead of his side’s clash with the A-League Men cellar-dwellers on Sunday. Griffiths will also have to deal with a welcome selection headache as the return of four first-team options to fitness presents another challenge ahead of the trip to CommBank Stadium. Western Sydney parted ways with coach Alen Stajcic this week and have installed veteran Gary van Egmond as the former Glory boss’ interim replacement. Griffiths, who won an A-League championship under van Egmond for Newcastle Jets almost 20 years ago, said he was happy to see a familiar face on the opposing touchline, but admitted the mid-week coaching shake-up brought an element of the unknown into Perth’s away trip. “We were wary of them anyway. They’re a team that’s been a little bit unlucky, hit the crossbar a lot,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of good quality players. With the new coach, it just adds a little bit of the unknown. “I assume there’ll be some form of change. He wants to make his mark, and I expect it to be a very difficult game away from home, but a challenging one that we’re looking forward to. “It makes it a little bit more difficult in terms of when you’re analysing the opposition, but a lot of the times, we are focusing on ourselves, and how do we improve and how do we keep moving up into the right direction.” Midfielder Will Freney is fit again after a hip complaint, while forwards Lachie Wales and Jaiden Kucharski are also back in full training after soft tissue injuries and fan favourite Stefan Colakovski re-signed with the club this week to bolster their attacking firepower. But Griffiths did not rule any of the quartet definitively in or out for the interstate trip. “The week’s not finished yet, so we’ll see how they finish the week, and then we’ll go from there,” he said. “We’re starting to bring back quality players into the squad, which will challenge the players that are in there at the moment. “With these players coming back into training, it just increases intensity, makes sure everyone’s on their toes. That’s the advantage of having a stronger squad coming back. “We’ll try to utilise that, and if everyone’s on their game, then it means performance is going to increase.” Griffiths said they would look to progress Colakovski slowly, with the 25-year-old returning from a torn ACL suffered in December 2024. “We want personality within the team. We’ve got a few characters, and Cola is one of those ones. He brings good energy,” he said. “He’s harsh on himself, and he pushes himself and tries to lift his standards. If he can align to what we’re after, then he’s going to be a real asset.”