The 'strange' reason for Sturridge's Glory omission

Josh Thomas

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The 'strange' reason for Sturridge's Glory omission image

The flight from Perth to Melbourne has been pointed to as the reason why Daniel Sturridge played no part in Perth Glory's 1-0 loss to Western United on Friday night. 

After playing a few minutes last week in a 1-1 draw against Adelaide United, Sturridge was a surprise omission from Glory's matchday squad. 

The former Premier League star had been used as a draw card leading up to the match at AAMI Park but took no part in a game that was settled by a controversial goal from Dylan Wenzel-Halls. 

Glory owner Tony Sage has since revealed Sturridge decided to sit out after pulling up sore following the flight between Perth and Melbourne.

"When I saw the team sheet I made the call to find out why and it was because after a talk between the two, the player and the coach, he didn’t feel like he could contribute," Sage told SEN's Tab Touch Lounge on Saturday when asked about Sturridge. 

"Richie said it in the post-match presser, he’s not used to a four-and-a-half-hour flight to a game, he’s just not used to it. He pulled up on the plane a little bit crampy.

"When they did their walk and that, he pulled up a little uncomfortable so he went up to Richie and said I might not be ready this week.

"He’s got a full week of training now in Melbourne with the squad, no distractions, I think you’ll see him get at least 10-15 minutes next week building up and he’ll start by the time the team get back here (Perth).

"It was a talk between the two, it wasn’t a Richie decision."

While Sturridge has previously struggled with injuries and hasn't played regularly for over a year, some are worried by his early decision to sit out. 




With no Sturridge, the game's talking point became Western United's decisive goal with Glory's players adamant the ball went out before Connor Pain's cross hit the post and found its way to Wenzel-Halls. 

While VAR seemingly checked the goal, available replays were inconclusive and the goal was allowed to stand. 


Sage was unsurprisingly furious by the decision and believes the A-League Men's new broadcaster, Network 10 and Paramount+, need to make sure all angles are covered. 

"Remember last year they had VAR in the corner and they actually showed replays of it? They showed one small replay, that showed it (the ball) to be out, and they stopped showing it," Sage said.

"I sent the questions to central office at the APL. They’re saying the refereeing side of the game is still controlled by the FA and they have no influence over the refereeing influence of the game.

"A lot has to be shoved back to the broadcaster. There’s supposed to be 12 cameras, last year we had three or four and we still had better views and angles than we do now - it’s NPL like. 

"We were told by the new broadcaster it would be EPL like. It’s just unfathomable in today’s era they couldn’t pick that up."

Perth now have just one point from their first two games and are set to play at least the next seven games away from home due to border restrictions. 

Josh Thomas