A-League Men: Perth Glory utility Jarrod Carluccio says mindset shift fueling rise up the ladder

Perth Glory’s versatile loanee Jarrod Carluccio says his side’s improved form has coincided with a mindset shift and a desire to not simply make up the numbers in the A-League Men. After six games unbeaten, Perth have jumped two places up the ladder into ninth spot and could vault into seventh place with a win over Western United on Saturday. The Glory have lost five of their last six meetings with United, but are unbeaten on the road in three games and will enter the clash against the bottom-placed team in the league. With three wins in their past six outings, Carluccio said the Glory were reaping the rewards of a collective desire to make the team a force to reckoned with once again. “I don’t think anything drastic has changed, maybe a little bit of a mentality switch,” Carluccio said. “Not being satisfied with performing well for 45-50 minutes, we’ve been trying to work towards put together good 90, 95 minute performances. “The boys, as well as the staff and the coaches, have a collective mentality here: we want to win and we want to be a powerhouse in the league again. That’s really exciting to be a part of and I’m really looking forward to the future.” Carluccio was brought in as a central midfielder, but has alternated between the attacking midfield role in Alen Stajcic’s 4-2-2-2 formation, and auxiliary full-back. But the man himself said he relished his versatility and would put his hand up to play anywhere on the park - including in goal, if required. “There’s eleven positions on the field, so if you can cover as many of those, you give yourself the best chance to play,” Carluccio said. “But I’ve enjoyed it. I just want to help the team win, I want to do my best for the squad and and if’s as a fullback, if it’s as a midfielder, if it’s as a goalkeeper - Oli (Sail), I’ll be knocking on his door soon.” Carluccio was at the centre of a January transfer window drama when the Glory attempted to extend his loan deal, but faced resistance from the league given their lack of owners at the time. While the agreement to keep the Western Sydney Wanderers man in Perth was eventually approved after some toing and froing, Carluccio said he tried to stay focused on his on-pitch performance and was delighted to stay in WA. “I didn’t really look at the negatives of it, I just looked looked forward to each game that was coming up for those weeks and it worked out in the end,” he said. Western United may be rooted to the foot of the table and eight points adrift of Perth, but Carluccio said he had been impressed by them this season. “They’ve been one of the better teams with the ball this season. Similar to us, sometimes defensive lapses may cost them results towards the end of games, but they’re a good side,” he said.