Brisbane Roar coach Mike Mulvey hails the impact of returning Socceroo Matt McKay Extended highlights from Brisbane Roar V Sydney FC. BRISBANE coach Mike Mulvey hailed the return of Socceroos utility Matt McKay, who defied a punishing travel schedule to play a leading role in the Roars 4-0 thrashing of a woeful Sydney FC at Suncorp Stadium last night. Having only arrived back in Brisbane from Europe on Thursday night after playing two full matches for Australia in the space of five days, McKay overcame tiredness and jet-lag to play for all bar 10 minutes against the Sky Blues. It was a fitting return for prodigal son McKay, who was playing his first A-League match since the 2011 grand final. Re-signed in the off-season after two years overseas, McKay was one of the best players on the park, dominating the midfield contest as the Roar overcame the early loss of star striker Besart Berisha to run rampant against the ordinary visitors. "We all wanted Matty to play," Mulvey said. Matt McKay's superb performance against Sydney didn't go unnoticed by his coach. There is a duty of care ... but Matty's got a great constitution. He's a very fit young man and he looks after himself very well. He was keen to play and that shows the spirit amongst the players. The attitude of the players is absolutely fantastic Berisha, who succumbed to a hamstring injury in the 25th minute, wasn't the only first-half casualty, with Sydney facing the prospect of being without Alessandro Del Piero for next Saturday's derby against Western Sydney Wanderers. The Italian star was forced off with a calf injury in the 32nd minute of but it's doubtful that even his extended presence would have saved a Sydney side that defended like schoolboys against a rampant Roar outfit, who coped much better in the face of adversity, with the game well and truly over by half-time. Disappointed Sydney coach Frank Farina acknowledged Brisbane's dominance, but questioned his side's attitude after conceding goals late in the first half. "It was a good wake up call for our players," former Roar coach Farina said. I expect more ... they were the far better side. There's no doubt about that. We've got to dust ourselves off. We've got another huge game next week. As do the Roar, who visit Etihad Stadium on Friday night to take on Melbourne Victory. Mulvey conceded Berisha would be an unlikely starter against the Ange Postecoglou-coached Victory. "He was very disappointed to come off," Mulvey said He had a fantastic pre-season. He's probably in the best shape of his life and I think that's going to play a big part in his recovery, which we expect to be no more than one week.