For years, Mitch and Henry Hoare spent countless days battling each other in their backyard growing up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Just a few weeks ago they even lived in the same house in Brisbane.
However, the brothers will swap sibling rivalry for knockout football on Tuesday night when they line up against opposite sides in the last 16 of the Australian Khan Cup, with Mitch aiming to help NPL side Queensland Lions FC cope with Henry’s new club, Perth Glory.
When the Hoare brothers were growing up, football was rarely far away. Although the three-and-a-half year age difference meant they rarely played on the same youth teams, both remember spending countless days kicking a ball around in the backyard.
“We kicked a ball around together every day,” Mitch recalled.
Henry laughed, remembering the bitter fight between the pair.
“We had some good fights there. We were both really competitive,” he said. “When I was a little brother, I got bullied a little bit, sometimes I cried to my mom and dad. I think it just toughened me up and made me a better player.”
When the draw brought the Lions and Perth Glory together, both admitted they immediately understood the event. Mitch described the prospect of meeting his younger brother as “a bit exciting” and Henry said it was “pretty cool” and “totally different to play against my brother but also against my old club.”
There has already been some good-natured banter between the pair since the draw, but both expect it to dry up as kick-off approaches.
“There have been one or two phone calls, but as the day gets closer things will probably get a little quieter,” states Mitch.
Henry shared these sentiments.
“Yeah, there were a few messages here and there,” he said. “As the game gets closer we will probably leave it until the final whistle.”
The pair were teammates for two seasons at the Lions but only met once in competition: Mitch’s Bentley Greens drew 1-1 with Henry’s South Melbourne in NPL Victoria. Another reunion was on the cards for the 2023 Australian Cup semi-final, but Henry missed Brisbane Roar’s clash with the Melbourne Knights due to suspension. However, this Tuesday they will finally have a chance to renew their rivalry.
The timing of the reunion is especially striking given Henry only joined Perth Glory a few weeks ago, ending a five-year chapter with Brisbane Roar, where the attacking midfielder made more than 100 appearances.
The 26-year-old lived with Mitch in Brisbane before heading west, but the transition was eased by his previous stint with the club as a teenager.
“I’ve settled in very well,” Henry said. “I’ve been here before, so I know a few buddies and I know the area.”
Henry first moved to Perth back in 2017, joining Glory’s youth team with aspirations of becoming a professional footballer.
“They showed some interest and I wanted to go pro,” he explained. “I thought I’d take a chance.”
Now back in Perth and preparing for his first competitive appearance since returning, Henry will make a quick trip back to the Sunshine State to face the club where he once played alongside his brother.
As Henry prepares for his first appearance in Perth colours, the Lions enter contention in the midst of the Queensland NPL title race, where at the time of writing they sit just one point behind leaders Peninsula Power. Mitch believes this could give the home side a slight advantage as the visitors are still in the early stages of pre-season preparation.
The Lions have enjoyed an outstanding campaign so far under head coach Dan Barber and remain firmly in contention for the Queensland NPL premiership, with Mitch insisting that has been the club’s main goal from the start.
“Winning the NPL Premiership was always the goal at the start of the year,” he said.
“While we take the Australian Cup seriously, this game is a bit of a hit. We’ve had bad things happen before.”
“The fame that is at the start of pre-season may help us a little in terms of fitness.”
Henry is under no illusions about the test that awaits Glory against a Lions team approaching the crucial stage of their domestic campaign.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “They’re probably at the top of their game right now.”
“We’re at the beginning of our preparations, so we’re still getting better, continuing to improve and build every day. It’s going to be a good competition.”
This won’t be the first time the Lions and Perth Glory have crossed paths in the Australian Cup.
When the sides met in the Round of 16 in 2015, the Lions held their A-League opponents scoreless until the 116th minute of extra time when Chris Harold finally broke the deadlock to send Glory ahead with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
Although both brothers will be desperate to win, divisions within the Glee family mean it will be a memorable occasion for the whole family too.
Henry joked that his parents might be “leaning slightly towards the Lions” after supporting the club for so many years, although he admitted they would ultimately be happy whichever brother ended up on the winning side.
Meanwhile, Mitch admitted that he didn’t even ask where his parents’ loyalties lay.
“Since we are the NPL and they are the A-League, I hope we are!”
Once the signal has sounded, there will be little room for brotherly affection.
Both Mitch and Henry admitted they wouldn’t hold back if they went head to head in a 50-50 fight with each determined to get the better of the other before the inevitable bragging rights were decided at the final whistle.
“It won’t be a big deal,” Henry said. “But if it’s Mitch, it’ll be really good to win and give him some stick after the game.”
Even though Henry was preparing to line up on opposite sides, he was still full of admiration for his older brother.
“He can run all day,” he said. “That’s one of his main traits, but he’s also very good technically.”
Off the field, however, he couldn’t resist one last try.
“He can be a little messy around the house!”
From children’s backyard games to sharing a dressing room at the Lions Football Club and, until recently, at home in Brisbane, football has shaped the Hoare brothers’ relationship over the years. They’ll spend more than 90 minutes Tuesday night trying to outdo each other. However, once the final whistle blows, this rivalry will be put on hold and they will simply become brothers again.
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