Melbourne Heart coach John van 't Schip has confirmed that club captain Simon Colosimo will be given no free rides this season.

The 31-year old central defender was left out of the Heart's starting line-up in the scoreless draw with Gold Coast United on Saturday night and even though he came on for the final 20 minutes, van 't Schip said he would have to work hard to get his starting position back.

''It was a tactical choice. We played very well in the game against the Victory (which Colosimo missed with injury), and the build-up from behind is different, and Simon, he knows, and hopefully he will come back this week,'' van 't Schip said.

''He's a professional and he's a good player. But sometimes you have to make some choices.

''I don't look at the past - I look at what I see this season. And it was the [team's] best game against the Victory, and that's why I took that starting line-up from the back.''

van 't Schip preferred stand-in captain Matt Thompson and Michael Beauchamp in Colosimo's usual position and it remains to be seen if he will return to the starting XI for this weekend's clash at Newcastle Jets.