As the A-League drifts wraithlike towards the final round of the home-and-away season, excitement is not at fever pitch. Sydney FC have had the premiership sewn up since August when Adrian Mierzejewski put his especially inky John Hancock on a three-year contract. So long as relegation remains un-Australian, the only narrative yet to conclude is the “battle” to make the sixth and final playoff spot. Forgive me if that doesn’t make me leap out of my seat in anticipation.
It feels contrary to the nature of competitive sport to glorify a side that finishes below halfway, especially in a 10-team competition. Next weekend, the side currently third-bottom on the ladder, almost double its points haul behind the league leaders, could be three matches away from calling itself the champions of Australia, despite losing more than half its home-and-away season games. That cannot be right.
But if I leave my Euro-snobbery at the door for a few moments, there is a decent case to be made for this upcoming finals series to be one of the wilder in the A-League’s history. Regression to the mean has to be expected in a competition with equalising measures, and recent results have bunched the pack as we round the final corner and prepare to sprint for the line.
For example, that team in eighth heading into the last round of matches is Perth Glory and if they are to creep into sixth spot, they will have to secure their fifth victory in seven outings. Should they do so, it would make them arguably the form team at the start of the post-season.
A sixth-place finish would likely set up an elimination final away to Melbourne City, a fixture that will hold no fears. Glory defeated City 2-0 at AAMI Park at the same stage of the competition last year and beat them 3-1 on their own patch in November. Should that match-up occur it would be one further opportunity for Neil Kilkenny - the catalyst of Perth’s late-season revival - to get one over Warren Joyce, adding a splendid subplot to the night’s drama.
Glory host seventh-placed Brisbane next week and, should Roar advance, they will most likely have done so on the back of a seventh win in 11 matches. Again, this would place them in excellent stead moving into the knockout phase despite a turbulent campaign.
Western Sydney Wanderers are in pole position to qualify but present arguably the least compelling case of the trio to use their good fortune to advance into a grand final. Josep Gombau’s side has won only one match all season against a finals-bound opponent and were humiliated by City at AAMI Park a few months ago.
The potential fun and games doesn’t stop in sixth. Adelaide United are destined to finish fifth but the return to full fitness of Johan Absalonsen suggests that may be an illusory placing. Based on minutes played, Absalonsen is the most efficient forward in the league, averaging near-enough one goal per 90-minutes and one assist every 180, but he has only featured in nine matches.
Melbourne Victory’s dreadful start to the season has them on track for a disappointing fourth-place finish, but with just one defeat in their last six and brimful of finals pedigree, Kevin Muscat will be convinced his side can make history.
Crosstown rivals City are another that will believe they can become the first champions from outside the top-two in the A-League era. City have flown under the radar this year despite spending only two weeks outside the top three. With the return of Bruno Fornaroli, the emergence of Daniel Arzani, and the midseason signings of Oliver Bozanic and Dario Vidosic, Joyce has finally settled on his
preferred XI.
The sides bubbling under will all be aware the top two, who have occupied those positions since round seven, have recently shown vulnerabilities. Back-to-back defeats in March showed Sydney FC were not unbeatable, especially while the Asian Champions League is around to distract them.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets are limping into the finals having been beaten convincingly in their last three outings, a run that coincides with a long-term injury to Nigel Boogaard and the departure of Andrew Nabbout to Japan.
This has not been a vintage season by any stretch of the imagination, but events could be conspiring to set up a grandstand finale.
