Kennedy lifts Jets to eliminate Gold Coast
By AAP, 21 Feb 2010
- Tagged:
- A-League, Ben Kennedy, Branko Culina, Clive Palmer, football, Gold Coast United, Newcastle Jets
Newcastle goalkeeper Ben Kennedy produced a sensational performance to lift the Newcastle Jets to victory on penalties in the A-League elimination semi-final against Gold Coast at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
Kennedy capped his match-winning effort by saving the 14th shot of the penalty shootout taken by United’s Zenon Caravella to give the Jets victory 6-5 on penalties after scores were locked 0-0 after extra time.
Kennedy had saved the Jets’ bacon at least four times during regulation time with his sharp reflexes, then produced three more pearlers in the first period of extra time, one off the feet of substitute James Brown, the second and third off an unmarked Shane Smeltz.
Then came the most telling piece of defensive importance as he stopped Caravella’s shot with one hand in front of an all-time A-League finals low attendance of just 4109.
The shootout had gone goal for goal until Jin-Hyung Song hit his shot over the bar followed incredibly by the same result for Gold Coast’s Kristian Rees.
But the end came when the namesake of former Newcastle Knights enforcer made his telling stop.
The Jets will now face the winner of Sunday’s elimination playoff between Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory.
The match ended the bold debut season of Gold Coast United.
It also shattered the audacious dream of the club’s billionaire owner Clive Palmer who, pre-season, bullishly boasted the newcomers could win the title and be unbeaten to boot.
But a third placing in the championship for the fledgling club gave promise of much better things ahead under Palmer’s massive funding.
The previous lowest crowd for a final was last season when Adelaide and the Queensland Roar (now Brisbane) drew 8472 at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Jets coach Branko Culina acknowledged Kennedy’s performance in putting them a step further towards the title.
“This man here had a super game,” said Culina, before adding, tongue in cheek: “But he only made up for the rest of his year. Seriously he was superb.”
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- Explore:
- A-League, Ben Kennedy, Branko Culina, Clive Palmer, football, Gold Coast United, Newcastle Jets
February 22nd 2010 @ 11:31am
AndyRoo said | February 22nd 2010 @ 11:31am | Report comment
The Gold Coast too me feels very much like the Central Coast (even Nth QLD). It’s a rugby league area but it’s also suburban/regional area and they will give you a fair go if you let them.
I have lived on both the Gold Coast and Central Coast and neither is a hot bed of support for professional football but have ok grass roots.
I think most people give Nth Qld the thumbs up and their run by Don Matheson who was more of a Rugby league fan than a football fan. But their tickets are cheap, their growing from a low base and Matheson gives you the impression he is a decent bloke.
I think their were two key mistakes, firstly was the stadium deal and 2nd was appointing Clive Mesnik.
The stadium deal is probably why their tickets are priced at a premium level, that’s a poor strategy in a market which doesn’t have a strong football history and for a new product in general. You can bet your house the AFL tickets for Gold Coast and GWS will be much cheaper, even their Melbourne pricing is cheaper (I saw AFL fans complaining about their $1 price increase). The Big Bash is a new product and has priced itself accordingly at $10.
Clive Mesnik is also a failure, mainly because they really needed someone different than Clive Palmer but he’s pretty much the same. They needed a calm guy who had some affinity for the bloke in the street (i.e. your likely supporters). When the cap issue came out if they had someone saying “look it’s unfortunate, but we have a poor stadium deal and we need to be sustainable”, “Clive has money but we don’t want to be asking him for a big cheque each week we want to be here in the long term and use Clives money for better things than padding state coffers” it would have went down much better, instead we had Mesnik blaming the fans for not coming.
Clive by himself would have been ok, an eccentric owner isn’t the end of the world and they just needed someone a little bit more community minded to stand up to him now and then in private and be the public face. Give the club some balance image wise.
When the FFA stepped in and lowered prices GCU were very beligerent about it, their just not loveable at all.
In the end those supporters in the beach look to be having a great time and I don’t see the club turning around in the short term but if they get it right off the field they could turn into a solid regional team. Cutting them while their still financially viable (thanks to plamer money) might improve the leagues crowd averages but means punishing fans for managements mistakes.
February 22nd 2010 @ 11:58am
Realfootball said | February 22nd 2010 @ 11:58am | Report comment
I think a low priced AFL side has the potential to completely blow GCU out of the water. And yes, Andy, I am sure you are right about their pricing.
I have no confidence in the future of GCU. I think the establishment of GCU was a major strategic mistake, though this is hindsight. I didn’t think so at the time. The wild card has been the collapse of the Roar. No one could have forseen that, and now A League football in SE QLD is in a very parlous state indeed.
Thank God the Phoenix have come up trumps otherwise the A League would look very gloomy this year. Their development model would have suited the Gold Coast too – keep your heads down, work hard, deliver a club to be proud of.
Instead we got wall to wall hubris, inflamatory statements from the CEO aimed at fans, and Miron Bleiberg, who revealed himself as being a soundbite but nothing more.
February 22nd 2010 @ 12:57pm
Australian Football said | February 22nd 2010 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
RealFootball,
one plays in winter and GCU FC play in summer. GC AFL is up against the Titans NRL that will be their test when they go head to head…
February 22nd 2010 @ 1:14pm
Realfootball said | February 22nd 2010 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
Yes but it is a small population and there is only so much disposable income. What I meant is that it will pull away finite discretionary dollars from potential GCU supporters. As you know, AF, there is considerable overlap in seasons and this factor will only increase. This year we all expected the A League crowds to rise when the AFL/NRL seasons ended, but they didn’t.
There is a limit to how much people can spend on sport.
February 22nd 2010 @ 12:20pm
Dogz R Barkn said | February 22nd 2010 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
Very honest assessments Realf – full marks to you there.
This is the very odd thing about the whole Gold Coast venture.
At one point there were two, maybe three, different parties vying for the license.
I can’t recall when Palmer got involved, but he wasn’t there at the very start – and no doubt the FFA would have found his billions impossible to refuse.
But the really odd aspect is that Miron was there from the very start – in a strange role as: promoter/film producer/press secretary/future coach.
In other words, from the word go, there has been something odd about the whole set up.
And if I were to be perfectly honest, as a future Rovers supporter, the same thing can probably be said of Hearts and the Rovers.
February 22nd 2010 @ 1:12pm
Towser said | February 22nd 2010 @ 1:12pm | Report comment
Whats odd about the Rovers set up?
Run by football people with business nous in an area with 8 former NSL clubs & producing dozens of Socceroos over many years.
The opposite to me of GCU. If I was a potential Rovers supporter, I’d be salivating ,rather than frothing at the mouth given the following 4 stories recently from the SMH:-
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/rovers-hurtling-towards-their-aleague-destiny-20100218-oj02.html
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/a-club-of-the-masses-rather-than-a-club-of-the-elite-new-team-will-ensure-a-new-rivalry-to-put-sydney-on-the-map-20100218-oj05.html
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/sydney-fc-can-have-the-east-and-well-take-rest-20100218-oj06.html
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/mateship-will-come-second-in-the-search-for-a-coach-20100218-oj07.html
Hearts also look to have far more potential on the shop floor than GCU did, despite reservations about a second Melbourne team.
February 22nd 2010 @ 1:14pm
AndyRoo said | February 22nd 2010 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
The whole private ownership thing and modern day expansions are unusual. Someone like the Newcastle Knights were probably the last of the organic expansions, local clubs getting together to form a team to represent the top of their pyramid.
Rovers have football people involved (who are from the region) and it’s representing a football area yet it’s still not organic…. in these times though that’s probably as organic as you can get.
I really don’t buy that GWS, GC17, Melb Storm, The Rebels, the IPL, Titans Heart etc etc (insert expansion team post Port Adelaide) are any better though. It’s just how it is if you create a new team these days. Their was a SMH herald article about it on Saturday.
February 22nd 2010 @ 3:07pm
Australian Football said | February 22nd 2010 @ 3:07pm | Report comment
Dogz,
Miron and Clive are permeant residents of the Gold Coast and have been for many years… The other two interested parties were from interstate. A business woman from Melbourne I believe and not sure of the other. However, clearly they did not fit the bill, and would have undoubtedly failed. I mean one of the proposed clubs was called the Gold Coast Galaxy struggling to find the funds necessary to start up the franchise. I’m grateful Clive came along when he did—and as he has always maintained he wanted to put something back worthwhile into the Gold Coast community where he lives. (his words) Now there has never been a professional football team here and it is a big market that the NRL and AFL want—so the FFA did the right thing and went for it. Clive is committed—so long live Clive as far as I’m concerned.
February 23rd 2010 @ 2:03pm
Towser said | February 23rd 2010 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
Paul Okon gone. What next for GCU,MIron does a Lawrie & in comes a Lavicka?
http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/123138,gold-coast-axe-exroo-okon.aspx
February 23rd 2010 @ 2:32pm
Australian Football said | February 23rd 2010 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
I’m shattered—-absolutely shattered. I was convinced that the team’s success was due to Paul Okon—-nothing has changed my opinion about that.. Good luck Paul, and good luck at the West Sydney Rovers you will do well there..
~~~~~~
AF