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Shane Smeltz could be the only man standing between Brisbane Roar and the A-League title. The Glory marksman is a game-winning player – something the Central Coast Mariners currently lack.
Smeltz proved in Perth last night precisely why he’s the A-League’s all-time leading goal scorer.
His first goal came after he battled for a high ball, lost his marker and then casually stroked home on the half-volley after the ball came back into the box at pace.
His second – a looping header that deceived Heart goalkeeper Clint Bolton but which ultimately crossed the line – was trademark Smeltz.
And his third arrived after the lurking Kiwi international sprung the offside trap to charge on to Liam Miller’s through ball and blast home his seventh goal in just two games.
It was predatory goal poaching of the purest kind from the sort of player the Central Coast Mariners must dearly wish they possessed.
I say that because, with all due respect, Bernie Ibini butchered a couple of glorious chances for the Mariners against Brisbane Roar on Saturday afternoon.
For all his undoubted promise, the lanky striker lacked the killer touch in front of goal the Mariners desperately needed to put the Roar under early pressure.
Instead it was Brisbane who completely dominated and the defending champions really should have won by more than 2-0.
Midfielder Erik Paartalu got lucky when his hit-and-hope method of finishing came up trumps as Brisbane’s vital second arrowed into the bottom corner.
They should already have put daylight between them long before then, as the Roar made a mockery of finishing second to the Mariners during the regular season.
The spanner in the works could be Brisbane’s AFC Champions League trip to Ulsan in midweek, although Ulsan coach Kim Ho-Gon has also lamented his team’s own hectic fixture list.
But even Brisbane’s exploits in South Korea shouldn’t be enough to stop them dispatching the Mariners and booking another Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium on April 22.
And with no disrespect intended to Wellington Phoenix fans, the Mariners are likely to run into that man Smeltz and his Glory cohorts in a do-or-die Preliminary final a week earlier.
If that happens, I wouldn’t bet against the Glory brushing aside Central Coast and moving through to their first decider since winning the last ever National Soccer League back in 2003-04.
There’s plenty of football still to play before then, but for arguably the first time this season the Glory have put their hand up as genuine contenders.
How things have changed for Glory owner Tony Sage and much-maligned coach Ian Ferguson, whom many expected to be out of a job midway through the season.
Ferguson has instead signed a contract extension and for all that can be said about Perth’s largely uninspired style of football, his team now stands just two games away from a Grand Final appearance.
That’s more than can be said for Melbourne Victory, who deserve the last word after interim coach Jim Magilton walked away from the club on Sunday.
Supposedly envisaged as the full-time successor to the sacked Mehmet Durakovic, it seems the Victory board re-thought that decision after the ubiquitous Smeltz bagged all four goals in Perth’s 4-2 demolition of Victory last weekend.
Told he was now part of a shortlist of candidates, Magilton has understandably packed his bags and gone home.
Thus Victory are back at square one after a bizarre season of football – searching for a suitable candidate to replace the successful, albeit not especially colourful, Ernie Merrick.
You couldn’t make it up and thankfully for the A-League’s sake we don’t have to.
Because between Smeltz, Magilton, hapless Sydney FC defender Michael Beauchamp and a host of others, there’s plenty to talk about from a pulsating round of A-League finals action.