A-League fans should thank Besart Berisha for grand finale
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 23 Apr 2012 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
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- A-League, A-League grand final, Besart Berisha, Brisbane Roar, football, Jacob Burns, Perth Glory
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Brisbane Roar player Besart Berisha celebrates being awarded a penalty kick during their A-League Grand Final match against Perth Glory in Brisbane, Sunday, April 22, 2012. Roar won the match 2-. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
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If rugby is the game they play in heaven and rugby league is the greatest game of all, they must have run out of superlatives to describe football.
Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory proved yesterday why the round-ball game is the most beloved of all sports across the globe.
After 83 minutes of tense, often gripping action, Perth Glory looked to have sewn up an unlikely A-League title.
And then, in an instant, Besart Berisha proved why the 50,334 fans who packed into Suncorp Stadium are hooked on the game of football.
Hitherto quiet, the enigmatic Albanian striker ghosted in front of Glory defender Steve Pantelidis, and with a header he must have practiced thousands of times in training, conjured the type of crowd response other codes can only dream of.
By the time his deft finish hit the back of the net, the noise around Suncorp Stadium was immense.
But it was far from a full stop on an absorbing game of football. Oh no, this one had only just begun.
In the period between Berisha’s equaliser and his contentious, wildly disputed winner, Roar substitute Nick Fitzgerald had stung the palms of the superb Danny Vukovic, and Glory defender Dean Heffernan had got himself sent off.
And then came the moment which will be talked about not just today but for many years to come.
Berisha, ever the belligerent, bulldozed his way into the box. Liam Miller, an artisan not a tackler, slid in from behind.
Knocked off an even keel, Berisha tumbled. Was it an air swing, a dive or a penalty? Referee Jarred Gillett put his whistle to his lips and blew for the latter.
Debate will rage on what was surely the most controversial refereeing decision in the A-League’s short history.
From my vantage point high up in the stands, it appeared Berisha had legitimate claims for a penalty. Of course the replays suggested anything but.
At best, it looked like an off-balance Berisha had simply missed his shot on goal and tumbled over. At worst, it looked like he dived.
Predictably, the online condemnation was as swift as it was hysterical. “Cheat!” screamed the masses.
Including, it must be said, some media analysts whose commitment to the pretext of objectivity – however flimsy – went flying out the window.
But what was missed by many pundits, though not all, was one simple caveat.
Why would a striker with 20 goals to his name, who has just slalomed through the defence and had only the goalkeeper to beat, choose to fall over?
After all, it’s not like Berisha is an infallible penalty taker.
Could it not be that Miller made contact with Berisha’s standing foot – however slight – causing the Albanian to tumble with the game-winning shot within his grasp?
His immediate reaction didn’t help, but then Roar coach Ange Postecoglou made the point in his post-match press conference that many Australians don’t understand how passionate players from Berisha’s part of the world are about the game.
Whatever one’s opinion, football fans should feel privileged to have witnessed such a spectacle.
For in the end, isn’t this what we want? A sold-out stadium. A pulsating contest. More twists than your average Hitchcock classic.
Yes, there were negatives – including the embarrassing mix-up which temporarily robbed Jacob Burns of the Joe Marston medal he thoroughly deserved.
But to dwell on them is to overlook something key.
We want fans to become hooked on the unmatched drama of the A-League – mistakes and all.
On that point alone, yesterday’s epic delivered the very thing most A-League fans crave.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
April 23rd 2012 @ 6:59am
Roarsome said | April 23rd 2012 @ 6:59am | Report comment
Great article and fair call. It’s wasn’t a clear cut Pen but any doubt must go with the attacking team. Those throwing labels at players and officials should take a leaf from the Glory captain. Initially, stunned in an interview, he made a good speech at the presentation and congratulated his team, fans and deserved champions, Brisbane Roar.
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April 23rd 2012 @ 10:05am
Knu said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:05am | Report comment
“It’s wasn’t a clear cut Pen but any doubt must go with the attacking team.”
No, the ref has (or rather, should have) to be 100% sure that it’s a penalty if he blows for one. If there is doubt, play on.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:42am
Ausman46 said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Sorry Roarsome, but the doubt rarely goes to the attacking team. If it’s not clear cut, it’s not a penalty. It just seems that way.
Sadly this was a game that was robbed of a great spectacle long before the kickoff, with the provision of a pitch ruined by union the previous day, and that must lie with the FFA and the A-League.
The two teams played amazingly well in the circumstances.
The closing moments soured it for many independent fans.
April 23rd 2012 @ 12:24pm
Kasey said | April 23rd 2012 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
I’m sorry, I missed the part where you showed the logic between terrible surface and its FFAs fault. I know its the default position online to blame everything that doesn’t work out perfectly on the FFA, but please enlighten me as to how the pitch being bumpy was FFAs fault? Suncorp is a shared facility. Mel McLaughlin in her pre-game spiel expanded on the huge effort the ground staff went to and the many hours they spent trying to get the pitch in as good a condition as possible for the game. I see this as a sign of progress. In times past, the ground staff might have just shrugged and said “Meh its only Soccer – who gives a sh*t?” rather than bend their backs and try hard to put on a good surface. Geez, who can forget some of the cow paddocks the football has been forced to play on in the past? To me it appears that playing GFs in front of 50k crowds 2 years in a row does wonders for de-bunking the “Its only Soccer – who cares anyway?”line of thought.
April 23rd 2012 @ 12:51pm
joe blackswan said | April 23rd 2012 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
well said.
April 23rd 2012 @ 4:36pm
Nathan of Perth said | April 23rd 2012 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
Benefit of doubt is for offside and throw-ins, Roarsome, not for fouls. For fouls you can only blow for what you see. If that means the ref saw penalty than I guess it means penalty.
Sigh.
April 24th 2012 @ 9:44am
Stratty said | April 24th 2012 @ 9:44am | Report comment
All of these people coming out saying it was a dive will now have egg on their face! All of Fox Sports experts have all agreed it was a pen and on video analysis from Andy Harper last night, all agreed, making it one of the best decisions by a ref, not one of the worst! You could see Liam Miller was not leading the protests to the ref, which showed signs of guilt. The real problem was the pitch, the people who are saying that football is now better recognized as a respectable sport for the masses because of the efforts of the ground staff miss the point.
The 2 teams have played months of football on quality pitches for most of the time, therefore the GF surface should be areflection of the importance of the game! To deliver a sub standard pitch, causes players to have to pay extra attention to the roll of the ball, causing clumsy touches robbing them and the fans the quality of football, that they were both capable of producing. As a semi pro player, there is nothing worse than rocking up to a pitch that is of poor quality!
Either way, Roar deserved champions and the quality of imports shown through, aka Barisha and Broich
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:05am
nordster said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:05am | Report comment
it was fantastic spectacle, i agree Mike the final drama just made it all the more gripping. Even if it flushes out the usual bleating about “why strayans will never love sockah” … oh well.
but with games like this swinging on such marginal calls … what it does tell us is why Cup/grand Final titles are such different beasts to League Premiership silverware! Both are great just for very different reasons and we saw a perfect illustration of this last night.
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:22am
ren said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:22am | Report comment
diving is diving. pretty clear cut cheating in my book.
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:16am
Kasey said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:16am | Report comment
He didn’t dive. He took an air swing and lost his balance, falling to the ground. At first glance on the telebox, considering a Perth player was trying to lay a tackle from behind, I thought oh that’s a pen, defender must’ve made contact. It was only with the aid of numerous replays that I saw that Berisha had essentially tripped himself up and fallen over. I thought it looked like a pen in normal speed, but the ref will be rightly castigated for screwing the decision up(I am not an A-League ref. Even though I thought it was a pen, Gillett is the trained HAL referee, he should be better than me at deciding what is and isn’t a penalty. ) unfortunately is will just lead to a procession of “Dive wins Soccer GF!” crap from the MSM for a while now. Football just cant take a trick lately:(
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:55am
JimmyMac said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:55am | Report comment
Miller made contact with Berisha’s left leg, which was then planted closer to the ball than Berisha was intending. This led to Berisha’s heel clipping the ball as his foot came down, as a result the ball bobbled up in the air, just as his kicking leg swung through, causing the air swing.
Whether or not Berisha fell over after that – diving or simply off balance – is irrelevant as technically, this is a penalty already.
At least that’s what I saw watching the replays frame by frame over and over.
But – why did the ref let the game go 30 seconds beyond the 4 minutes added?
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:08am
Ian said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:08am | Report comment
i thought he added on time because of the send off of the glory player which chewed up some of the injury time
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:12am
dinoweb said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:12am | Report comment
JimmyMac
The amount of extra time added is still only a guide to the referee, and it is fully at his discretion if their is to be any further time added on due to incidents that occur during injury time.
Perth wasted time during the period, were booked for it, and the referee rightly added on extra seconds to compensate.
Mike T
Thanks finally for a considered report on the match by a journalist. It is a shame that the penalty and the MOM award will overshadow what should be due recognition for the performance Brisbane have put in over the past two years.
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:40am
JimmyMac said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:40am | Report comment
thanks guys, makes perfect sense.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:15am
apaway said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:15am | Report comment
I agree Ren. Diving IS cheating. But Berisha did not dive. As Mike pointed out, in his article, why would he?
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:24am
BennO said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:24am | Report comment
I wish I had been able to watch the game but watching on youtube, in real time it looked like a penalty to me. The subsequent slow-mo replay showed some light contact with Berisha’s foot that pushed him slightly off balance. I don’t know if that’s a penalty or not (not a real football fan) but from what I recall in the wash up of the Lucas Neil-Fabio Grosso incident, the referee had no choice but to blow a penalty. The defending player reached out with his boot and in the same second the attacking player appeared to be taken down. I dunno, it seems the umpire made the only call possible – especially when you consider he gets one look at high speed with a potentially impeded view.
I remember people saying Neil just shouldn’t have led with the boot in the box like that, he gave the umpire little choice. I can see the same argument here. Also, I would have to say Grosso’s tumble looked more like a dive than last Berisha’s.
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:46am
JerrytehJerboa said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:46am | Report comment
Very good point, I feel for the ref because he’s so young. What if he hadn’t of blown and it turned out there was substantial contact? He would have been strung up higher than he is now. He had no choice really, I’m quite sure most people watching on TV and at the ground thought it was a pen straight up, and so we can’t entirely blame the ref for not having the benefit of slo mo replays. And we can’t blame Berisha too greatly because the tackle came from behind, and he wasn’t diving. He did make a big deal of it though, I’ll say that much
April 25th 2012 @ 10:54am
PeterK said | April 25th 2012 @ 10:54am | Report comment
I think if the ref hadn’t blown it, then the winner of the match would still be the same team, in all likelihood — do you think Glory could have sustained the Roar pressure much longer with just ten men?
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:26am
The Special One said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:26am | Report comment
No offence but this article sounds like its being written to defend the farcical scenes at the end. Sure we like drama but most Australians want a fair contest more. The game would have been seen by many neutrals who wouldn’t have enjoyed what they saw at the end. As a long time fan, neither did I. Kudos to Perth glory and it’s fans who took the high road.
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:22am
M-Rod said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:22am | Report comment
sorry mate I love the fair contest as much as anyone, but what I saw (watching from Suncorp) in Berisha’s penalty and the Roar win was exactly the intensity, desperation, passion, win-at-all-costs attitude that needs to be embedded into the psyche of Australian football players, supporters and officials if we are to ever be a serious threat in world football
We’d be the only country in the World Cup that places more importance on a ‘fair contest’ vs. a ‘whatever it takes’ -fight to the end… as much as we all want a fair fight, the reality is that success in the World Cup demands whatever tactics/ gamesmanship players can utilise to get an advantage for their team/ country…
that’s what I saw with Berisha yesterday… whilst most might want to see it as a milked penalty that should be castigated, I see an act of gamesmanship that gives my team the crucial edge in a Grand Final, and as a professional who’s sole function is to secure a win in the pinnacle of a Grand Final this should be accepted! … This IS how everyone else in the world plays it, and Aussie football fans should stop being so precious – winning or losing is the ONLY thing that matters at this level…
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:26am
nordster said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:26am | Report comment
“the intensity, desperation, passion, win-at-all-costs attitude that needs to be embedded into the psyche of Australian football players, supporters and officials if we are to ever be a serious threat in world football”
YES, YES, YES … watch and learn from Professor Besart!
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:40am
p.Tah said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:40am | Report comment
” success in the World Cup demands whatever tactics/ gamesmanship players can utilise to get an advantage for their team/ country…”
“.. winning or losing is the ONLY thing that matters at this level…”
this doesn’t relate to last nights game, but based on these comments do you encourage cheating to win?
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:14am
Ian said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:14am | Report comment
no one cheated………..berisha didn’t dive…….and his reaction……..he is passionate and if you had read the stories on him last week you would know how much he wanted his first final in a grand final. his reaction was because he knew it was highly likely the roar would score from the penalty.
i’m sick of reading ‘what will neutrals think about the game?’
the game was another spectacle and shows the twists and turns that only football can produce.
how about the 18 fouls, 7 yellows and 1 red from perth vs 7 fouls and 1 yellow from the roar?
and i read that on fox sports mark bosnich and robbie slater said it was a penalty.
that’s enough for me……..and if it wasn’t – that is football.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:18am
p.Tah said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Ian, I’m was referring to last night’s game or Berisha, that’s why I said “this doesn’t relate to last nights game”
I was referring to M-Rod comments that we must use “whatever tactics/ gamesmanship” to compete on the World Stage. I was asking how far this should be taken. Do we support cheating if others choose to go down this path?
April 23rd 2012 @ 1:02pm
p.Tah said | April 23rd 2012 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
That should say “I’m not referring to last night’s game…”
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:17am
apaway said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:17am | Report comment
I was a neutral and I loved it.
April 23rd 2012 @ 12:53pm
Australian Rules said | April 23rd 2012 @ 12:53pm | Report comment
I agree with you Special.
It was a thrilling, desperate, high energy game…spoiled at the end by a clear dive.
What a shame…Berisha wanted to go down, and so he did.
Disappointing that a good season of football gets marred in the dying seconds. Very uninspiring stuff.
April 25th 2012 @ 4:52pm
ItsCalled AussieRules said | April 25th 2012 @ 4:52pm | Report comment
The incident and penalty are proven to be clear cut and genuine – no dive.
A packed Suncorp and Sold out A-League grand final is a fitting tribute and end to a record A-league season with rising attendances, TV ratings and revenues.
The A-League and the FFA this year have survived bigger challenges than AFL and Demetriou and NRL and Gallop will ever have to face.
Now, more than ever, I have greater confidence in the game, the A-League and the people in the FFA who are running the game in Australia.
One penalty decision has changed nothing in that regard.
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:44am
Cpaaa said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:44am | Report comment
- Roar scored an own goal, a great goal and a controversial goal. BNE 3 Perth 0.
- On the Joey M medal, How do u stuff that up, its simple mathamatics, and not “next top model”.
- and where are these other 30,000 supporters during the season?????
- Football is not always beautiful, it is not always fair but neither is Life. The better team scored 3 times.
It was a fitting full 90 and a great lesson for the neutrals. Understanding that in Life and in Football the decisions sometimes go against us and in the end it always works out the way its supposed to, even if you loose. Life dosnt have replays, neither does Football. The Perth Boys also know this and took it on the chin. Good luck lads with the half spot in the ACL next year, you deserve it.
Highlight was walking into a packed suncorp stadium before kickoff, singing, chanting and covered in Orange.
Mummy expo currently in Brisbane, Shane Smeltz you were a great advert for the museum.
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:48am
Roger said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:48am | Report comment
Cpaaa, thanks for bringing up Shane Smeltz. That was a red card right there for Smith, that was never called.
I don’t care if the elbow was “accidental”, it was reckless play, that endangered another player.
It’s fine that you are happy that your team won, but don’t for one second think that was penalty, and don’t for one second think that you have a right to give Smeltz a hard time after that disgraceful clash with Smith.
If anything, Brisbane should have been down to 10 men for the majority of the match.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:21am
Whites said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Yes. Smeltz should have received a red card for striking an opponent with his head.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:24am
Cpaaa said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Roger i havnt seen the smith accidental elbow but i have seen the pictures + according to wife reports ” over 50stiches”
THAT IS AMAZINGly BRUTAL….here is the link if you can stomach it.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-22/smeltz-set-for-plastic-surgery/3965552
Hat goes off to Smeltz for putting up with the pain for over 80minutes of football. The elbow i guess is another talking point of poor referring decision, football bravery, football thuggery or football being a combat sport. Just another part of yesterdays final. A really sickening outcome for smeltz, get well soon mate.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:36am
Dave McD said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Smeltz played the man, not the ball, which is why the free kick went to Brisbane. The elbow to the head was unfortunate. Smith saw the contact coming and did what anyone else would, raised his arm to protect himself. Unfortunately, the elbow hit Smeltz.
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:58am
The Bear said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Defo. That’s how I saw it. Smeltz’ foot crushed Smith’s ankle at time of contact. Feel sorry for Shane, but he put himself in harms way ; (
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:59am
Roger said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:59am | Report comment
Sigh. No, Smith raised his elbow to take out Smeltz. Red card my friend.
This is similar to the time when the Sydney player “accidentally” broke Archie’s leg.
April 23rd 2012 @ 11:04am
The Bear said | April 23rd 2012 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Smith coathangered Smeltz? Jeez, what exquisite timing to pul that off. What was Smeltz doing at the time? Running into Smiths chest/ankle, that’s what!!
Perhaps people need to get their tissues out and dry their eyes. Brisbane won. To harp on that it was unfair?
Really, some people…
April 23rd 2012 @ 11:59am
Roger said | April 23rd 2012 @ 11:59am | Report comment
Pretty sure reckless play that endangers other players, i.e. an elbow to the face, is a red card. Regardless of intent.
Same can’t be said for Smeltz coming in.
April 23rd 2012 @ 11:06am
AndyRoo said | April 23rd 2012 @ 11:06am | Report comment
If Smeltz hadn’t run into Smith late then he wouldn’t have copped an elbow….
two wrongs make a right we all know that
April 23rd 2012 @ 12:10pm
Jerome said | April 23rd 2012 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
Archie injured his knee after falling awkwardly on it, there was no malice. I was sitting right behind the goal area when it happened.
And for the record I am a Victory supporter.
April 23rd 2012 @ 12:18pm
Roger said | April 23rd 2012 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
Jerome, Archie’s knee was injured because the Sydney player’s foot smashed into it after he had touched the ball. I was sitting there at the game too, and saw it on the slow motion replays.
April 23rd 2012 @ 1:27pm
mushi said | April 23rd 2012 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
Likewise Roger Smeltz’s face got unjured because of his own foot coming in a reckless manner.
April 25th 2012 @ 11:05am
PeterK said | April 25th 2012 @ 11:05am | Report comment
Roger, I had no vision of the match — living in inland NQ, many many hours from Brisbane — I had to be content with listening on ABC radio (and was so pleased that I was able to do that). However, from that poor vantage point, I question that Shane Smeltz was making much of an impression on the game before the incident. In fact it seemed that he was jolted into life by it!
I’ve since seen the TV replay of the clash, and yes it looks accidental to me, and I can’t see which one if either I’d have awarded the adjective “reckless” to.
April 23rd 2012 @ 5:07pm
cliffclaven said | April 23rd 2012 @ 5:07pm | Report comment
agree with cpaaa on life and football.
But just on the ‘where are the other 30,000 people during the season’… the same can be said of the NRL when say manly make it to the final – where are the other 60,000 fans that turn up on the day of the GF during the regular season?.
great drama, unfortunate result, bus as Mem says ‘that’s football’!!
April 25th 2012 @ 11:15am
PeterK said | April 25th 2012 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Cpaaa, I can tell you where four of those 30000 are for the rest of the season. A mate from my town went down with his family to see this game. We live in inland NQ, many many hours from Brisbane. He and his family aren’t going that far every second weekend. It involves an hour and a half by car, finding (or paying for) a place to park the car, a two-hour flight to Brisbane, and an overnight stay in Brisbane, not to mention the trip from and to the airport, and doing the whole thing in reverse on the way home.
I was jealous that he did it for the GF, but was glad it was he and not me having to do all that.
I wonder (with you) where the other 29996 are for the rest of the season!
It’ll be very different for us in NQ when Fury is resurrected, and we host a GF locally! But, mind you, that won’t happen with the current “rules” for the A-League. (I’ve got to say though that I’ve seen and heard of just a few good signs, and look for more.)
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:49am
Roger said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:49am | Report comment
Good article Mike.
Personally, I don’t see how anyone other than a Brisbane fan, with their orange colored glasses on, could have called that a penalty. If I were a Perth fan, I don’t know that I’d ever completely get over this (kind of like the Italian penalty in the world cup).
April 23rd 2012 @ 4:26pm
Chop said | April 23rd 2012 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
Couldn’t agree more.
The whole event was a blight on the game in my opinion. The FFA are just giving more and more ammunition to their detractors by continually proving their ineptitude to organise anything successfully.
Firstly the referee allocated to the GF has an association to the Roar.
Secondly the elbow to Smeltz got a penalty against him for having his face destroyed by an elbow
Thirdly the penalty after they’d played way over time.
Fourthly the presentation of the medal to the wrong person
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:51am
TomC said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:51am | Report comment
Judging by the reactions of the non-football fans in the pub around me last night, I don’t think any of them were about to be converted to the beautiful game after watching that finish.
We were already heading for a dramatic finale. Ending the game through a poor refereeing decision just sucked a lot of the goodwill out of it, from a neutral perspective.
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:23am
Kasey said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Can we really expect one game to convert people into football fans? If that were the case, then I would have chosen last years GF or the Aust v Uruguay WCQ in 2005. People that already dislike our game will just use Berisha’s fall/penalty as a ‘reason to continue their dislike of the game. True football fans recognize what Cpaaa is saying above. Football is not fair, never really has been. Its the mirror of the game to life that makes it so special to so many people around the world. True football fans are only sad because of the negative press that football illiterates will generate out of this.
Me personally, the one constant since season 1 of the HAL has been substandard refereeing. Every season the game on the pitch has improved in quality, but I’m buggered if I can see the same improvement in the officiating:(
That needs to be yet another thing for the FFA/HAL to focus on in the next 6 months, you know besides those other minor things like starting a new team, rescuing an important one and running the Socceroos WCQ campaign Home to Japan, Away to Jordan and Iraq. all before the season starts again in only 5 months.
April 23rd 2012 @ 12:13pm
Jerome said | April 23rd 2012 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
It’s not as if other codes haven’t had games, including grand finals, decided by contentious refereeing/umpiring decisions (for Australian rules, think 1979 VFL Grand Final when Carlton’s Wayne Harmes knocked the ball back into play AFTER it had crossed the boundary line enabling Ken Sheldon to kick the winning goal and rob Collingwood of the premiership, for cricket think of those grounded catches claimed by the Aussies at the SCG in early 2008 robbing India of a first-ever Test series win in Australia).
All it does is create a talking point. Get over it. Unless you’re a Glory fan/player/official – then you’ll just have to keep that fire in the belly for next season!
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:17am
Ian said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:17am | Report comment
how do we know there was a dramatic finale coming?
there was 30 ins of extra time coming. perth a man down. brisbane may have scored 3 times. perth may have held out to go to a penalty shootout. perhaps a dodgy referee decision may have given perth a goal and they would hav won.
we have no idea about alternative endings. we only have the one that actually happened.
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:56am
Peter Coom said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:56am | Report comment
Brisbane won fair and square three goals to nil.
April 23rd 2012 @ 9:50am
Roger said | April 23rd 2012 @ 9:50am | Report comment
Brisbane won, but it wasn’t fair. Also, last time I checked, putting a goal into your own net counts to the other team. So no, not 3-0.
April 23rd 2012 @ 11:23am
oikee said | April 23rd 2012 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Just want to thank Albania and Germany for giving Brisbane Broich and Berisha. These 2 are fantastic, and have put us on the map.
I think Orange is now offically a Brisbane colour.
I think our boys were all over them anyhow, we were coming home over the top.
April 23rd 2012 @ 7:58am
agga78 said | April 23rd 2012 @ 7:58am | Report comment
It was never a dive not in a millon years, Bersha intention was to score and he missed the ball because of a slight clip to his standing foot which put him of balance causing the air swing. I would hardly call it a foul anywhere on the pitch let alone a penalty but the referee made a huge call and probably made the wrong call for the situation at the time.
April 23rd 2012 @ 8:25am
nordster said | April 23rd 2012 @ 8:25am | Report comment
totally agree, even if it wasn’t a pen it wasn’t a “dive” either. His momentum was impeded, physics says he is perfectly entitled to hit the deck.
This is the thing with Berisha … I love how he accepts it and just steps up to knock in the pen. And the passion in the guy could do nothing but celebrate it whole-heartedly. Fair or not. Some folks new to the sport might not like this, but this guy IS football. And he brings a genuine passion to our league that many other imports do not. Long live Berish!
April 23rd 2012 @ 10:59am
The Bear said | April 23rd 2012 @ 10:59am | Report comment
Like your perspective, Nordster !!
April 23rd 2012 @ 4:30pm
Chop said | April 23rd 2012 @ 4:30pm | Report comment
“this guy IS football”
That’s the problem with football in Australia, Australian’s who aren’t massive football fans already have no respect for that sort of behaviour. It’s a blight on the game and admitting he went down deliberately to Burns after the game is just a bigger slap in the face of the game.
They’ve lost more fans than they’ve gained from this debacle.
April 23rd 2012 @ 4:59pm
Tizzo said | April 23rd 2012 @ 4:59pm | Report comment
The only way to know about losing fans, is to wait till next season.
April 24th 2012 @ 5:45am
nordster said | April 24th 2012 @ 5:45am | Report comment
Berisha may not appeal to people who don’t like football, but his passion is something our football culture here could use more of. Have no interest at all personally in what non-fans think at this point. Football is football… take it or leave it bro