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Tim Cahill's Melbourne City are the new team to beat

16th October, 2016
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The A-League doesn't look like supplying the next Cahill anytime soon. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Expert
16th October, 2016
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When Tim Cahill smashed a swerving half-volley past a startled Lawrence Thomas, he justified Melbourne City’s decision to sign him with one unstoppable strike.

If there’s one thing the A-League has been missing over the years, it’s the sort of hook that will get the mainstream media and casual sports fans interested in the league.

That’s not to suggest the competition doesn’t have a loyal group of supporters, but there’s no denying Cahill’s photogenic strike was the sort of nightly news bulletin highlight we need beaming into living rooms throughout Australia and across the Tasman.

Cahill’s stupendous half-volley kick-started a stunning 4-1 rout of a shell-shocked Melbourne Victory, on a night in which Melbourne City laid down a marker to the rest of the A-League.

City didn’t just dominate Victory, they blew their much-vaunted opponents off the park.(Click to Tweet)

The nominal visitors looked superior in every single department, with Cahill destroying the notion that he’s only here for the money, while Argentines Nicolas Colazo and Fernando Brandan ran rings around their stunned counterparts.

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And with Luke Brattan pulling the strings in midfield with his metronomic passing game, City looked exactly like the sort of team that could do some serious damage – even at this early stage of the season.

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Victory fans will have hated every second of the derby defeat, but from a broader perspective it’s no bad thing to have a competitive City side laying down the gauntlet.

If there were complaints about their lack of identity before, a few more thrashings like that and City will soon become the most talked about team in the A-League.

About the only negative on a pulsating night was the heavy-handed presence of Victoria Police.

Several eye-witnesses shared photos on social media of a frankly ridiculous police presence, and Football Federation Australia should really speak up in protest of the prodigious waste of taxpayers’ money.

It’s about time we called a spade a spade and admit that this over-the-top, deliberately provocative policing is a serious blight on the game that scares fans away.

No doubt Victoria Police’s macho posturing was responsible for keeping some fans at home, with the posted attendance some way short of a sell-out.

Still, the 43,000 attendance was a far sight better than the crowd Sydney FC attracted to their 4-0 demolition of local rivals Central Coast Mariners.

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Like City, the Sky Blues look transformed from the team that limped to a seventh-place finish last season, with Filip Holosko wreaking havoc against a totally out-matched Mariners defence.

It didn’t help that Central Coast simply gifted the home team their goals, but even if the Mariners defence hadn’t been so generous, you got the impression Sydney FC would have smashed them regardless.

It’s just a shame that so few fans turned up at Allianz Stadium to watch a team that, like City, could be real entertainers this season.

Contrary to the myth that Sydney FC struggles for fans, the Sky Blues actually have plenty of supporters – most of whom are seen on derby day – but encouraging them to turn out for games against teams like the Mariners remains a problem.

Elsewhere, the goals rained in throughout a hugely entertaining round of fixtures, with Western Sydney’s come-from-behind victory over defending champions Adelaide as courageous as it was controversial.

Brendon Santalab should never have been on the pitch to score the winner following his outrageous tackle on James Holland, but the super-sub shrugged off the furore to complete a stunning comeback for the visitors.

The shock of the round was undoubtedly the Jets’ 4-0 thumping of Brisbane Roar in Newcastle, while a total of 18 goals were rattled home – even allowing for Andy Keogh’s penalty miss for Perth Glory.

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But the headlines belonged to Melbourne City and their marquee man Tim Cahill.

On a night of high drama in Australia’s undisputed sporting capital, City finally proved there’s a new team in town.

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