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Finals football is here to stay, and thankfully the destination of the A-League title will be decided where it counts – on the pitch.
It wouldn’t be the climax of another A-League season without someone suggesting we should scrap the finals, and this year we can thank Roar contributer André Leslie.
Leslie has plenty of journalism experience and even wrote a book about representing the German national cricket team, but he’s wrong to suggest the A-League should get rid of the finals.
Why? Simply check the ticket sales for this weekend’s semi-finals and you have your answer.
Barely 15,000 fans filed through the turnstiles to watch Sydney FC lift the premiers plate on the final day of the league campaign, but Allianz Stadium will be bursting at the seams should the Sky Blues host the championship decider.
And putting aside the fact that every year the grand final is a showpiece occasion we have every right to be proud of, there’s also the stone-cold economic reality that Football Federation Australia makes a killing off ticket sales.
Add to that the fact that finals have decided our national champions since 1984 and it’s clear why the format is not going anywhere.
If it’s good enough for Ange Postecoglou – he won two National Soccer League grand finals as a South Melbourne player and another two as coach – then there’s no point changing the system merely to mimic foreign football cultures.
That won’t stop some fans from complaining about the A-League finals in one breath and checking the beIN Sports schedule to see when Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield are kicking off their Championship playoff campaign with the next.
Fortunately, the time for talk is at an end, and come Sunday night only two sides will be left standing following a couple of intriguing semi-final match-ups.
The FFA may have missed out on their coveted derbies, but on paper the two encounters look just as enticing.
Perth Glory turned in a defensive masterclass in shutting out Melbourne City last weekend, but is their back four strong enough to contain Sydney FC’s powerful attack?
Glory defender Dino Djulbic may have done a number on the City strikeforce last Sunday, but finding a way to stop Sydney FC’s returning playmaker Milos Ninkovic will be another story.
And if Ninkovic is still feeling the effects of the knock he sustained against the Newcastle Jets before the finals, the Sky Blues still have Alex Brosque in career-best title-chasing form.
With momentum playing an important role going into the semi-finals, about the only thing that could count against Sydney FC is the fact that they had last weekend off.
It’s not quite the same concern for Melbourne Victory, who must be laughing at the travails of Brisbane Roar over the past 48 hours.
Not only were the Roar forced to send a weakened squad to Thailand in midweek, where they crashed out of the AFC Champions League courtesy of a 3-0 defeat to Muangthong United, but they ended the game missing their two first-team goalkeepers.
And with Jamie Young racing against the clock following that shocking arm injury picked up in Nonthaburi – the club are surely exploring their legal options over it – the Roar could even sign a short-term injury replacement to cover themselves in goal.
That could result in the bizarre scenario of someone like Ivan Necesvki lining up in a semi-final just weeks after being deemed surplus to requirements by the Central Coast Mariners.
It’s the last thing needed by coach John Aloisi, who could no doubt do without the constant media speculation surrounding top scorer Jamie Maclaren as well.
However, all the subplots add up to a couple of fascinating showdowns in what is always one of the most exciting weekends of the season.
Manny Pacquiao and his entourage may have just rolled into town, but we’re not quite done with the A-League season yet.
And in the words of Guns N’ Roses, there’s only one thing left for our final four combatants to do.
Get in the ring.