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After 18 rounds, the finals contenders have been whittled to five, and now the pressure begins to build. Wellington Pheonix have certainly surpassed my expectations for their season as l expected a bottom two finish for them.
If there is a better striker in the HAL than Shane Smeltz, he hasn’t presented this season as yet. Smeltz has scored an incredible twelve goals and is almost solely the reason for this brilliant recent run of the Nix.
Anyone who saw his first goal vs the Jets on Sunday would have to agree. It was a goal out of nothing when any other striker may have taken a touch to settle and perhaps dribble in towards goal.
Queensland Roar have also turned their season around, particularly at home where they look very difficult to beat. Their game is built on a strong defence, with Moore outstanding. Charlie Miller will be needed to return for the Roar to have any chance in the finals.
Central Coast Mariners must just about be everyone’s second team. They just continue to do things on and off the pitch which lead the way for other clubs.
They have now been hit by a symptom of their own success, with perhaps their major driving force, Jedinak, being sold overseas. They have injuries and at this stage may well struggle to progress further than the first round of the finals. Matt Simons has been one of the success stories of the season for a young Aussie player in this league, so his return from injury is very important, and if Casceres can find his early season form the Mariners are always in with a chance.
Adelaide United currently sit on top of the table with a game in hand and so must be favorites to win the title at this stage.
They look strong in all areas and their achievements in Asia will have their confidence high and belief that they can go all the way. The Brizilian trio is very important to their chances of success, but Aussie Travis Dodd is the player that can make the difference for this team. On song there are few players in the A League as exciting to watch.
Finally to Melbourne Victory, a team that arguably has the strongest squad in the league. This is reflected by the fact that in their last two home victories both Brebtner and Lopez have been left out of the 15 altogether, and Ney Fabiano has played only 25 minutes or so.
This team is so full of potential but has one major hurdle to overcome for a realistic tilt at the big one: a balanced midfield which allows players in that position to play their natural game.
As yet, Merrick has got it right on only a few occasions. If he gets it wrong, Melbourne will be awful, as reflected in recent away performances.
It all adds up to an intriguing lead in to the finals and then an exciting finals series.
If l had to put my verdicts on the line, with the finals still three weeks away, then here goes:
5th Nix
4th Mariners
3rd Roar
2nd Adelaide
1st Melbourne
What do you think?
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