Plenty of things have changed since the inaugural A-League season back in 2005/06, be it new teams, improved imports or a better standard of football. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the underestimation of the Central Coast Mariners.
And in a season where Brisbane Roar have made all the headlines, there could still be a twist come the grand final.
About a month ago, I did an A-League Christmas report where I attempted to pick the fates of each club for the remainder of the season. I commented that Graham Arnold was leading the Mariners in the right direction, even though they perhaps weren’t there just yet.
One may argue that they still aren’t there just yet, but there is a sense that the Mariners are building quite nicely towards the finals. The ingredients for success are there for the Central Coast and it’s hard to ignore the possibility of them causing what many deem an ‘upset’ in February and March.
A pedigree of playing grand finals in ’06 and ’09 shows that they aren’t headed to unchartered territory.
The position of goalkeeper in football is often a much maligned, but in a championship winning side a good goalkeeper can save you 10 to 15 points a season.
Matthew Ryan’s emergence, therefore, would have been particularly pleasing for Arnold, especially with the omissions of Danny Vukovic and Jess Vanstrattan threatening to hurt his side between the sticks.
The stats speak for themselves with 11 clean sheets in 20 starts and the ‘NAB Young Footballer of the Month Award’ for December, representing a wonderful find from the youth team.
While Ryan has showed immense promise throughout this season, I’m sure he will happily attribute some of his success in his breakthrough campaign to experienced duo Patrick Zwaanswijk and Alex Wilkinson.
The experienced Dutchman and one of the A-League’s veterans have teamed up to create a mean defence, which has only conceded 28 goals in 26 appearances. Josh Rose has been a revelation at left back offering overlap and width going forward, while Pedj Bojic is as honest and hard-working as they come on the other side on the pitch.
It’s just one reason why the Mariners have only lost the five games this season.
In front of the defence is an underrated midfield, often screened by Rosytn Griffiths, who in the past has shown a prowess from the set-piece as well. The job he does allows creative avenues such as Michael McGlinchey (six assists) and Oliver Bozanic to flourish in the wide areas with due cover.
Patricio Perez brings an x-factor to the table and a threat going forward, even if we haven’t quite seen the best of him just yet. A nice run and goal against Sydney FC on the weekend was perhaps just a glimpse of what’s to come from the former Argentine under-20.
Then there’s Mustafa Amini, who looks like he has a big future to go with that big hairstyle. His young player of the month award in November, which preceded Ryan’s, is a testament to the quality of youth that the Gosford club have coming through the ranks. Credit too goes to Arnold for giving them a chance at senior level.
Up at the pointy end, Matt Simon and Adam Kwasnik are far from glamourous names, but their effectiveness cannot be questioned. Simon is the competitions second-top scorer with 11 goals, while Kwasnik’s predominant impact as a super-sub has seen him register nine this season.
Then we have Arnold himself, who with an internship in the Socceroo’s coaching setup is relishing his opportunity in the A-League as a manager.
The experience that brings will only help the Mariners in the future and the dividends could be paid back as soon as March. A series of astute signings (some already mentioned above) has bolstered a squad that finished eighth last season, transforming them into genuine contenders in 2010/11.
Recent clashes with Sydney and Perth have also shown further traits of a premiership winning team.
A trip to Perth yielded a great away win in a game they didn’t play their best in, and while the opposition wasn’t tip-top, you have to give the Mariners and Arnold due credit for sticking to their game-plan.
The trip out west is never an easy one, and resting players at a crucial stage of the season could have definitely been perceived as a risk. A professional performance in the second half ensured they took home all three points and gained an important edge on Adelaide in the race for second spot.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s clash with the Sky Blues saw them come from two goals down to salvage a point and end Sydney FC’s season once and for all. The performance showed a grit and a determination to rescue something (and possibly gain more) in a game where they could have easily taken nothing after Petratos’ second.
This has been Brisbane’s championship to lose for so long now, so the pressure will no doubt be on the Roar to deliver a first A-league title to Queensland.
So before we cement their name in history, let’s consider the effect that losing centre-back Luke Devere could have on their team. Furthermore, Marcos Flores and Jason Culina are two of the competition’s best match winners, and in any finals encounter the cream often rises to the top.
Then we have the Mariners – the team that everybody always seems to forget.
I haven’t forgotten them though, and the small noise they are making is a momentum they are gradually developing at the right time of the season. I certainly think they can upset the odds.
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