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How soon is too soon to write off a team in the race for the title? Several weeks ago Sydney FC looked dead and buried but suddenly the Sky Blues have roared back into championship contention.
Watching Sydney beat Melbourne Heart in the wet at Allianz Stadium in Round 16 was akin to a form of water torture, so poor was Frank Farina’s side in the undeserved 2-1 victory.
Ironically that was the second win of a six-game home winning sequence, catapulting the Sky Blues up into fifth place ahead of next weekend’s grudge match against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory.
What will have been most pleasing for Farina in Saturday’s 2-0 win over an off-colour Central Coast is the fact that several of his youngsters shone brightly.
Defender Sebastian Ryall has quietly matured into a more than capable player at this level and while there was a huge element of luck to his opening goal, he did – as they say – buy himself a ticket.
But it was the combination between Terry Antonis and Joel Chianese for Sydney’s second which most impressed, as the speedy Chianese kept his cool to seal the win following a one-two with his fellow youngster.
For the Mariners, defeat could prove costly after Western Sydney Wanderers held their nerve to down Wellington Phoenix 2-1 yesterday in front of another big crowd at Parramatta Stadium.
That means the Wanderers are now five points clear at the top of the table and the Premier’s Plate is now surely theirs to lose.
The Phoenix put up a tough fight despite the disparity between the two teams in the standings but two converted penalties proved costly as Wellington’s indiscipline came back to haunt them.
The match was also notable for the Red And Black Bloc’s 20-minute silent protest against sanctions imposed on some of their members.
It was astonishing to watch on TV as the rest of the stadium suddenly began chanting “RBB!” just before the Wanderers’ hardcore supporter group roared into life.
The silent protest was reminiscent of what often takes place in the Bundesliga, where terrace solidarity remains strong in what is the least commercial of Europe’s big-four leagues.
And in this case the silent protest proved effective given that commentators Simon Hill and Andy Harper drew attention to it on at least a couple of occasions.
What was also interesting to note after the opening round of the National Rugby League kicked off this weekend was the state of the pitches at several grounds.
Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and the Wanderers all played at home in the aftermath of NRL matches and the pitches at Allianz, Suncorp and Parramatta Stadium respectively were far from in pristine condition.
That’s somewhat understandable in the case of Brisbane, where the last time it wasn’t raining Noah was yet to draw up plans for his ark, but Parramatta Stadium in particular was in pretty poor condition.
Wanderers coach Tony Popovic will hope that doesn’t prove a hindrance to his side in the run home, not least because Western Sydney could seal the premiership in the derby against Sydney FC.
The Mariners will hope they still have a say in that but in the meantime they face a difficult trip to Chiba to take on the always aggressive Kashiwa Reysol in the AFC Champions League.
A few weeks ago the Mariners looked a shoe-in for the Premier’s Plate but the Wanderers’ barnstorming run up the table seems to have put paid to that.
Meanwhile Sydney FC seemed like no-hopers in the race for a finals spot, only to confound the pundits – yours truly included – at the right end of the season.
It just goes to show how even the A-League is as the race for the top six goes down to the wire.
The Wanderers are in pole position to win the premiership but as history shows, it ain’t over til it’s over.