Football Federation Australia Chairman Frank Lowy’s nasty fall from the stage at Sunday’s A-League grand final has dominated the headlines post-match, which is something of a shame for it detracts from what was a masterful performance from champions Melbourne Victory.
The Victory’s clinical dispatch of Sydney FC was a dominant tactical triumph for Kevin Muscat and his players. They swamped the Sky Blues, playing a high energy press which denied Sydney’s danger men space and time in the areas where they were likely to do damage.
Sydney looked poor, but that wasn’t really the case. They were pressured too often to be effective, could not establish any rhythm, and were unable to hold the ball long enough to punch holes in the Victory defence, as they had done so effectively against Adelaide the previous week.
Marc Janko was so well-marshalled by the Victory back four that he did not manage a single shot – his only chance being a header in the second half. Alex Brosque hardly touched the ball in the first half, but underlined his danger by drawing the only save of the first 45 minutes from Victory keeper Lawrence Thomas.
Mark Milligan, best on ground by a country mile, was as effective without the ball as he was with it. His workrate was amazing, his screening of the back four ensuring Sydney were unable to provide any service to their potent attacking trio of Janko, Naumoff and Ibini.
Even then, it was only Besart Berisha’s explosive strike in the first half that separated the teams going into the last 10 minutes.
Having successfully nullified Sydney’s forward momentum, cutting off passing channels and allowing no space between the lines, Melbourne still had the energy to break quickly and kill the game off with two late goals.
Typical of Victory’s energy levels was the run from Leigh Broxham to score the third. From deep inside his own half he surged down the inside right channel to accept the pass from Fahid Ben Khalfallah and hit an unstoppable strike into the top of the FC net.
Cue the celebrations – and the very scary incident involving Frank Lowy. As the cameras panned the crowd and the commentators fell silent, I had fears of a very public on-screen tragedy.
Whenever the cameras don’t focus on the incident, the viewer has a sense that something bad is happening away from their eyes. For this reason, I’m not joining in the banter. It was a very bad fall for anyone to take, let alone an 84 year old man, albeit an obviously tough one.
I understand that Frank Lowy has, in the course of the past decade, made decisions that have disenfranchised and upset a lot of football fans. I don’t agree with everything he has done. But there would have been no A-League for the last 10 years, and likely not three successive World Cup finals campaigns for the Socceroos without his influence and decision-making.
He has given far more than he has taken away, and we have a vibrant and wonderfully competitive national competition to show for it.
A competition that the Melbourne Victory rule once more.
Josh
Guest
No other A League team will ever see Bulut
andyl12
Guest
"Soggy Sao" is a quite offensive term used in QLD to describe private school boys who play rugby union. If it is still in use then that might indicate QLD'ers are just as rednecky as the Melburnians that Paul describes.
Justin Mahon
Guest
We called it 'Cross Country Basketball' in NSW when I was growing up. I never even saw an AFL game on TV until I was an adult. The only news out of Melbourne back then was trams hitting things, Melbourne Cup, Kennett doing something stupid and the results of the AFL Grand Final....... now to the weather :-)
Justin Mahon
Guest
I was there. Within seconds of Frank's fall there were four green jumpsuit clad St John's staff with him. Players doing anything other than keeping out of the way would have been acting irresponsible. You need to see the full picture before your judge people. Any suggestion that the MVFC players took any enjoyment from Franks fall is outrageous.
Brick Tamland of the pants party
Guest
Yeah Kilkenny has fallen off the radar somewhat, you never know he could pull on the green and gold again in the future and performing in the championship would help his chances though he'd be a fair way down the pecking order as it stands. I still remember him playing a blinder against Man Utd for Leeds when they beat them in the FA cup a few years back, was running the show in midfield.
Ian
Guest
What's wrong with soggy sao andy? is it ok to call it aussie rules and afl or do we have to call it 'footy" or 'real footy'?
Rocco75
Guest
well said Josh.
wanderingkooka
Guest
Preston also have Neil Kilkenny. Been a good while since he last played for the national team though.
Paul
Guest
Not that often. People here seem to be alright with ARF, perhaps thanks to generations of southern migrants as well as the untold millions the AFL are pouring into the game up here, amazing what you can do with your money when you don't have to send representative teams of both genders across several age categories all over the world.
andyl12
Guest
Does the term "aerial ping pong" still get used in QLD? How about "soggy sao?"
cm
Guest
I really would like to know where the coverage is of the brawl after the footy on Friday night.
cm
Guest
Perhaps the Roar editors felt that when we have pretty much nothing occurring outside the ground that is whipped up into all sorts by the Melbourne press already, another article isn't really necessary. This is the way most sports are treated. That is, no harm done, nothing to see. Some sports even get the some harm done, nothing to see. What did you see Andy apart from headlines going nuts and police saying nothing happened but something might have happened if police hadn't been around? You know what's weird is that a similar march happened at last year's gf and yet the press didn't get all reactive like this. What's changed?
Bondy
Guest
Hope you didn't burn the snags Mo ...
josh
Guest
Of course you can get better comedy.... GWS Giants.
Bondy
Guest
Mr F Its disappointing the two cultures of footy cant be understood or at least explained correctly you know both of them and they're different ...
Nicholas Hartman
Roar Guru
I want to hear more about your barbecue
Bondy
Guest
Punter Neil Mitchell from radio 3AW has done a report on the violence at the Soccer " again " go and have a listen to him speak to the Chief of Police .
apaway
Roar Guru
Well, Andy, I heard the Victorian police praising the behaviour of supporters. There you go - reported.
Paul
Guest
What's funnier? A city claiming to be the sporting capital showing open hostility to the world's biggest sport. I'm a former Melbournian living in Queensland and it's amazing how much less hostility there is to the beautiful game up here compared to the "sporting capital". Melbournians should drop their pretentiousness and admit that when it comes to sport they are as tolerant as rednecks in Mississippi.
Paul
Guest
There were enough people coming to his aid. Crowding around someone in a situation like that is the worst thing you can do. It's not as if he fell at a bus stop with nobody else around.