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Grand finals always take centre stage in the Australian sporting landscape, with all national competitions holding one.
A finals series is always necessary to maintain the public interest as the season goes on.
The A-League appears not to be an exception; however it is indeed a unique situation in Australian sport. No other sport has the possibility for teams to play in three different competitions simultaneously, and for all three competitions to hold some form of prestige.
No other sport could possibly work in Australia without a grand final. In the AFL there would be only one result that would matter, who finishes on top.
The A-League has the ability not to hold a grand final as there is more than first position up for grabs with ACL qualification.
However the stage is set up with the top six spots qualifying for finals, meaning the race for fifth and sixth position holding some merit.
With no finals series this would not be the case. Teams who are well adrift from the top have no interest in their results, as there is no threat of relegation, they have nothing to fight for.
At the current time, only four teams actually have realistic chances of winning the league, therefore in the theoretical situation of no final series, six teams would be playing for nothing but pride.
Perth’s current run of form is declared important as it legitimately changes the landscape of the finals series.
If there were no finals, there would be no reason to watch the Glory apart from the fact they are winning games without real meaning.
The A-League has the most exciting battle in its history for the premier’s plate. Four teams are separated by one point, and it would take a brave man to pick a favourite to win.
The interest in these four teams would swell up significantly if the battle for the top was the be all and end all.
The A-League doesn’t need a grand final this year. We had the biggest game of the season last night, there is genuine excitement for all involved.
I can’t help but think of the 2013-14 Premier League title race, and especially the two Anfield matches: Vincent Kompany’s slice to put the title in Liverpool’s hands, and then Steven Gerrard’s slip to take it away.
The great thing about this season is we have something as potentially exciting; it is just a shame that the title race this year is not the deciding aspect.
But what do you think Roarers, should the A-League continue the finals series to maintain general interest every season, or should it be scrapped to allow such magic to truly flourish?
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