The Premiers’ Plate is heading to Perth and a grand final at Optus Stadium would be the biggest thing since the Glory beat Sydney Olympic at Subiaco Oval in 2003.
No one is stopping Perth Glory now.
Their hugely impressive 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory meant Tony Popovic’s team not only passed their biggest test of the season with flying colours, it also moved them seven points clear of second-placed Victory at the top of the table.
More importantly, it sent a clear message in the sort of fixture Victory have typically won more often than not in the past.
For the majority of the more than 25,000 fans in attendance who created a pulsating atmosphere at a buzzing AAMI Park, this finishing second business will take some getting used to.
But there’s no way either Victory or an inconsistent Sydney FC will reel in the Glory from here.
How good are Sunday afternoon Victory games? They’re the closest thing the A-League has got to a European-style matchday experience.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
And Jarred Gillett is the closest thing the A-League has got to a European referee.
Whisper it quietly around those for whom every defeat is the fault of the referee, but the A-League is going to miss Gillett when he jets off to England to further his academic career and, with any luck, become a Championship referee.
He’s by far the most level-headed official around, and Australia’s loss is clearly England’s gain as the best whistle-blower we’ve got gets set to leave our shores.
His decision to penalise Corey Brown for handball just before the hour mark? Spot on, in my opinion.
Victory fans will argue that Brown’s handling of Neil Kilkenny’s flick wasn’t deliberate, but Brown simultaneously thrust his arm out at the same time Kilkenny played the ball and in doing so prevented Diego Castro any chance of running onto the pass.
Even the second point of contact impeded the Glory, since Brown effectively batted the ball behind him with his trailing arm.
It was one of those decisions that’s open to interpretation, but as harsh as it might have been on Victory it would have been harsher still on the visitors who had just seen a goal-scoring opportunity denied.
Lawrence Thomas was still good enough to almost save the penalty, and how different might the complexion of the game have been had he kept out Kilkenny’s spot-kick?
But if Glory were lucky to score their first, then their second was a reminder of why they’re favourites to take home the title.
Chris Ikonomidis has been one of the signings of the season, and despite the fact that his cross to Diego Castro came at an awkward height, the Spaniard is simply too good a player to have failed to connect with his acrobatic volley.
Chris Ikonomidis (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)
That Kosta Barbarouses drilled home a reply to set up a grandstand finish was the least Victory deserved, but the hosts clearly missed the cut and thrust of beanpole striker Ola Toivonen.
There’s simply no stopping Glory now. With nine games still to play, they’ve got the premiership sewn up.
And the rest of the league will have to play catch up, including a Sydney FC team whose pedestrian display in their 2-1 defeat to Brisbane Roar on Friday night should have alarm bells ringing.
The Sky Blues were in complete control until Danny De Silva went off, after which Brisbane Roar bossed the remaining quarter of an hour.
And despite the small crowd on hand, the noise when Dylan Wenzel-Halls smashed home that unstoppable piledriver to win the game was immense.
It was a reminder that for all the A-League’s problems, there are still plenty of people who care.
They should start making some travel plans to hit the west coast of Australia, because Perth Glory will be hosting finals football once again.
Matthew
Roar Rookie
They wouldnt fill Optus for a GF.
josh
Guest
You needed a guy from Western Sydney to get you to where you are now, don't ever forget that.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The real reason Perth have gone so well this year is losing Taggart. Taggart and Keogh were a terrible combination, and Taggarts low work rate put them further into the bottom. Taggarts low work rate with the current formation would be even worse. The back three I question, on the good side it gives Davidson the freedom to get forward, on the bad side their center halves are not very mobile to cover wide areas. The best feature of it its like NZ at the 2010 world cup, their slow and old midfielders dont have to cover for fullbacks because they have the back three, otherwise a fullback goes forward and you dont want a Kilkeeny, or a Elliot or Vicelich having to go across to cover for them because they are so slow. NZ had the slow guy Nelson in the middle and two faster center backs in Reid and Smith on the flanks. Perth haven;t got that though, they all are big slow center backs especially Djublic. You saw that against Victory when they lost the back tracking and covering ability of Chianese , MV dominated them for the final part of the game. Kilkenny has been getting up the field and he does he have the full passing range, though he hasn;t got the speed or any dribbling ability. that dink was actually perfectly placed so that Chianese would have run onto the ball facing the goal rather than Castro, and then Castro could then have gone back to the center for a tap in.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
I'll be at the last 4. How about you?
Waz
Roar Rookie
I haven’t got the numbers but believe we’ve been averaging 2,500 at Lions Stadium
AusSokkah
Guest
There are still many Glory fans who have been burnt a few too many times in the past and are yet to return, and I completely understand their reluctance. There have just been too many false dawns over the years. Substandard football, awful signings (i'd list them but we'd be here all day), the wilderness years of FFA ownership and under-funded, terrible managers, salary cap scandals. Even the relatively successful years under Kenny were masked over the poor off field culture, bad strength and conditioning and reality that we were a defence first team that relied on the brilliance of Castro and Keogh. The game against Victory is the first game since the NSL era where they have truly impressed me in a game against top quality opposition. I expect that with many distractions of Christmas, School Holidays and BBL over that it will hopefully see a strong last few home games attendances leading into the finals.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
Catch us if you can, Catch us if you cannnnnnnnnnnn. We're seven points clear, Catch us if you can.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
Yep. This morning was like the first time I saw something about the Glory on mainstream TV.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
Serious? It would be a big let down if we don't fill out Optus for the final. (If we get there)
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Our Roar ladies have had great crowds all year Waz. Credit to the Roar Corps.
Waz
Roar Rookie
I recon SFC might set a record next weekend but they must avoid doing a double header if possible.
AGO74
Guest
Great to see. I went to a Sydney FC vs WSW regular season match at Seymour Shaw Park last year. It was well promoted with local football community and as a result you had almost 3,000 in attendance - great match, some quality goals with the crowd into it.
coolncold
Roar Rookie
Ah... Grand Finale is FFA's match not Glory's match. By rule, Glory has a home match but still it is FFA to decide in which stadium to play.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Biggest standalone W-League crowds: 6025 SYD-MC 2018 grand final 4591 PG-MC 2017 grand final 4554 BRI-CU 2009 grand final 4271 BRI-SYD semi final 2019 4206 MC-SYD 2016 GF so yesterday’s game at Dolphin was the biggest standalone crowd excluding GFs (but still more than several GFs)
coolncold
Roar Rookie
!
coolncold
Roar Rookie
Popovich, as usual, adopts a rotation policy. Players are quite different in different matches. Not sure about he fits the players into different formations or with different players, under the rotation policy, the formation changes to adapt. Up to R5, he plays 3-4-3 but changed to 5-4-1 in the match vs Phoenix, R6. Then, in the next round, R7, the formation returned to 3-4-3 but Keogh was a right winger. After that, the formation returned to 3-4-3 but there were different players. But in R16, the formation changed to 4-4-2-diamond in the match vs Newcastle Jets. There is no record about the lining up of R17. However, as for R18, the formation has changed to 3-4-3 again. Therefore, in general, Popovich likes to play 3-4-3 in this season. So, Darren Davies should know how to take advantage on the weakness of a 3-4-3 formation. Don't want to go into details and make public as that may inform Brisbane Roar's opponents.
Baggio
Guest
Glory have all ready booked optus tentatively for the grand final. They will sell it out. Wa is very parochial (and we cant have a football gf here in any other football code), like Adelaide did, who were getting similar crowds the season they won. Glory will lose homeground advantage but will gain a 12th man. Think big picture, you might even convert some of theatre goers to regulars.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Although there were changes, there is still a stark contrast between Lowe and Poppa, especially in defensive setup. All the attacking potential was (and still is) there, Perth just now are harder to break down with a usual six-player defensive line and zonal crowding on set-pieces/corners. Lowe at times had a very cavalier defensive shape, as in ‘score more than we let in’. I think Poppa’s time will come, especially if he has a few successful seasons behind him when the national team gig becomes available. Hard to see Perth crashing and burning now, and enhancing not slashing the team in the off-season should help with this. Interestingly Lowe is now assistant coach of the national team. Football is a small world.
pete4
Guest
Adelaide got 50k to the GF by moving it a couple season back. Its FFA decision anyway and move they will
a
Roar Rookie
They will lose to the Roar this weekend