It’s an all-too-familiar scenario for A-League fans and football-loving neutrals.
There are three rounds left and not much to play for.
Perth Glory has the premiership in the bag after an outstanding season, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC are jostling for second place – with the former striking a surely decisive blow at the SCG on Saturday night – and fourth through to six are simply looking to keep the Newcastle Jets at bay.
This website has been flooded with articles about promotion and relegation but not even a relegation battle would salvage much interest in the Central Coast Mariners’ campaign, such is the distance between them and the Brisbane Roar.
It also speaks volumes for the failure of equalisation that every year we seem to see such a disparity between the best and the rest – even if the teams which comprise ‘the best’ is subject to some change.
It was similar last campaign, when Sydney ran away with the premiership while Wellington Phoenix and the Mariners lagged behind.
While they are not the purist’s favourite method of deciding the best team, it is for this reason that we do need to be thankful for the finals.
In a competition which so often proves stale and predictable once the first nine rounds are done and dusted, the finals are a beacon of excitement.
The chance for a surprise upset with meaningful consequences, for a champion to rise from nowhere, and for some of the best drama.
On paper, Perth looks far and away the most likely champions.
Tony Popovic’s side has been far and away the strongest team and the best performers, but a loss and two draws from their last four games shows that even a team which that lost two games all season has no room for complacency come May.
Tony Popovic (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Now, Popovic must toe the line between pushing his players back into winning form and nurturing their fitness levels to ensure the likes of Chris Ikonomidis, Diego Castro and Andy Keogh are fit and healthy.
Of course, the Glory will be hoping their match against Sydney FC is not moved to the SCG.
Not that Melbourne Victory could escape that fate.
Whether or not the disastrous surface was to blame for Terry Antonis’ knee injury, the surface was not fit for a fixture, and Kevin Muscat absolutely nailed his assessment of the whole situation in his post-match press conference.
My Sunday league team plays on a better surface than what two of the best teams in the country were forced to play on at the weekend.
The loss of Antonis will be heavily felt by a Victory side that has consistently struggled with injuries. But, despite the weekend’s result, Muscat still has a winning formula in a squad that includes the mercurial talents of Keisuke Honda and Ola Toivonen.
Victory’s Big Blue conquerers are the other side with the potential to spoil Perth’s dreams.
It has not always clicked for Steve Corica in his first year in charge, but there remains the remnants of a championship winning team within his impressive collection of players.
Wellington looks the most likely to cause an upset out of the remaining three teams.
Mark Rudan has done a sensational job in his maiden A-League campaign as a head coach and he has serious title-winning credentials as a player.
Adelaide United and Melbourne City seem to be merely making up the numbers, but both can present a credible threat in any given game.
We still have three more rounds to go before the sweet release of finals gives us some much-needed compelling matches and stories to follow.
It is a terrible thing to be wishing away three weeks of football, but with no compelling narrative to end the season it is hard to deny that the lead up to the playoffs feels like a drag.
Here’s hoping the finals series can provide a crescendo and finish worthy of the great game.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Enjoyment.
Samuel Jonis
Guest
Full of AFL fans who have other priorities during ALeague finals time
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
JB, your comments are coming unbecoming of you.
Beach
Roar Rookie
Let's just hope that this is an off season full of positive action
jbinnie
Guest
Lionheart - I wouldn't know the Chairman of Roar if I met him face to face tomorrow so don't know where you've picked up your latest "pearl of wisdom". Mind you I wouldn't mind meeting him so that he could answer the many questions that I could ask him. See you are still hoping for a "super coach", don't you think Roar need some players as well? Cheers jb.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Optimistic look at Phoenix methinks. Maybe take the game to Auckland for a bigger crowd?
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Hey... there are plenty of us in the easy who are very happy with the performance of PG. But I do recall being at that last grand final and in those days the PG support was greater than what was essentially a home team!
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
You got 40k in the Melbourne Derby earlier this year.
anon
Roar Pro
It doesn't help the A-League that it runs second fiddle to the BBL from December to February, second fiddle to AFLW from February to March, then third fiddle to AFL and NRL from March onwards.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
JB, Waz and the RSF are doing a pretty good job keeping Roar supporters informed. Presently they're in contact with the Chairman re the coaching appointment. They've steered us through a couple of ill-informed media reports lately. What needs to be done? We need a decent coach.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - This comment floats around a subject close to my heart,and I suspect yours, but fails to even start to cross the bridges that exist between Roar having a side worthy of the club's history (on the field), and where they are at ,at the moment. As you say,the evidence has been around since Round 8 (many would disagree with that time) and yet there still does not appear to be steps being taken to cure the overall malaise that surely is behind this unprecedented "fall from grace". Instead, we have witnessed departure after departure of players, coaches, and others from the club, not to mention almost half of the regular crowds, and yet the powers behind the club apparently refuse to act. The TV pundits have almost reached the stage where they don't even mention Roar in their summaries,but like pundits worldwide they only go so far in their silence,not one mention of how things could be drastically reversed. I would like to read your thoughts on that matter for you obviously have inroads into the workings of the club,so ,what needs to be done????. Cheers jb.
chris
Guest
Punter why do you engage this pest?
Kozzie
Roar Rookie
Perhaps Glory need more aggressive Assistant Coaches to intimidate the match officials??
Nemesis
Guest
ALeague currently has teams in: Newcastle, NSW Gosford, NSW We have a team that is based in a different country Wellington, NZL Next season ALeague will have a team that will play home matches out of Geelong, Victoria Ballarat, Victoria Thanks for your interest.
Paul D
Roar Guru
At least the AFL still has a team on the Gold Coast. Does the A League have a team in Geelong? What's sad is your long running jealous rants on this site Fussy
Waz
Roar Rookie
They need to get pricing right for the elimination finals. Fans have had enough of it.
Nemesis
Guest
You're kidding about the crowds in the Finals. Apart from the Grand Final, ALeague fans have virtually abandoned finals. Last season, Semi Final: Syd vs MVFC had a crowd of 17.8k at SFC's real home stadium. It's delusional to suggest 22-27k for a match at ANZ Stadium. If there's a Melb Derby in the Elimination Final we might get over 30k fans, but 40k is an unreasonable expectation. If the Elimination Final is vs AUFC or NIX it will be at AAMI Park. But, last season's Elimination Final vs MVFC's biggest rival AUFC pulled a crowd of 15.5k albeit on a Sunday. But, this gives a real idea of how Finals are of limited interest - at least to MVFC fans.
Nemesis
Guest
Punter, that's extraordinary to see how non-competitive the AFL is outside the big cities - 29 years, only 3 successes outside the big cities? Sad.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
"and 1 for a near miss". Near miss? That is being overly generous Waz, those outer goal posts are far from near. But hey, this is football and we love the Roar. My disappointment, other than the coach, has been the fallout in The Den. Similar fallouts in active supporter groups have occurred across the League at different times so we're not unique, but I'd like to think it's a cleansing of active support at Roar, and they'll be back bigger and better. Only time will tell of course. We need to get our whole crowd chants sorted at Roar, and spread the love the Den (hopefully) can bring. Sydney do it, well from what I can see and on big grounds. But yes, as nice a person as he seemed and for all the good work he did around the club, his coaching' had a massive deflationary affect in Brisbane.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
Finals: 1st Elimination Final: Victory vs City (48k-packed) Marvel 2nd Elimination Final: Phoenix vs Reds (25k -30k) Westpac 1st Semi-Final: Sydney vs Victory (22k to 27k) ANZ 2nd Semi-Final: Glory vs Reds (Packed) HBF Grand Final: Glory vs Sydney (Packed) Optus