Opinion
Only a late Victory goal could have made my tipping results any better last round.
Four of my five selections proved correct and a woeful 30 per cent success rate leapt ten percentage points in just one weekend of action.
That should increase even further as Tuckerman, Nicholls and Williamson start to choke on the dust I intend leaving them in, as I career into the distance.
Just four A-League matches will be played this weekend and aside from Sydney looking sure things at home, it looms as a tough weekend to tip correctly.
Be sure to enter your tips into the sheet below and have a say as they all important and interactive voice of the crowd.
It is a voice that sits equal top the leader board with Mr Nicholls at this point, with the writer close behind. Enjoy the weekend of football and good luck with your tips.
Mike Tuckerman (Mike’s alter ego in Canada)
Greetings from the snowy lands of Canada! Before I get to my tips I’d like to take a moment to assure you all that I took this opportunity very seriously and did all of the research and statistical analysis that you’ve come to expect from my doppelgänger.
That research absolutely did not include googling “what is the A-League?” or “what is a tipping comp?”
Central Coast, United, Brisbane, Victory
Central Coast has a Scotsman named Ziggy? Awesome! As everyone knows, Scotland created football. Look for the Z-Man to dazzle with his fancy footwork en route to a decisive Mariners victory. (Obviously it helps to have never seen the Mariners play. Look out for at least one right back to have a blinder – Aussie Mike Tuckerman).
Years ago I had a FIFA game on PlayStation 2 and the custom kit I created looked just like Western United’s, complete with random triangles and spikes. Talk about a sign from above!
With jerseys that sharp, there’s no way they’re ever going to lose. (Hard to argue with such fashionable logic from the Great White North – AMT).
Connor Chapman of Western United (Photo by Martin Keep/Getty Images)
Can anyone stop the unprecedented offensive onslaught of the mighty Brisbane Roar? Short answer: no. Look for a big game from Max Crocombe. Don’t be surprised to see his name on the scoresheet several times. (Murky waters now. Do goaltenders ever score in the NHL? My tips are cooked, aren’t they? – AMT).
And finally, the big game: Melbourne versus.. wait, didn’t I already see this team? Two Melbournes, eh? And two Sydneys?
Does an eleven team league really need to be doubling-up on cities? But I digress. I’ll tell you what – we’ll flip a Canadian two dollar coin, which we call a toonie. Polar bear is Melbourne, Queen Elizabeth is Sydney. Polar bear it is. (I picked a bad week to do this. Curse you, toonie!)
For more of the Canadian Mike Tuckerman’s thoughts on the A-League, hit him up on Twitter.
Stuart Thomas
Draw, Sydney, United, City
How on earth do I follow that?
Four points from the first four matches of 2019-20 is a fair result for Alen Stajcic. If the next win comes within a fortnight, the jury will indeed be convinced that the Mariners are back and competitive again.
All the talk is around San Silvera and should the connections between he, Tommy Oar and Daniel De Silva continue to improve, the wins will flow more regularly. Not here though, draw.
Ernie Merrick has had an unusual week of drama, with language and culture the hot topics after a tense draw with the Glory in the Hunter last weekend.
Ernie ‘George is getting upset’ Merrick (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
Western United continued on their merry way with their third win of the season and should comfortably deal with the Jets in Geelong.
A cracking crowd at Dolphin Stadium is on the cards when the Roar take on Melbourne City. Aside from their FFA Cup loss to Adelaide, City have hardly missed beat, sit top and look the best of the A-League class right now.
Fowler needs a win, a few goals and City have allowed just five thus far. Combine that with the Roar’s lone goal for the season and a City win is a logical conclusion to draw.
Sydney FC will triumph in the Big Blue this Saturday night at Kogarah. Victory finally showed glimpses late in the piece against Wellington, yet Ola Toivonen appears to be playing a lone hand far too often.
Paul Nicholls
Central Coast, United, Draw, Sydney
Only four games this week? We used to complain about one team having a bye, now we have three. Go figure.
Central Coast Mariners have been a tomato and barbecue sauce team for too long. In Serbian midfielder, Milan Duric, they might have just found some sweet chilli.
He’s an import with a real x-factor and the fact that he’s under-appreciated means he fits right in to Alen Stajcic’s team of grafters, misfits and journeymen.
Adelaide have one of the competition’s form players in Riley McGree and the Mariners will need to watch him closely.
In the familiar surrounds of palm trees and sauce bottles I think the Mariners can win.
Last week Western United had their best performance of the year in beating the Wanderers. They are currently second on the table, which is an incredible feat for a new club. Kudos to Mark Rudan for doing a great job so far.
Newcastle played some good football in the first half against Perth but look a little thin up front. Ernie Merrick’s Jets have responded to last week’s refereeing controversy by attending Spanish language classes during the week. Western United by tres goles a cero.
Statistics-wise, Brisbane Roar are boredom central. They have the unusual record of scoring and conceding the fewest goals in the league.
They face a tough task against league leaders Melbourne City but playing at a packed Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe gives them a distinct advantage. Brisbane can get a draw here, and going on form it should be 0-0.
Melbourne Victory have some serious manpower shortages for their match against Sydney FC at Kogarah. With as many as seven regular players out, coach Marco Kurz has asked Fox Sports analysts Kevin Muscat and Archie Thompson to bring their gear just in case.
The game has been moved to Sunday to suit Sydney’s returning international players. Kurz claims Sydney has received favourable treatment. What a preposterous idea! Next thing you’ll be telling me the Earth ain’t flat. Sydney by two.
Tom Williamson
Adelaide, United, City, Sydney
Last round was deflating for me, with all results other than Melbourne City’s win, going pear shaped. With four games this round the turnaround won’t happen overnight, literally.
Last week the Mariners were comprehensively outplayed by City, and it was a testament to just how strong Melbourne are this season, the Mariners aren’t at all bad, and as they showed against Perth, have great potential to push for the top 6.
However, Adelaide are going to cruise to an away win here, 2-0
Saturday night’s game sees Western United in another prime time spot, hosting Newcastle in what will be a superbly one-sided contest. The cushioning of United’s fixture infuriates me, if they get less than 5k attendance for the second week in a row, the green and black is going to start looking rotten from the outside.
Poor crowd aside, it should be another win for the new boys, 3-1.
Brisbane are playing the most boring football in the league, with only one goal scored so far this season, they are looking congested and flat under Robbie Fowler.
City on the flip side, are flying high. Three points clear atop the table, with Jamie Maclaren still set to return, it’s a good time to be wearing the City Blue.
Whether this side can travel well is a totally different story, with an abysmal record in Brisbane in recent seasons. This will prove a real test for Mombaerts’ men, a test that they’ll pass with aplomb.
Jamie Maclaren of Melbourne City is set to return. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)
City to romp the Roar, 3-0.
The round ends with perhaps the most anticipated fixture of the season, the Big Blue. And what a great backstory we’ve got for this game, Kosta Barbarouses, shedding Melbourne’s navy blue for Sydney’s sky blue and the fallout of the 6-1 semi-final catastrophe. It’s going to be fiery to say the least.
Victory have been playing sub-par football, and have been struggling to put 45 minutes of consistency together, let alone a full game. Sydney are being their typical Sydney selves and pressing for the top of the table. They’ll win this one, Kosta will score, and celebrate.
Sydney 2-1.
| Round 6 | Mike | Stuart | Paul | Tom | The Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCM vs ADL | CCM | Draw | CCM | ADL | ADL |
| WUN vs NEW | WUN | WUN | WUN | WUN | WUN |
| BRI vs MCY | BRI | MCY | Draw | MCY | MCY |
| SYD vs MVC | MVC | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| Last week | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Previous total | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| New Total | 9 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 11 |
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