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Opinion
Match Week 22 has delivered in spades thus far. Two matches remain, with Brisbane Roar looking to secure a top six spot when they take on a potentially lackadaisical City, and Western Sydney and Wellington Phoenix meet in what looks a do or die affair for both.
The most highly-paid people in Australian football right now should be the A-League script writers, who once again came up with a host of astonishing, unjust and emotional scenarios for everyone to enjoy over the weekend.
Sadly, it was more the unjust and controversial elements that appear to have caught the attention of most A-League fans and not some of the other moments that were far more important and compelling.
Much was made of the rather frustrating and unconvincing involvement of the VAR in City’s win over the Mariners at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Frankly, the system once again proved to be just as fallible as the dark old days when the person with the whistle made the call unassisted.
(Albert Perez/Getty Images)
I’d tipped a draw, knowing that the Mariners would throw everything they had at City in an attempt to delay their coronation as premiers, while also realising Central Coast’s own position in the top six still required some reassurance.
The match played out in exactly that manner and, despite a 59th-minute Craig Noone goal, there was little in it throughout much of the contest.
Central Coast should have equalised, bar another bizarre decision that now seems to occur on a daily basis in world football.
The details do not require another retelling here, but Alen Stajcic and his team deserve a full investigation into the processes and thinking behind the decision that was made.
Yet, in true Australian football spirit, the moment appeared to somewhat outshine the first of what will be many Premier’s Plates won by Melbourne City. Patrick Kisnorbo and his team have been nothing but superb from the moment the opening whistle sounded in their season opener on December 29th.
Sure, they have lost here or there. However, 15 wins from 23 games and a goal difference of +29 streaks the A-League field.
Similarly, season long references to poor attendances have been constant and taken some of the gloss away from much of the positivity we have seen on the pitch.
Despite many of us expecting such a downturn, as football took on winter codes head-to-head and mid-week matches became the norm, those looking at a glass half-empty have ensured the unrivalled ability of Australian football fans to moan and doom say remains well and truly intact.
Elsewhere over the weekend, fans in New South Wales whinged and whined about the venue that was chosen for what could prove to be the final Sydney Derby of the season. The Sydney Cricket Ground hosted the fixture, 17,121 fans trundled through the gates and the contest came across a treat on television.
Sydney FC fans at the SCG (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Still, social media lit up, with many disgusted at the decision to hold such a crucial game in what was constantly referred to as a “cricket field”.
I must admit to never having entertained the thought, fully aware that 2020-21 A-League matches have been played at venues owned by the AFL, some traditionally used for NRL play and other stadiums not necessarily football-specific in their design or use.
Fans of all codes have gripes with venues with which they deem to be unsatisfactory.
On Sunday, I was more transfixed by a gripping affair, the noisy fans and cognisant of the fact that many Sydney FC people were probably appreciative of the return to their old stomping ground in the east of Sydney.
I hope people engaged in all the VAR aggression, those insistent on critiquing crowd figures and the Sydney folk bemoaning the sacred turf of the SCG hosting a football match, also took time out to appreciate what took place soon after in Perth.
In a tightly fought match that saw the visitors restore parity after Perth took an early lead in challenging conditions, Glory and Macarthur could not be separated, despite all the best efforts of Diego Castro.
The-soon-to-be 39-year-old produced an opening half-hour masterclass, in what many believe will be his final home match for the Glory.
His first-half display was vintage and seemingly motivated by the knowledge he had that it would probably be the last time he would produce it in front of the fans who have fallen in love with him in the west over the last six seasons.
Castro’s first-half penalty looked likely to become the fitting farewell he deserved, yet the plucky Bulls picked up yet another point to keep themselves, for now, securely in the top six.
Sunday’s events came off the back of the astonishing crowd of 24,105 that welcomed the Phoenix home and spurred them to a dynamic 3-0 victory over a completely outclassed Western United.
The attendance showed exactly what the A-League is capable of becoming, the vast untapped support still to be accessed and the important role the game in New Zealand will play in growing the league in the future.
Okay, the VAR still drives us mad, a lack of football-specific venues continues to create disappointment and attendances have been down this season, yet the ability of many to focus on such areas and seemingly miss others, does little service to the league or the greater cause of football in Australia.
Don’t panic.
We will be playing the A-League in summer again very soon, the crowds will be back and never forget that the SCG Trust run tours where unconvinced fans can learn more about the famous venue.