Opinion
It was another wild weekend in the A-League, with super Saturday’s four matches particularly providing plenty of drama to get stuck into, and then an incredible 4-4 stalemate in South Australia to finish off the round.
Here are your A-League Round 17 talking points.
Well, well, well. The best was definitely saved for last this weekend after Adelaide United and Western Sydney played out a crazy 4-4 draw in the City of Churches earlier today.
With both sides coming from behind and then being pegged back, Carl Veart and Marko Rudan would each have reasons to look at it as two points dropped, with the Western Sydney boss surely more likely to be glad his side managed to escape from Coopers Stadium with something.
However, since the FIFA World Cup break it’s now just two wins in 11 outings for Rudan’s side. They’re still entrenched in the top four, but sides like Wellington Phoenix and Sydney have gained plenty of ground, and if they fail to defeat Macarthur at CommBank Stadium on Saturday, the Wanderers could drop out of the finals places altogether.
In a season of lows for this Melbourne Victory squad, Saturday night’s win over rivals Melbourne City was undoubtedly the highest point. Goals from Josh Brilliante, Damien Da Silva and Bruno Fornaroli gave their side an important three points as Victory climbed off the bottom of the A-League ladder.
Despite conceding three goals and ending up on the losing side, Tom Glover was excellent between the sticks for City. Targeted by a subsection of Victory fans at AAMI Park – with chants this time, thankfully – the gloveman stood up tall after being at the centre of the incident that forced December’s Derby to be postponed.
The fallout from that fateful day was still obvious, with tarps placed around active support sections and some clearly staying away from a match that has, unfortunately, earned a pretty poor reputation among more casual football supporters – and perhaps even the more diehard fans. But a night that ended without violence will hopefully be the beginning of a new era.
Outplayed for large portions, it was a resilient effort from Tony Popovic’s side who’ve been missing that trait for most of this campaign.
(Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)
And they might well need it again in the next two weeks, when they host Adelaide United in The Original Rivalry, then head north to Allianz Stadium for a Big Blue that could be crucial to both sides’ finals hopes.
High temperatures were expected in Sydney on Saturday, but I’m not sure how many people had “game twice delayed by lightning” on their bingo card for the Jets’ visit to Campbelltown Stadium.
The call from head office to delay kick-off by an hour to 6pm backfired spectacularly after a huge storm rolled into the Harbour City, forcing referee Stephen Lucas to send the two sides back to the sheds after just 14 minutes of play with the visitors leading 1-0. Play was initially suspended for 95 minutes before resuming, but just 12 minutes later more lightning led to another delay.
In total, play was disrupted for more than two hours, begging the question: should the call have been made to postpone the game? Of course the delays affected both teams the same, but I wouldn’t blame the Bulls if they feel aggrieved at dropping three points in these circumstances when they’re fighting to save their season.
The Apple Isle has long been speculated as a prime candidate for A-League expansion. If we’re claiming the competition is truly national, should we not have clubs in each state and territory? We know expansion is back on the table, with the big brains at the APL targeting a 16-team league by the start of the 2025-26 season.
There’s been chatter around social media claiming that if they want a club, more than 2690 Tassie football fans should be heading out to University of Tasmania Stadium. But that’s for a game not even involving their own side. It’s more than Macarthur have got to some games at Campbelltown Stadium.
Last month, more than 5000 went through the gates at North Hobart Oval for Western United vs Sydney FC. That number dwarfs both the Bulls’ and Western United’s average crowd in their home states.
Let me just clarify: without an agreement for a new rectangular ground either in Hobart or Launceston in place, any bid coming from Tassie is absolutely doomed to fail, there’s no doubt about that. We can’t have another travelling sideshow visiting random oval stadiums – nothing could be worse.
But if we are accepting the existence of the two latest expansions clubs, who reside in the country’s two most populous states yet still fail to attract more than a few thousands fans to each game, I can’t see why the good people of Tasmania do not deserve a football team to call their own.
Even the CEO agrees with me: “There is a big enough football community in Tasmania to support an A-League team,” Danny Townsend said recently.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Arsenal fans were outraged that Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson got off scot-free for this challenge in the Gunners' 5-0 win.
Kai Havertz has scored twice against his former team and Ben White also got a brace as Arsenal brushed aside a dismal Chelsea side…
Goalkeeper Jamie Young: 2-1 win for Melbourne City against Western Sydney Wanderers. Full game played, seven saves, 29/47 passing. Young had a very strong…
Central Coast Mariners' star striker Angel Torres has been stood down from playing in the A-League Men after he was charged with sexual assault. …
There are few more positive, hopeful and less cynical of the game of football in Australia than me. At times, it can be a…
The FA Cup. Football’s oldest competition. Once viewed as the pinnacle of football in England. The magic of the cup. Where did it all…
