Perhaps there’s some poetic justice in a former Sydney FC chief executive being forced to desperately hope for the Western Sydney Wanderers to qualify for this season’s Grand Final.
Six seasons after their last finals appearance, the Wanderers are finally back.
They got there with a swagger, after Marko Rudan’s side utterly dismantled Wellington Phoenix 4-0 in one of the most impressive displays of the season on Friday night.
They would have scored arguably the goal of the season too when Brandon Borrello’s side-footed effort was clawed away by Oli Sail after a passing move that had to be seen to be believed, but in the end it was academic as the Wanderers simply tore the visitors to shreds.
They were helped by a superb performance from teenage midfielder Aidan Simmons, with the former Sydney FC youngster capping off a memorable display by showing some serious composure to round Sail and finish a virtuoso solo goal on the break.
The Wanderers have done well from Sydney FC this season, nabbing the likes of Milos Ninkovic, Calem Nieuwenhof and Simmons, all while watching former Sky Blues captain Rudan mastermind a potential top-two finish as their crosstown rivals have struggled to nail down a top-six spot.
Marko Rudan has turned the Wanderers into a force in 2022/23.
There’s still a chance the first week of the finals could kick off with a Sydney derby, with positions two to six to be decided on what will be a gripping final weekend of the campaign.
Second place will be a straight shootout between Adelaide United and the Central Coast Mariners at what should be a sold-out Coopers Stadium, after the Reds needed a Nestory Irankunda equaliser nine minutes into stoppage time to record a 4-4 draw with Perth Glory in arguably the craziest game of the season on Sunday night.
Perth thought they’d given their slim finals hopes a huge boost when first Adam Zimarino and then Adam Taggart lashed home deep into stoppage time of a pulsating clash at HBF Park.
That was after the Reds had enjoyed plenty of good fortune to go 3-2 ahead late on in a see-sawing encounter, with Luka Jovanovic, Craig Goodwin and Ryan Kitto all benefiting from the bounce of the ball in what was a highly entertaining affair.
But after Taggart’s long-range piledriver looked like it had won the game for the Glory some six minutes into stoppage time, teenage substitute Irankunda barged through to arrow a shot across Cameron Cook and into the bottom corner.
The goal dealt a hammer blow to Glory’s finals chances, and they’ll to make up a two-goal deficit and hope Macarthur beat Wellington Phoenix comfortably next weekend to have any chance of sneaking into the top six.
The Reds were nowhere near the best against a Glory side fighting for their lives, but they’ll go into next Friday night’s blockbuster with the Mariners in a confident frame of mind.
That’s despite Central Coast coming from behind to down the Newcastle Jets 3-1 in a spiteful affair at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
Nick Montgomery’s young outfit have actually won more games than Adelaide United heading into their pivotal clash with the Reds, but they’ll have to contend with a fired-up Coopers Stadium crowd in their biggest game of the season.
That’s something the Australian Professional Leagues will hope is replicated across the finals series – but they’re not off to a promising start, with Sydney FC fan group The Cove announcing late last week they plan to boycott the finals.
Sydney FC fans at the SCG (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“For The Cove, the trust in those in charge has evaporated,” read just one line of a lengthy statement.
The possibility of a Sydney derby in the finals will no doubt test their resolve.
But in the meantime, APL chief executive and former Sydney FC supremo Danny Townsend must be secretly hoping the Wanderers battle their way through the finals to ward off the very real threat of the Grand Final taking place in front of tens of thousands of empty seats.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
That's because the msm shove NRL and AFL in our faces 24/7.
Denzo
Roar Rookie
I follow WSW but right behind the Cove on this one. They have got it right. If MC play Adelaide in final then both ends will be empty and the sides will be minimally attended. I hope even if we see WS2 v Sydney fc in EF there will be a boycott. We can punt DT and return to the normal top team hosting concept. My gut feeling is the RBB won’t boycott because six years is a long wait and also they must surely fancy their chances of going the distance. I think same for Yellow Army too.
Grem
Roar Rookie
The front three are coming good. Lolley and Mac are really gelling now.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
A wonderful moment for Australian and New Zealand football. A great bit of history uncovered recently. ‘Soccer’s Ashes’: How a suburban garage clean-out solved a 69-year Anzac mystery https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/soccer-s-ashes-how-a-suburban-garage-clean-out-solved-a-69-year-anzac-mystery-20230424-p5d2qq.html
Redondo
Roar Rookie
On their doorstep, a Football fan in Accrington has a smorgasbord of top football teams to distract them - Liverpool, Everton, ManU, Man City, Leeds etc etc. That's a far bigger temptation for a Football fan there than NRL or AFL should be for a Football fan here. And yet a good smattering of Accrington folk, many of whom probably follow Liverpool or Manu, still choose to go to Accrington Stanley games. I remain bemused.
338
Roar Rookie
https://fbe.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/the-roar-of-the-crowd-how-fans-create-electric-atmospheres2 Interesting - nothing that hasn't been discussed on here.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
All this is true and frustrating but frankly, I don't let it worry me too much - any more. The AFL and NRL have been ingrained over many generations and maintain massive media support. It is thus. What football doesn't need is negative media attention like the Christmas Melbourne Derby pitch invasion and the ugly scenes at the last Australia Cup final. That was a select group of football fans themselves shooting the wider football community in both feet. It made for great media footage didn't it :unhappy:
338
Roar Rookie
@Grem, re: my comment on Kruse. I know what you meant just taking my chance to have a swipe at Roars decision to chase aging injured players as a solution to their problems. 5 to go against Sydney and Joe Lolley has done his usual work and sunk the final nail in Brisbane’s season. He had been so good for Sydney.
mwm
Roar Pro
You can’t compare Britain to Australias football culture. Over there they have next to no competition for peoples hearts minds and wallets. Yes they have other sports but nothing even comes close to the popularity of football. We have two very strong domestic leagues that were established before football and have huge cultural cache that football finds hard to break through. Yes our immigrants started football clubs, but they also played and supported Australian Rules Football and Rugby League in equal measure.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Wrexham, playing in the 5th tier of English football, population 60,000, gets close to 10,000 at home games. The average attendance across all clubs in League One England is 10,000. Accrington has a population of just 40,000, yet its team - Accrington Stanley - still gets around 3,000 per match. My point is, huge numbers of UK Football fans support a local team by going to matches, as well as following a team or two in the big leagues. I don't really understand why its so different here. I'm guessing that Australian Football fans who don't bother with the A-League are suffering from a horrendous dose of cultural cringe. That is, the A-League is Australian so it can't be any good. I also detect a dose of that logic in the general public's reaction to our footballers. For example, Sam Kerr has excelled in Australia, the US, and now in the UK. She is without doubt one of the greatest women footballers ever. In terms of achievement, she's certainly our best ever, male or female. And yet, the coverage Kerr gets in the general press is bland to say the least. Sure, a couple of goals scores a headline, but a runner-up in the Ballon D'Or scores a resigned national shrug (not so good after all) as opposed to outrage at the judging panel. And, if Kerr fluffs a shot in a critical game at the upcoming World Cup, I can already imagine the nation shrugging its shoulders and concluding again that we're just not very good at Football (unlike some other little-played sports I won't name). Lord almighty, I am tired of listening to friends and relatives who dismissed our excellent performance at the recent World Cup with a string of 'yeah that only happened because..." comments.
Garry
Roar Rookie
otherwise GD with Perth wb Nix's issue
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
the club with a laundry list of indiscretions as large as the big 4's? let's see how they deal with the latest issue (i'd be surprised if tagliaferro keeps his job in today's day and age of 'sensitivity') especially given how many players with african heritage are at the mariners currently. last thing you want to do is fire up adelaide even more, before a massive final round clash
Grem
Roar Rookie
I recently did the same with a salesman at Rebel after we had a chat about their signage. They had a soccer section separate from a football section! Football is apparently the game you play with your hands!
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
If Brisbane hopefully drop points tonight then a draw against Macarthur will be enough to make the 6 and Macarthur's recent form is just as bad as ours
Grem
Roar Rookie
I’m talking about when he was good enough to be in the Bundesliga and Socceroos “fans” booed him. He’s past his peak now and injury prone. At this time of his career he is a handy bench player only - for the right price.
338
Roar Rookie
The back end of the season has been very entertaining across the league, the question is how to get bums on seats and eyes on TVs. I was chatting to the guy serving me at Aldi a few weeks back encouraging him to watch the WSW v Adelaide ....he was only into European football but I did my best to convince him the local game was worth investing in. I hope he did cos that match was a great advert for the A league
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The players union PFA have Brisbane Roar on high alert I am sure they know everything that goes on at Roar. In the NSL, Carlton players finished the season despite being owed most of their wages for the season, the PFA dipped their pockets into the money Fozzie extorted from Soccer Australia for the grand total of a weeks wages for them, and the club went bust, they then retrieved a portion of that money in 2006 due to Bresciano and Grella transfers. Just wait for the NSD the attention will be off Roar, because the PFA didnt engineer the downfall of Lowy for nothing, the NSD will find the PFA digging the claws into them non stop.
338
Roar Rookie
Well I wouldn't write the fans off completely but I know where you are coming from. A few of us didn't want Kruse at Roar and I reckon have been vindicated in our view - he hasn't played a useful minute since the club signed him.
338
Roar Rookie
Totally agree BT, the wanderers have become a much better team across the park in the second half of the season and commentators recently highlighted the output of goals in the second half of the season being almost double.
338
Roar Rookie
Agree teams generally tailor their playing style to the opposition. Sydney v Adelaide recently was a good example. Sydney just played keep the ball in the first half and frustrated the hell out of Adelaide. That to me was interesting to watch but I get Adelaide fans not liking their team not being able to get the ball.