After the most bizarre of waits, where the APL decided it would be a terrific idea to have a lay weekend prior to the 2022-23 A-League decider, we are finally ready for the biggest football match on Australia’s domestic calendar.
Melbourne City have been the class of the field in Australian football for some time, winning trophies left, right and centre and hope to claim a second championship in three seasons with a win this Saturday.
Their opponents, Central Coast Mariners, have the hearts and sentiments of the rest of the football nation with them, seeking a second A-League championship and channelling a rare David versus Goliath moment in Australian sport.
Everyone bar the City faithful want the Mariners to pull off the most remarkable of victories and based on current form, they are a serious hope of doing so at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
The Roar of the Crowd has held sway again this season and all credit to them. Yours truly was whacking away well before a late-season stumble, Texi Smith and Andrew Prentice kept me honest along the way, whilst Mike Tuckerman and Blayne Treadgold struggled throughout and need a recalibration in the off-season.
Thanks for all your reads and engagement throughout the course of the season and be sure to enter your tip for the decider in the sheet below to have a say as the triumphant voice of the people. Here is the way the panel sees all the action unfolding in what looms as a cracking A-League Grand Final.
Mike Tuckerman
Central Coast
The week off won’t have done either of these two sides any favours, but it’s the Mariners who are arguably carrying more momentum into this grand final.
They’ll be backed by the majority of the support inside Commbank Stadium, and they won’t fear a Melbourne City side that they lost narrowly to and then drew with, during the premiership campaign.
City are stacked with game-winners and have plenty of big-match experience of their own. But I have a feeling Nick Montgomery will out-motivate Rado Vidosic and propel his underdog Mariners outfit to a famous victory in front of thousands of Central Coast fans.
Stuart Thomas
Central Coast
If there is any goodness or justice remaining in the world, the big fella upstairs will deliver an A-League championship to the Central Coast Mariners this Saturday night.
My goodness they have been entertaining throughout the season and the Coasties have played a brand a football for which they should be praised from the highest mountain.
Coach Nick Montgomery has proven that his plans and attributes as a manager could well have him in the running for higher honours and his focus on opportunity and youth has held the team together when under pressure, even considering the loss of Garang Kuol that appeared to create a mighty challenging hole to fill at the club.
Mariners coach Nick Montgomery. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
If the Mariners handle the occasion and bring their frantic press for which they are known, the trophy should be heading up the M1 for a Sunday celebration the likes football has not seen for some time. Any stage fright and a quick start from the premiers will see such a party placed in jeopardy.
I’ll be backing the honourable horse in this one and hoping the little engine that could finally claims a second A-League championship.
Blayne Treadgold
TBC
Andrew Prentice
Central Coast
Can the Mariners complete one of the best sports comeback stories of the last decade or more? A club that lay broken and dishevelled following an 8-2 loss to Wellington less than five years ago, now sits within one game of being crowned A-League champions.
If Central Coast play with the same speed, intensity and attacking zest as they did in the two games against Adelaide, they most certainly can.
Their attacking combination of Marco Tulio, Jason Cummings and Sam Silvera is on a par with (albeit in a different formation) Melbourne City’s Marco Tilio, Jamie McLaren and Mathew Leckie. The engine rooms match up well, although Aiden O’Neill’s outstanding form marks him as a potential game-changer for City.
Marco Tilio could well be Melbourne City’s match winner. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
It seems CommBank Stadium will be a sea of blue and yellow on Saturday night. If the Mariners fans can recreate the amazing atmosphere that 20,059 produced last week in Gosford, they may be the 12th player that helps Nick Montgomery’s charges write the final chapter to a sporting fairytale that looked as unlikely as a politician’s kept promise not that long ago.
Texi Smith
Central Coast
The A-League festival of football concludes on Saturday with a fire-cracker of a fixture between premiers Melbourne City and second-placed Central Coast Mariners.
The scene is set for an evening of intrigue in Parramatta. The field will be littered with Socceroos talent, but tonight will belong to Christian Theoharous, who turned in a sensational cameo last weekend in the semi-final against Adelaide United.
The first 70 minutes will go as expected, the raucous Mariners fans roaring on their team while all they can do is counter-attack against the Rolls-Royce Melbourne City midfield.
Once Valon Berisha has struck from distance to give City a lead, the introduction of Theoharous will see the “away” team crank up the pressure until Beni N’Kololo is left free to head home an equaliser with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
As all the fans are looking forward to extra time and more entertainment, it will be our hero who unlocks the City defence, Aiden O’Neill scything down the tricky winger for a free kick right on the edge.
With the clock ticking past full-time, Josh Nisbet will unfurl a training-ground routine and Jason Cummings will tap home from a yard out in front of the huge bank of Mariners fans to win the game and the championship.
| Grand Final | Mike | Stuart | Blayne | Andrew | Texi | The Crowd |
| MCY vs CCM | CCM | CCM | TBC | CCM | CCM | ? |
| Last week | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| New total | 53 | 67 | 56 | 66 | 64 | 75 |
As always, get involved as part of The Crowd and take on The Roar‘s expert tipsters using the form below.
JoshW
Roar Rookie
So it's ok to take cheap shots at WSW but not ok to point it out? Good to know.
Gabe F
Roar Rookie
wasn't great
mrl
Roar Rookie
This is a no-brainer. The best performing team with no backing…or the rich fu..wits.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Plenty of supporters coming up from Melbourne and the club put on a special, expenses paid flight for some lucky fans. Enjoy the action :thumbup:
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The only places in the stadium with a lot of tickets left, is the Category A closest to the City end, the City supporters bay, and the Category C next to the City supporters. Do you know how to use the ticket app even.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Hopefully some original insults from you next season. I'm getting a bit tired of seeing the same old thing...
Gabe F
Roar Rookie
Im from Newcastle but im a City Fan. Going to the game buy it appears ill be the only one in our support group ????
Stevo
Roar Rookie
For people going to the game it’d be great to your thoughts on pre-match ‘festival of football’ entertainment and other goings on.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Well done to Arnold again - Circati has committed to Australia. A promising young centre back who has played with Italy’s youth teams. He has already picked up Robertson, will he get Volpato next? There’s been a massive amount of young players being brought into the squad. Interesting that Zadkovic has resigned from the Perth coaching position. He seemed to have done a great job.,
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
II thinks its too close to call with, if it was Faghani I would favour City, and if it was Evans you could lock them in. Its not Adel vs CCm where you know the result this is on a knifes edge.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Who knows Grem, such a despicable thing to do, if true. This would mean that if he did what would he demand if Australian Football editorials were to be shown on Network 9... There must be a Government TV network communication clause somewhere that can be acted upon under these circumstances, surely!
Grem
Roar Rookie
They may be calling it tonight. I think I heard that while listening to The Global Game.
Grem
Roar Rookie
And Simon Hill’s spot - The Global Game - I believe has finished until next season.
Grem
Roar Rookie
You wouldn’t put that past him, though, would you?
Grem
Roar Rookie
Can’t disagree, that is true. So who will win tonight and why?
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
One would hope that at least the Sydney version would dedicate some air time to the grand final.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
"Vlandys when Channel 9 put a few extra rugby unions promos despite them having 5 min long rugby league segments on some channels and constant ads on rugby league he rang them up to complain and stopped their extra promos for rugby union ." BT - do you have any proof of this? What a despicable act!
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Vlandys has no bargaining chip the rights are sold, he doesn't own 9 and rugby union as its on Stan which is owned by 9 should actually be higher priority than Rugby league on Foxtel. Same goes for Champions league I saw an ad for the Champions leagues final on 9 which was longer than the A-league grand final promo. Paramount owns 100% of Channel 10 , it also owns a small percentage of the APL. Vlandys can have a fit and nothing will happen, Paramount have complete control of Channel 10.
c
Roar Rookie
i listen to sports radio mainly sen and apart from simon hills spot its about 97 % oval ball game ( afl or nrl depending in which part of australia you reside ) including with the grand final being on :football:
Grem
Roar Rookie
I understand what you’re saying, but I believe this is the best we’ve ever had. As a young person I never had any idea about football teams or games as it was completely invisible. I never had or saw a local jersey being worn around school, shopping, etc. It still isn’t where it should be, but if we weren’t on 1O we’d be completely invisible again. I would love to see Townsend apply more pressure, and I hate to admit this, but Vlandys has more of a bargaining chip than we do. We do have children watching the game on tv, which we didn’t have years ago. I see children at school wearing football jerseys in greater numbers than NRL jerseys. It’s a start. Hopefully it grows. By the way BT – who do you think will win tonight and why? And, with most writers I can see who they support or lean towards – do you have a preferred A Leagues or NPL team?