When Nestory Irankunda fired a last-gasp free-kick straight into the wall, Perth Glory coach Alen Stajcic could be forgiven for thinking he had another eye-catching victory sewn up.
I had an illuminating phone chat with Stajcic before the season kicked off in which he discussed his plans for the season, the strengths of his squad, and the sort of football Glory needed to play to get fans back through the gates at HBF Park.
Then I plugged my voice recorder into my laptop and realised none of it had recorded.
My bad, Alen!
I told their unfailingly helpful media manager Gareth Morgan I’d simply wait for the Glory to really stick it to a big-name opponent before I wrote a column about how much I genuinely enjoy watching Perth stick it to big-name opponents.
In which case, last week would have been the time.
Glory went into Friday night’s clash with rivals Adelaide United unbeaten in three and with a 4-2 thrashing of Melbourne City under their belt.
And they would have made it two huge wins from two in a pulsating clash at Coopers Stadium when they went into the last kick of the game holding onto a 3-2 lead and with goalkeeper Oli Sail having just saved a Stefan Mauk penalty.
But this is football, of course, and the Reds were having none of it – as teenage defender Panagiotis Kikianis popped up in just his second game to steer home the last-second corner earned after Irankunda’s free-kick deflected off the wall.
Was Kikianis’ re-directed effort definitively over the goal line? How could anyone tell?
But while a stony-faced Stajcic looked like he was about to spontaneously combust on the touchline, it set up one of the craziest weekends of A-League action we’ve witnessed in years.
Wellington Phoenix’s 2-0 win over cellar dwellers Western United was routine enough, but Macarthur’s 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park sent ‘Sokkah Twitter’ into meltdown.
The shot count alone ended up at 29 to six in Victory’s favour, yet somehow Tony Popovic’s team came out as the losing side against a Bulls outfit that have spent the entire campaign winding everyone else up.
But that wasn’t even the most remarkable result on what was a dismal day for the Melbourne sides, as Brisbane Roar raced out to a 4-0 half-time lead against an utterly shellshocked Melbourne City.
I was at Suncorp Stadium and the 5-1 full-time scoreline somehow flattered City, with new Roar coach Ruben Zadkovich’s side at times looking more like Brazil circa 1970 than the battered rabble we’ve come to expect.
It would have been even worse for City had Keegan Jelacic not somehow conspired to miss an open goal – it wasn’t even the worst miss of the weekend – while there was even time for Zadkovich to introduce former City man Florin Berenguer to strut imperiously around the midfield and essentially cock a Gallic snook at his former employer.
Zadkovich brings an intensity to the Roar we haven’t seen since the days of, well, Ross Aloisi. Expect more upsets from the team in orange before the season is out.
Not to be outdone, Ufuk Talay played two up top for Sydney FC and watched his team race out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes against the in-form Central Coast Mariners in Gosford – and that still wasn’t the biggest talking point.
Pat Wood had his body shape all wrong when he tried to side-foot into an unguarded net, but you’ll still never see a worse miss all season.
There was somehow time for Western Sydney Wanderers to play out another insane 3-3 draw with the Newcastle Jets at Commbank Stadium on Sunday, as the hosts finished with nine men and the red-hot Apostolos Stamatelopoulos bagged another brace for the visitors.
With 25 goals in just six games of football, it was – to put it mildly – a truly bonkers weekend of football.
And the best part about it?
Next weekend Ruben Zadkovich takes his Brisbane Roar side across the Nullarbor to face former employer Perth Glory at HBF Park.
I’ll be watching… popcorn at the ready. You should be too.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Nice to see a bit of discussion on this one. Hopefully we see another cracking round of football next weekend.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
they've balanced the books, probably the first time in Roar's recent history, and they don't have any outstanding or unpaid bills. That's a good step.
Garry
Roar Rookie
I was offered a spot in the pre match group for the City game - still debating as it means going earlier for starters ! If anyone has done it let me know if its worthwhile!!
chris1
Roar Rookie
Spot on. I get inundated with SFC emails EVERY day. So not sure why a link to their minutes in an email is so hard to do.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Looking at it, it is a fairly tough run home so it'll be well deserved if they can get there...
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Totally. It's fan engagement at the least and positive news amongst a sea of negativity from our media sources.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Yep. Additional timeslots, additional new markets, additional TV rights.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Good points...
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Absolutely. If a game is bad, then it is a good thing you didn’t sit through 2 hours of it. If it was excellent, can watch back as a mini or highlights anyway. I think this “footprint” should be a focus to scheduling. If there is 8 games a week soon, bring it down to no more than 10 hours a week, but ideally 6-8. 6-8 hours of dramatic AL football per week is enough, especially if reducing this footprint means less games in the heat. Sunday can be a wrap up show that airs at 11am (or whenever really) that is then available on demand afterwards. This show should take in both ALM and ALW (and can include ad breaks if it must).
Garry
Roar Rookie
love the segue!..saw this RNZ headline The Truth is Out there "So, in that very spirit, the Wellington Phoenix might be on course to accomplish something far more unbelievable than alien invasions, shapeshifting mutants or Rhys Darby's were-lizard. Is it time to believe that the Phoenix might finally win an A-League title?"
Garry
Roar Rookie
strange I'm the same re Sydney :happy:
Waz
Roar Rookie
Yeah, same as well although I prefer Roar Men/Women not to overlap
Waz
Roar Rookie
It is. We would all want it bigger and better but if we’re starting in the right direction two years in a row then that’ll do.
Garry
Roar Rookie
“Wyndham City Council announced on Tuesday that work on the Regional Football Facility in Tarneit is now complete, with Western United to move in and begin preparations for the first home matches.” “The Liberty A-League Women home fixture against Newcastle Jets on Sunday 17 March is earmarked for the opening match, followed closely by NPL Victoria and Isuzu UTE A-League Men games.” “The venue features a 800-seat grandstand, with a 2,000-seat temporary grandstand to be constructed for A-League matches, boosting its capacity to 5,000.”
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
This has always been an issue for Bne. But I would think there is no money for that type of advertising. I would also suggest (based on the new revelations coming out of the APL shenanigans at the moment) that what little money the Roar have, they would be spending it on advertising directly to fans that are already interested or have been in the past ie social media. Most of APL's big issues revolve around the fact that they neglected the football fans they had and wasted money trying to convince (very poorly) others to come. It is far cheaper to keep a client then to land a new one. I reckon Kaz and Zac are still prioritising just keeping the lights on. As they should be this season.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Bad reputations are hard to shake. It will take time and more than one good season to bring everyone back. If the current trend is going up, when prior to covid it was going down, then that is a good sign.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
I think Jelicic and Hore's movement is creating space now for Tommy. I would hate to be a CB trying to keep track of those two boys. If you added Rojas to that pair, all CB's are going to be chasing their tails leaving young Tommy plenty of space to hammer home a few winners.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Just imagine the concerts they could schedule in a stadium like that!
Garry
Roar Rookie
Because we SHOULDNT have to go to the website. I. like many others. mainly see no reason to go to the website during the season. Usually any relevant news is sent via email OR available via news sites. You advised me earlier that I should be reading the site regularly – NONSENSE ! why? As you pointed out the FRG info was planted on the website May 2023 but as far as I can tell was never advised by email – this is wrong! It was/is important news that shouldve been conveyed to members directly. Im certain the majority of members are like me. only visit the website as and when required. I get the feeling its all being done as quietly/secretly as possible. As Waz says we need open and visible details not something you have to go hunting for. ps 7 of the 8 members seem suitable but I wouldve liked a vote NOT selection by Sydney FC,
Garry
Roar Rookie
I enjoy the same but include womens matches...usually have what Im more interested in on the tv with other games on the pc. :happy: