A-League tipping Round 24 : Jets’ day of reckoning

Auckland FC couldn’t do it last week; can Newcastle dispatch Adelaide United and take a giant leap towards the Premiers’ plate? The simple formula is that we’re going to run out of games and the Jets will still be at the top of the ladder after round 26, providing they can match the results of the reigning premiers. What an opportunity for them this weekend, it’s in their hands, can they keep their grip on top spot?

Elsewhere, only Western Sydney Wanderers are guaranteed an early finish to the season and will be playing for pride in the Sydney derby at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night. The teams chasing a top-six finish are showing form at the right time, and those who have been clinging on to a finals berth will be looking over their shoulders and praying.

Will we see The Roar Sports back to life before the end of the season? The silence is deafening, and the value of the asset has diminished so much that there’ll be nothing worth fighting about soon. Can someone just swoop in and get this thing up and running again? Are there any sensible heads willing to shake hands and do the right thing? Tell us what’s happening!

In the meantime, please keep with us at our temporary home. Share the link on social media, take five seconds to enter your selections in the Google sheet and make sure The Crowd stays miles ahead of our so-called experts.

Stuart Thomas

Central Coast, Auckland, Newcastle, Western Sydney, City, Macarthur

Short and not-so-sweet this week. It looks like an easy week with the Mariners certain to topple to Roar on Friday night. Auckland still have eyes on the plate and should beat the Vuck on Saturday before the Jets claim it against the Reds in Newcastle a few hours later. 

Western Sydney will claim the Derby, Melbourne City are looking a little better and almost certain winners against the Phoenix on Sunday before the Bulls knock off the Glory to end the round on Sunday.

Andrew Prentice

Draw, Auckland, Newcastle, Sydney FC, Wellington, Perth

The APL, in their infinite wisdom, could have scheduled Mariners-Roar any time on the weekend but decided on Friday, ensuring that a) the Mariners get only two days rest, and b) the crowd will be way down given so many Mariners fans are commuters. Nice one, APL, top decision-making. The Mariners hung in but were ultimately off the pace against City on Tuesday. The Roar haven’t won since Methuselah was a rookie but know how to draw. That sounds like the right outcome.

Auckland declined an invitation from the Jets to draw within a point of top spot last week. Back at home in one of the games of the round against a Victory side who underestimated the new-found resilience of the other NZ team last week, the Black Knights need to arrest their scatological form and win. Francis De Vries is a big loss but they retain a formidable attacking firepower. Despite Victory’s assets, Auckland to win at home.

Even when the Jets lose, they entertain. They somehow conspired to lose to Macarthur and now face a fellow thrill-a-minute side in the Reds. It will be a giant step towards the Premiers Plate if they nab three points here. I’m wondering if Zach Clough is ready for a prominent role against his former club. There will be goals and thrills and a lot of Mark Milligan fist pumps when the Jets get up.

The Wanderers are the only club to be mathematically ruled out of finals contention in this crazy league. A shame, considering it’s derby night. But let’s be honest, the Wanderers are already on the beach, a mess of a season washing out with the high tide. They’ll raise their game against a similarly out-of-sorts Sky Blues with the bizarre storyline that their former coach will be the opponent’s next coach. Hard for either set of fans to wrap their heads around that. FC to win.

City have looked impressive since dropping out of the ACL. And for no other reason except there’s always an odd result in the A League, I’m backing Wellington to continue the most unlikely finals run since, well, Melbourne City or the Mariners. It’s the vibe…and City might be tired.

Speaking of vibes…Macarthur have gone from imposters to contenders in the last three weeks. But c’mon…they’re harder to pick than ripe mangoes in Tasmania. Perth are like the pottery scene in the movie Ghost – they appear to be well-formed and ready to rise to the occasion but become distracted (though not by Patrick Swayze) and collapse at inopportune times. If they can be more Demi and less Patrick this week, they’ll keep their faint finals hopes flickering. 

Texi Smith

Central Coast, Auckland, Adelaide, Sydney, City, Macarthur

After storming back to claim a draw against Perth Glory on Saturday, the defeat in Melbourne was a fizzer for Central Coast Mariners, and their season now looks unsalvageable. Mathematically, Friday night’s visitors Brisbane Roar can also still make the finals, and without the threat of an Australia Cup play-off berth for the bottom four, there will be literally nothing to play for if they lose in Gosford tonight. Cue an unlikely A-League classic, James Sabit recalled and firing in an early opener for the home team. Justin Vidic equalises before half-time and Henry Hore has the Roar in the lead just after the break as the tiny crowd braces for another poor result. Up steps Ali Auglah with a sensational brace to turn the game back in the Mariners’ favour and keep the flame burning with two rounds to play.

Auckland FC are feeling the heat coming into the closing stages of the season; after watching Newcastle lose last Thursday night, they couldn’t get the win they needed to close the gap and instead picked up a hatful of yellow cards in a fiery draw in Adelaide. There are no margins left now, they must win, and with Juan Mata sitting this one out after surgery, this will be a tough assignment for Melbourne Victory. The pressure will start mounting after half-time has been and gone with no goals, the crowd at Mount Smart will be restless until Guillermo May thunders home the opening goal; the cork has been popped and Auckland put their evil foes to the sword in a devastating finish to the contest.

The Box Office Jets have their destiny in their hands. If there’s a team that’s going to spoil any party, it’s Adelaide United, and after they dented Auckland’s surge over Easter, there’s more work to be done at McDonald Jones Stadium in the early evening blockbuster. Newcastle’s wobble has coincided with Auckland’s but if they can negotiate this fixture in front of a bumper crowd at their warm and welcoming home, they can edge that bit closer to their dream. However, what we see this evening is a disjointed performance, the Reds proving to be more regimented and hard to break down, and when Ryan White wins a 50/50 challenge in midfield, the ball ricochets to Yaya Dukuly and his cool finish silences the raucous home fans in the ultimate smash-and-grab. Man of the match Joshua Gerardus Petrus Wilhelmus Smits picks up another yellow card but just cannot be beaten.

The only losers out of Saturday night’s Sydney derby can be Sydney FC. They have so much to lose, whereas the beleaguered Western Sydney Wanderers can coast all the way to the wooden spoon without a care in the world. Ufuk Talay will be in the stands to watch his old and new clubs do battle, his future charges under the watchful eye of Gary Van Egmond with a few words ringing in his ear, and a rare full-house at CommBank Stadium (in the sokkah anyway) roars the Wanderers on in a one-sided first half. Alex Gersbach fires them into the lead, and Steven Ugarkovic hits the post as the home side threaten to run away with it, but the second half sees Patrick Kisnorbo make deft tweaks to the workmanlike team and the introduction of Piero Quispe is pivotal as he wins a penalty and then scores the second in front of the bank of visiting fans to give Sydney FC the shot in the arm that they need in their fight for finals football.

So, did Wellington Phoenix stay in Melbourne for the week? Following their late winner in their conquest of Victory, they return to AAMI Park for a match up with form team City. It is such a surprise to see the other sky blues rampaging back into finals contention, and with this one being a do-or-die clash for the visitors, there is a lot on the line; such a shame this fixture is tucked away on Sunday afternoon. This is a proper cup tie, Daniel Arzani revels in the space as Wellington push for the all-important goal, and for all of the hustling and bustling of Ifeanyi Eze and Corban Piper up front for the visitors, it’s a swift counter-attack from City that unlocks the door to the finals, Arzani’s instant cross-field ball into the path of Andrew Nabbout allowing a clear run on goal and a delightful chip to score the only goal of the game.

What a way to round off a key weekend of A-League football. Melbourne City will be thinking they’ve done about enough to secure their spot in the finals, but Macarthur FC are here to keep them guessing until the final day. Beating the top two teams in successive games has brought the Bulls back into the conversation, although a trip to Perth Glory is never an easy assignment. The Dad’s Army midfield of Macarthur purrs like a stealthy jaguar, and despite an early barrage of Perth attacks, the visitors look solid. Mitch Duke is left all alone to open the scoring just before half time, and Chris Ikonomidis gets reward for his endeavour with a diving header in the second half to seal the points. The A-League remains poised with two games left. Anything can happen. Do not look away.

Here’s what everyone tipped this round. It’s a mixed bag. The Crowd are playing the part of Arsenal FC very well. I’d love it… love it if we beat them :

Tip along here. Seven clicks and you’re done. Do it…

As always, keep your comments coming. It’s fun, pretending to be back at The Roar. We’re getting good numbers hitting the article every week, let’s enjoy the rest of the season!