A-League tipping Round 26 : Unfinished business

How typical that Newcastle Jets got to celebrate their A-League premiership plate on a day when they didn’t play, and how their arch-rivals the Central Coast Mariners must feel having handed them the title and then following it up by joining in the celebrations this weekend at McDonald Jones Stadium in the F3 derby. The top six is decided, but the Asian Champions League spot(s) are not, nor is the configuration of the upcoming finals. This is where the excitement comes for the final round, so get amongst it and get along to an A-League game this weekend.

Thank you for stopping by at The Roar’s A-League tips and predictions at its temporary home. Always a pleasure to have you here! The Crowd will soon be crowned as the rightful winners of the tipping competition, and it is thanks to you that the expert tipsters have been floundering behind. Keep reading to see what they think after weighing up this final round of the regular season.

Stuart Thomas

Macarthur, Newcastle, Victory, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide

It is something of a dud of a final round of tipping for the current season, with the top six decided and just positions to fight for at the top of the ladder. 

Macarthur and Wellington are out and the Bulls will at least end the campaign on the right note. The Jets are focused, whilst the Mariners are ready for a trip away. The result seems certain in the Hunter. Melbourne Victory could finish as high as third and must beat the Wanderers well to do so. They will. 

Perth Glory and Brisbane means nothing, and let’s face it, both have been a little disappointing after promising more earlier in the season. Perth to end things well and start yet another reboot to their roster. Sydney FC and Auckland is the blockbuster and the home side will win but not do enough to move past the visitors.

The final match of the round is the pick of the bunch in my view. City could fall to as low as sixth and the Reds can jump to second with a win and if things play out well for them. The visitors with three points and the Auckland v Sydney match to decide second as a result.

Andrew Prentice

Wellington, Newcastle, Victory, Perth, Sydney, City

Given the way the table was shaping just a few weeks ago, it’s a letdown that the main issues are resolved before the last round starts (a bit like skipping the post-coital cigarette in a noir film). There are however, some significant issues to settle within the top six. None of them will be on show in the Friday night dead rubber at Campbelltown, where the home team will be rueing a form dip some weeks back that resembled the Young Ones bus going over the cliff in the last episode. Wellington have looked a different side since their coaching change and should beat the dispirited home team.

Once again, the TV powers-that-be have reamed proper football fans by not having this match in the prime slot. Sure, there’s nothing to play for, but it’s an F3 derby and a chance for the Jets to celebrate a historic Premiers Plate triumph. They have looked a team under pressure in recent weeks and maybe with the pressure valve relieved (courtesy of their opponents on Saturday), they’ll return to their swashbuckling best. The Mariners won’t be whipping boys though. With everything the club overcomes, they are never to be written off. The Jets in a party.

Instead, the horrendous Wanderers get their umpteenth prime time slot for the visit of the Victory, who could rise as high as 4^th (with a lucrative home final as reward) if they beat the wooden spooners as expected. It’s no lie to say the A League needs a healthy, well-supported Wanderers, who so lit up the league over a decade ago that it seemed nothing would stand in the way of them becoming a mighty force. Perhaps the preparations for a revival have begun, but I can’t see it being enough to upset Victory on Saturday.

Perth are unbeaten in four. The Roar are winless in twelve. There’s nothing to suggest either of these streaks will change, except for the glimmer of Brisbane hope that their last win was at this venue against the Glory in January. Josh Risdon hangs ’em up after a stellar career – this should be motivation enough for a Perth win.

In a perfect world, THIS would be the game of the round, but Allianz Stadium hosts the traditional ANZAC Day NRL match on Saturday afternoon, so Sydney-Auckland is a Sunday game on a surface that will have been chewed up by rugby league less than 24 hours previously. Given the way Patrick Kisnorbo has set up the Sky Blues, this could suit them. Auckland blew a chance at the top spot with a loss to the Mariners and it might be a wholly unsatisfying homecoming for former FC coach Steve Corica. Another loss will see them tumble from a coveted top two position if Sydney win by 3 goals (or if Sydney and Adelaide both win) The 3 goals seems unlikely given a paucity of Sky Blue goals of late, but a win is on the cards for the home side.

That result would give Adelaide a boost before they take on City in the last game of the round. However, the reigning champions have found their form and will be looking to secure a home final after looking more likely to secure an ignominious lower table spot not long ago. Marcus Younis has become the most sought-after asset in A League fantasy teams in the last month, scoring for fun and running amok against opposition defences. Defence hasn’t been the Reds foundation stone this season and it might be the difference between the two sides as the curtain comes down on the home and away rounds.

Texi Smith

Macarthur, Newcastle, Western Sydney, Perth, Sydney, City

What an underwhelming way to start the final round; the spectre of the Darwin play-off roulette is no longer a thing, finishing 7^th or 9^th makes absolutely no difference and we were just fortunate this season that the wooden spoon and finals spots took so long to be decided. Macarthur could and should have got something in Adelaide last week, while Wellington Phoenix confirmed Wanderers’ unwanted prize in Christchurch. Without the suspended Alex Rufer, Wellington are all at sea in the first half in Campbelltown here, in front of a meagre crowd, Anthony Caceres with an early goal. When Phoenix are reduced to ten on the hour, there is only one winner, Harry Sawyer’s towering header in the dying stages putting some gloss on a tough watch in Sydney’s South West. The season is over for both of these teams and all the early-season promise never really looked like lasting the distance.

Denied the joy of winning the premiership on a game day, Newcastle Jets entertain Central Coast Mariners for a party at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Mariners did the job in Auckland, could they do it again against their old foes and neighbours and spoil the celebrations for the Asian Champions League elect. With finals football coming up, Newcastle will be keen to go into their enforced break with a win, and to extend their lead at the top to make it look like they did it easy. That first goal against Victory was how far offside in the build-up? An expectant home crowd grows impatient as the Mariners continually catch the Jets on the break, the game remaining goalless at half time but with plenty of action. The Mariners pour forward as the gaps start to appear, but it’s that man Ben Gibson who finds himself all alone in the box and fires home under Andrew Redmayne for the winning goal. Cue the celebrations.

Anzac Day at CommBank Stadium, Melbourne Victory are the only ones tonight who are up for the battle. Hosts Western Sydney Wanderers are a club in total disarray, as demonstrated by their fan forum earlier in the week, and the players have done nothing to suggest that things will change between now and next season. Ryan Fraser must be wondering what he walked into in Parramatta, scoring valuable goals early on and making it all look easy, but watching as it all crumbled around him in a team that is not even bang average. Tonight’s visitors have it all to play for in the quest for a home elimination final, but it somehow all goes wrong and Wanderers come up with one of those unlikely results as Bozhidar Kraev scores twice in the first half. The second half is as exciting a game as Wanderers have been part of this season, Victory drawing level late on only for Brandon Borrello to poke in the winner with the last kick of the game. A-League, eh?

Perth Glory take on Brisbane Roar at HBF Park on Saturday night. The early-season promise from the Roar gave way to a non-stop slide down the ladder, while Perth Glory took a while to get started, had us entertained for a brief period around Christmas and then fell away badly in the latter stages. A club that has such passionate fans, boasts a quality attack and has a maverick head coach deserves more and for long periods of this game, they look the goods without delivering anything resembling a shot on goal. That all changes when Seb Despotovski shows great skill on the edge of the box to tee up Jaiden Kucharski for a tap in. Brisbane go on the attack, giving this a real knock-out feel, but when they waste their golden chance from the penalty spot, Perth go on to score twice more to seal the game in the dying stages. A great advert for A-League football, the perfect scoreline to attract fans back next year, and Brisbane play the role of fall guy to perfection.

The equation is simple at Allianz Stadium. A Sydney win will guarantee them a home elimination final. Anything else after that is an absolute bonus. The Anzac Day pomp and ceremony is a distraction as the players are forced off the field early in their warm-ups. Auckland FC are a wounded animal, ready to fight to the death to secure that second-place finish now that the premiership is out of reach. Their capitulation against the Central Coast Mariners was surprising and the buzz surrounding the club following their win in Newcastle in March has now completely disappeared. Sydney FC are yet to deliver the football that their attacking talent suggests, and their position in the A-League ladder has felt completely false all season. Time to deliver. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos scores in the opening minutes, Piero Quispe bamboozles his defender to fire in a second, and Sydney are looking on course for second spot. A wobble after half-time is nipped in the bud with some astute substitutions, and further goals from Paddy Wood and Jordan Courtney-Perkins send Steve Corica on his way with the label of one-season wonders firmly planted on their backs.

Saving the best til last, Melbourne City entertain Adelaide United in a shoot-out for a home elimination final. Four wins on the bounce for the home team and a two-month unbeaten run for the visitors suggests a world of entertainment for the AAMI Park crowd today, and they are treated to a fast, open game of exciting football to bring the regular season to a close. Ryan White has been a sensation for United, and it’s his tackle that sees the ball pop out to Yaya Dukuly to thrash home the opening goal on the half-hour. Aziz Behich squares things up just before half-time and City step up the pace in the second half, Zane Schrieber with a curling shot to take the lead, and Andreas Kuen with a marauding third. There’s time for Marcus Younis to further embellish his reputation with a fourth as Adelaide go all out. A breathtaking, swashbuckling end to the A-League season as City overtake the Reds and tee up a replay of this very game next week back at Melbourne’s premier rectangular stadium.

Look at the tipping scoreboard – it’s all change behind the leaders. The Crowd’s lead is safe, and with only a round’s worth of games in the finals, the people’s voice surely wins again. Let’s see who’s the best of the rest though :

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