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2012/13 A-League Grand Final
Western Sydney vs Central Coast Mariners
Sunday 21st April. 4:00pm AEST
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney.
Referee: Peter Green.
Broadcast: Live on Fox Sports 1/1HD and ABC Radio and ABC Grandstand Digital.

How they got there – Western Sydney

Western Sydney defeated Brisbane Roar 2-0 in last week’s semi final encounter, thanks to goals from Dino Kresinger and marquee player Shinji Ono. In doing so, Western Sydney ensured that the Grand Final would be hosted in Sydney, against the winner of the Central Coast vs Melbourne Victory semi final. Despite the Wanderers earning hosting rights for the game, the Grand Final will be played at Allianz Stadium due to Parramatta Stadium’s small capacity.

How they got there – Central Coast

Central Coast held off Melbourne Victory 1-0 on Sunday afternoon, with a first half goal to golden boot winner Daniel McBreen enough to ensure the Mariners qualified for the Grand Final.

The statistical breakdown

Head to Head: Western Sydney 1 win, Central Coast … Continue Reading

2012/13 A-League Semi Final
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Sunday 14th April. 5:00pm AEST
Venue: Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Referee: Strebre Delovski
Broadcast: Live on Fox Sports 2/2HD

How they got there – Central Coast

Central Coast finished 2nd on the A-League table, and earned themselves both a week off in the opening week of the finals, as well as a home semi final this week.

How they got there – Melbourne

Melbourne came back late against Perth Glory last week at Etihad Stadium, eventually running out 2-1 winners after extra time. As they were the higher ranked winning team in week 1 of the finals, they booked a date with the Mariners, who finished in 2nd place during the A-League regular season.

The statistical breakdown

Head to Head: Central Coast 8 wins, Melbourne Victory 9 wins, 7 draws.
Head to Head (Previous 5): Central Coast 1 wins, Melbourne Victory 2 wins, 2 draws.
At Bluetongue Stadium: Central Coast 5 wins, Melbourne Victory 5 wins, 2 draws.
This season: Central Coast 1 … Continue Reading

When the Hyundai A-League first launched, fans chastised the FFA for the shortsightedness of setting squad sizes at just a paltry 20 players within the salary cap. What was lauded however was the U-23 rule, in which three players under the age of 23 in the squad had to be signed on to a professional contract.

When you consider that with a starting line-up of 11 on the field and 4 on the bench, that left you with 5 possible replacements for any injured players. If none of your U-23′s were in the matchday squad, you had three out of five of your possible replacements being young players champing at the bit to be given a start.

But with the implementation of the National Youth League, extended 23 man squads and rules that allow for injury replacement players to come in from both Australia and overseas, unless your manager has a youth-oriented policy, the U-23 requirement becomes irrelevant in … Continue Reading

The transfer window has created some major buzz by A-League standards, with some players using this opportunity to change clubs within the league itself. But what has created the most controversy is the decision of Central Coast to allow three of their young players (Tom Rogic, Mat Ryan and Bernie Ibini-Isei) to go out on trial during the transfer window.

All three have been key players for Graham Arnold and his coaching staff this season. Sure, the Mariners are still reeling from their fade-outs of the last two seasons, and I can understand fans feeling apprehension towards the proposed moves, but the Mariners are a great team and I think the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages in this case.

Australia rightly or wrongly follow the American method when it comes to crowning our sporting champions, with a playoff/grand final used to determine the winner of every competition played on Australian soil. Forget rewarding the most consistent team for a … Continue Reading

Love him or hate him, Graham Arnold is a highly respected manager in the A-League. Working on a limited budget, Arnold has delivered in spades for the loyal Mariners fans. The bitter ending to last season will burn deep with those involved, and should inspire those who have joined the list this season.

Last year, the team had an uncanny knack of walking away with the three points when not being the best team on the day, but that is the sign of a champion team. Unfortunately, I think 2012/13 could be a long season for the boys from Central Coast, with other teams out-recruiting them over the off season.

PREDICTION: 7th, a massive fall from grace for last year’s premiers. The ACL could also have a negative impact on their domestic results like it did last year.

BEST FINISH: Premiers in 2007/08 and 2011/12.

THE SIGNING: Nick Montgomery appears to be a smart signing for Central Coast. With over 350 games of experience with English club … Continue Reading

Position: 1st
(knocked out of the finals by Perth 1-1 (5-3 on penalties))

Change in position from 2010/11: ↑ 1

Win-draw-loss record: 15-6-6
(40 goals scored, 24 goals conceded)

Highest goalscorer: Bernie Ibini-Isei, Matt Simon and Patrick Zwaanswijk (7)

Average attendance: 9,505

2011/12 was another fruitful and successful season for the Central Coast Mariners, going on to win their second premiership plate in club history. Behind the guidance of coach Graham Arnold, the Mariners were just as good as they were in 2010/11, going one step further and beating out Brisbane Roar in a tight race for top spot on the standings table.

Coming into this season, Arnold had retained the core of the team that heartbreakingly lost in a thrilling grand final the previous season. The defensive trio of Ryan, Wilkinson and Zwaasnwijk were back, as were the two full backs Rose and Bojic. A few new players were brought in to strengthen the squad, with Bernie Ibini being promoted from the youth team, Adriano Pellegrino being … Continue Reading

The latest installment of advertising for the Hyundai A-League promotes the fan-based culture on a level that should strike a chord with any supporter that follows their team and attends their games on a semi-regular to regular basis.

The chill down the spine as you enter the ground, that sudden burst of adrenaline as the thousands around you jump at a near miss, the devastating weight on those hearts as the opposition scores – these feelings are what make football the sport we know and love, and those feelings are only further eccentuated when the ground that you enter is your own.

Further magnify that with the knockout pressure of finals football, and you have the unique end-season atmosphere that is so paralleled with A-League history, and it’s no wonder that finals games over the years have sold out like hot cakes.

Simply put, Australians, like Americans with their playoffs and conferences, love their finals football with the concept being utilised in all … Continue Reading

When the full details of the Mustafa Amini-Central Coast-Borussia Dortmund deal were fleshed out in the media last week, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, the structure of the transfer that the Mariners and Dortmund agreed on was nothing short of brilliant. But it begs the question – have young Australian players been moving to European clubs from the local leagues in the ‘wrong’ way?

I should elaborate – it’s not that I don’t want our best talent to play their football overseas, as the ultimate aim is developing them to a good enough level to play for the national team. And the last thing A-League clubs want to be doing is projecting a negative image about their willingness to help their players realise their own individual European footballing dreams.

But it seems over the last few years, many young players have been leaving Australia prematurely.

Now, I should say that this isn’t always the case. Former … Continue Reading