Oh, Just a Few Million Dollars

Tomorrow night's pre-season semi-final between Melbourne and Central Coast is an extremely important fixture for both teams with news that both clubs are still searching for some of the $5 million start-up capital required by the FFA before the commencement of the season. A cup final should theoretically take the heat off the club's financial managers, providing them with something of a spotlight to direct potential sponsors towards. A loss means more time in the wilderness before the real action begins, and a lost opportunity that could quite seriously cost millions of dollars!

Some big kahunas with very fat wallets graced the Central Coast last night as the Mariners attempt to draw $2.5 million from local investors. While the image of the FFA's O'Neill arriving in a helicopter and being picked up in a limousine all seems a wee bit mafioso, I don't see a problem in splashing the money and the vino around a bit for the good cause of convincing the good people, the right sort of people, the wealthy people of the 'Coast, to keep the Mariners afloat.

Victory has similar problems, needing about another $2 million to hit the magical FFA target. I guess there's just no comparison with the good old days when Greece (aka South Melbourne) could fight it out with Croatia (aka Melbourne Knights). That's the view of chairman Lord at least, who wants the Anglos to come to the game with all their old ethnic friends next time. Lord is copping it for his comments, and rightly so. But he may have a point at one end of the scale: his thoughts rest mostly with the investor he's trying to attract to the club, and maybe his comments were directed more to them than to the average fan in the Eastern stand of Olympic Park Stadium. How a city like Melbourne, which practically enunciates itself as Art, Culture and Sport all at once, can't raise a platry $5 million is beyond me.

My prediction? The game will do down to the wire, with extra-time a distinct possibility. Archie Thompson (who as I write this is no doubt nuzzling up to Guus for a spot against the Solomons) will be missed up front. A major blow for Victory and they could cop a few more: they may find McKinna's Mariners exceptionally tough in the tackle for such a big game. The loss of Petrie and Clark to injuries is a bit of a savage belt in the groin for the yellow boys, though, and given that some of the players on the field are untested at this level so far (Leo Carle, Russell Woodruffe) I am giving the edge to Victory. Even if it goes down to penalities.

Off the field, the money will find it's way to the coffers of both teams. It may take time, but it will happen. The stakes are too high for it not to.