We've almost reached the half-way point of the domestic home-and-away season. With forty matches already played and 104 goals scored, we've come a long way (not that it feels like it) since Carl Veart and Noel Spencer helped Adelaide United and Perth Glory to opening round victories in late-August.
News filtered through this week that A-League clubs will not be eligible for the Asian Champions League draw in December this year, a hindrance to Australian football's regional expansion but at least only a temporary one. This has to be sad news for Adelaide, who strolled into Melbourne and accomplished what Perth, Newcastle and Sydney couldn't, beating Victory on their home turf. The solid win has allowed the unfancied club to continue their domination at the top of the table, but their efforts to maximise ties with Asian neighbours (especially China) could all be for nought, or little more, come the end of the season.
The other really surprising result on the weekend was Queensland Roar's 0-0 draw with Glory. It was just the second goaless game in the league's short history, both involving Roar who are arguably the most exciting pass-and-move team going forward in the competition. Ever since far back in the pre-season, Miron Bleiberg has been searching for a deadly finisher. He thought Alex Brosque was his man, but in reality Brosque is a flying contributor not a prolific scorer, a fact well known before he was signed over half-a-dozen other trialists from all over Europe and South America. It's probably fair to say that the goal-scoring burden placed on Brosque is too large. While Michael Baird is Brosque's most regularly used partner in attack, his position in the starting lineup is uncertain from week-to-week. Bleiberg is the antithesis of Adelaide's John Kosmina or Glory's Steve McMahon, who both like to sustain harmony and shape over long intervals, months if possible. Roar's coaching is helter-skelter, more like that displayed in Melbourne and New Zealand, other team's constantly fiddling with their lineups. But Bleiberg's team is full of youngsters, and it might be a good question to ask if they're capable of reacting, mentally, physically and emotionally, to so many daily transformations.
Finally, given the continual fluctuations in form among all the teams, barring the Knights who've been junk for quite some time now, I wonder if anyone else gets the feeling that we're in for a topsy-turvy season from start to finish. Maybe the grand final will be an all goals affair, with the fourth placed team in the regular season getting through the preliminaries and slamming four or five past the minor premier? It's certainly possible, which is fantastic. And for all involved, stressful! Who's to know what's coming next.
Best of Round Ten:
Player: Tom Pondeljak (pictured) - a handful of aces against the Knights, until he fell in the box, earned a penalty and fractured his wrist
U-20 Player: Jacob Timpano - another standout job at the back keeps Rudan on the bench; along with the forthcoming return of Milligan, restoring promise to SFC's beleaguered defence
Coach: John Kosmina - continuing to find all the right answers for his numerous detractors
Match: Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United
Referee: Simon Przydacz
Goal: Carl Veart - collecting Costanzo's perfect little chip over the defence and hoofing it over the advanced Galekovic
4-4-2 Team of the Week:
Shengqing Qu - Tom Pondeljak
Carl Veart - Steven Pantelidis - Angelo Costanzo - David Carney
Alvin Ceccoli - Kristian Rees - Matt Horsley - Jade North
Jason Petkovic
Subs: Michael Valkanis, Richard Kitzbichler, Alex Brosque, Daniel Beltrame
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