The final four have been decided. All that remains to be determined is who will finish second and gain the opportunity to meet Adelaide in the major semi-final.
Losses to Perth and Melbourne shut them out of the finals for good, while condemning Queensland in the process. After mauling the Jets 5-0, the Roar will feel unluckiest of the teams outside the top four. If the Mariners had drawn with Victory (they won 3-1), Queensland would at least have been able to determine their own destiny with a win over the Mariners in the final round next week. Sydney shut the door on the Roar's only other way into the finals when they beat Perth 2-1 away from home, effectively ending Glory's season as well as Queensland's.
What we do know is that Adelaide has asked to host the first leg of their semi-final. Sydney, Central Coast or Newcastle will travel to Adelaide, who have made long road trips to Perth and New Zealand in the past three weeks. With points no longer required, John Kosmina has been resting some of his key players and giving of his younger players a more extensive run. It'll be the tried and tested veterans who he calls upon to take out the championship, however. Veart, Costanzo, Valkanis, Rech, Qu, Aloisi, Dodd and Alagich have been as good as anybody in their positions in the league this season. But with Sydney looking to have recovered their lost form, the Mariners playing as strong and well as ever and Newcastle capable of taking out anyone on their day, the job is far from over for Adelaide's key men.
As for the Knights, Victory, Glory and Roar, the post-season analysis has well and truly begun. Contracts are the probably biggest talking points, with something like 50% of the playing and coaching staffs far from assured of their spots for next year. Can the clubs afford to terminate long-term contracts and bring in new blood? That remains to be seen. Considering the lengthy recruitment process for the A-League, which lasted some 18 months or more, it's not as if there are loads of talented players in the local market just waiting to be spotted and picked up. We're meant to be seeing the best of the best already. So if drastic makeovers are to occur, you have to imagine that club's will be very interested in bringing in more players from overseas.
For the four remaining clubs, offseason dramas can be put on hold for the time being. The hullabaloo over matters off the pitch can hopefully be nudged aside for the sake of quality football on the pitch. It might be too much to hope for a tight finals series, free of absurdly hot days or washed out spectacles, but at the very least we've got to expect some moments of brilliance. I'm not a fan of the finals format, but I have to admit these occasions can be upheld for the way they sort out the fakers from the legends. Over the coming weeks, I wonder who's going to bring it?
Best of Round Twenty:
Player: Ruben Zadkovich (pictured, while playing for Notts County) - a thrilling debut highlighted with hard running, silky touches and a great goal
U-20 Player: Ruben Zadkovich
Coach: Lawrie McKinna - getting his team over the line and delivering a finals blow to Queensland in the process
Match: Newcastle United Jets vs Queensland Roar
Referee: Simon Przydacz
Goal: Ruben Zadkovich - wonderful buildup, including Petrovski's flick out the back, and a terrific looping finish into the top corner (just topping Matt McKay's low drive in the Jets rout)
4-4-2 Team of the Week:
Alex Brosque - Fernando Rech
Ruben Zadkovich - Steve Corica - Noel Spencer - Massimo Murdocca
Dean Heffernan - Michael Valkanis - Mark Rudan - Spase Dilevski
Clint Bolton
Subs: Josh McCloughan, Lucas Pantelis, Jonathan Richter, Danny Vukovic
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