Quiet Around Here...

Due to intensive work commitments I haven't been able to update the site during the first few weeks of the finals.

Three teams remain, and each already has a piece of silverware from this season. In fact, they share the only three cups to of been won so far. Sydney won the World Club Championship OFC Playoff tournament. The Mariners took out the Pre-Season Cup. And the Reds won the shield for the minor premiership. Arguably, they've been the best three teams in the competition. After the Grand Final, only one club will possess two trophies, a small fact but one that should definitively settle who has been Number One overall in 2005-2006.

Haven't the crowds been amazing? I'm not much of a fan of the finals format, believing that the 'first past the post' system is the fairest way of determining the overall champion for the season. But with capacity crowds in Gosford and Adelaide, and a massive audience in Sydney exceeding 30,000, I'm more than happy to concede that the FFA has got it absolutely right: Australian sports fans love knockout finals football.

Now that the offseason has begun for five of the teams, with one more to be decided on Sunday, numerous staff and roster changes are afoot. The ramifications of less than sterling seasons have been felt quite dramatically already in New Zealand, with half the team consigned to the fact that the coach doesn't want them back next season. Perth is also on the ropes, with question marks over the sale of the club and the future of the coaching staff still very much present. Fortunately, the Glory has managed to re-sign their brightest starlet, recent Socceroo call-up Nick Ward. Melbourne seems to be in a bit of a state of denial, with few structural changes to date. A few fringe players have left the club (Recchia, Diaco, Tadrosse), but a steady as she goes philosophy is currently the favoured approach. Queensland have decided to stick with Miron Bleiberg, which I think is fair enough considering the form he had the side in near the end of the regular season. Unfortunately, the Roar have lost Alex Brosque to Sydney. Given Bleiberg's penchant for imports, I'm expecting abundant changes to the current squad. The team is currently competing in the K-League's pre-season tournament, the Tongyeong Cup, which doubles as a scouting and recruiting mission. Reports are that Matt McKay has already signed a loan contract with Incheon United for 3 months, the Korean team that Roar face in their opening game of the cup. Finally, Newcastle have stepped out of the finals with their heads held as high as they can muster. Richard Money still believes his team are the best side in the league and hopes local fans will come to realise that simple fact and turn up for the games. The small crowd of 10,000 attracted to the home leg of Newcastle's semi-final with the Mariners stood testament to another fact: that something isn't quite right in the team's relationship with the city.

Sunday's game should be an absolute stormer, with the Mariners on a streak and Adelaide desperate to get through and gain revenge over Sydney. Centre-backs Michael Beauchamp and Michael Valkanis both featured in the Socceroos squad that flew to Bahrain midweek, with Beauchamp playing a full game while Valkanis looked on from the bench. It'll be very interesting to see how both players respond after the long flight home. But the matchup to die for is Travis Dodd versus Dean Heffernan, with both players possessing explosive pace and an eye for goal. Each is probably quite capable of making the leap to the national team too. No predictions from me, though. Place pathetically a long way down the ladder, I gave up on the A-League's tipping system about half way through the regular season!