It is that time of the season again.
28 weeks have passed and only four teams remain left in the A-League. Many have criticised the traditional Australian style of having a finals series to decide the competition’s winner rather than crowning the team that finished top of the table as champions but the drama and the action that is delivered in a preliminary final remains second to none.
Two big matches take place this week. On Saturday, Sydney FC will look to break its Adelaide United hoodoo to make its first final in five years while 24 hours earlier, the biggest edition of the Melbourne derby in its young history will decide who gets the other ticket.
To commemorate the penultimate week of the A-League, Outside90’s Chris Matthews-Darby ranks the top five A-League preliminary finals.
5. Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets, 2006-07
Adelaide United needed a penalty shoot-out to progress to the 2007 grand final when they met the Newcastle Jets back in season two. Adelaide was the best team in the competition that season, bar Melbourne Victory, and the Jets were looking to cap off a fairy tale season by making it to the final after coming from behind to beat Sydney the week before.
Carl Veart opened the scoring early in the second half but parity was restored when Vaughan Coveny equalised in the final quarter of the match. The scores were locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes and again after 120, so a first ever A-League penalty shoot-out was needed to decide a winner.
Both sides successfully scored their first three penalties before former Newcastle goalkeeper Daniel Beltrame stood up and saved spot kicks by Coveny and Stuart Musialik to help send the Reds to the final. As we now know, they lost that final 6-0.
4. Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory, 2011-12
The Central Coast Mariners met the Perth Glory in the 2011-12 preliminary final. Despite finishing first, the Mariners lost 5-2 on aggregate against Brisbane the week before over two legs, meaning they had to go the long way to make it to the final. This route looked like that would be the case when Adam Kwasnik opened the scoring in the 34th minute, but a controversial goal from Shane Smeltz levelled proceedings.
Similarly to the Adelaide vs Newcastle game, the game was tied at 1-1 after 120 minutes and another shoot-out ensued.
Dean Heffernan put the Gosford side under pressure when his penalty made it 4-3 after as many shots. Unfortunately for the Mariners, now-Wellington Phoenix attacker Mike McGlinchey skied his spot kick and Jacob Burns scored his to send Perth to its first decider since the last days of the NSL in 2004. However, just like Adelaide, the Glory lost the final, ironically to a Besart Berisha penalty.
3. Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar, 2007-08
Third on the list is the preliminary final from season three. Newcastle hosted the then-Queensland Roar, a week after losing 3-0 to in extra time to the Mariners. Brisbane’s mixture of youth and foreign players troubled the Newcastle defence which featured Jade North and Andrew Durante. However, they could not find the opening goal. That came just before the break from Newcastle midfielder Matt Thompson, who smashed home a cross that was squatted away by Liam Reddy.
But the real drama started in injury time. With the Jets leading 1-0, defender Adam D’Apuzzo fouled Simon Lynch in the box and Peter Green pointed to the spot. Reinaldo converted, so Gary van Egmond’s men were off to a second consecutive extra time.
Just before the end of the first 15 minutes, Sasa Ognenovski cheaply fouled Song Ji-Hyung in the box. Joel Griffiths calmly slotted the kick past Reddy for a 2-1 lead. Then with nine minutes to spare, the Roar went searching for an equaliser from a corner, but they were caught on the counter and Socceroo and Adelaide defender Tarek Elrich belted the ball into the roof of the net to send the 16,000 strong Novocastrian crowd into ruptures, and giving Newcastle a commanding 3-1 lead. The action did not finish there. however. Craig Moore was sent off and Reinaldo scored from yet another penalty to finish the game 3-2. The Jets would go on to win the grand final 1-0.
2. Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix 2009/10
The last time Sydney FC was in a preliminary final, it met and defeated the Wellington Phoenix 4-2. Youngster Chris Payne opened the scoring before Durante equalised minutes later. Then controversy struck. Payne, who replaced John Aloisi through injury earlier, appeared to have handled the ball into the back of the net, but the goal stood and completely changed the game.
The Killer Bs, Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge, added to Sydney’s tally in the second half before Eugene Dadi netted a late consolation.
Sydney went on the play Melbourne Victory in the decider that season – will we see a repeat of that this week?
1. Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory 2013-14
Number one on our list is the most recent preliminary final. The best team of the A-League era met the biggest as Brisbane hosted Melbourne Victory. Those tags have made this fixture into one of the biggest on the calendar. Both clubs have traded players and managers and they both have a similar footballing philosophy, making for a great encounter.
It did not disappoint. The Roar beat Kevin Muscat’s men to win the minor premiership a month prior and they were eager to beat them to progress to the final. After a tight match, the scores were still locked a 0-0 after 58 minutes before Besart Berisha scored the winner, against the club he had signed to play for the next season.
Matt McKay stole the ball just inside Melbourne’s half before playing in the Albanian, who dribbled his way into the area, stood up Nick Ansell and beat Nathan Coe at his near post to send Brisbane into its third grand final in four seasons.
Mark Milligan appeared to have been brought down illegally by Matt Smith in the box in injury time but referee Strebre Delovski thought otherwise. Soon after, Archie Thompson had a header somehow cleared off the line by a desperate McKay.
Brisbane won 1-0 and defeated the Western Sydney Wanderers the following week to be crowned champions of Australia.
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