These are five of the best.
The grand finals that really stand out when you look back at the last decade plus.
We continue and conclude our countdown with five grand finals to remember.
Top 10 – A-League Grand Finals (10-6) [VIDEO]
5. Season 7: Brisbane Roar 2 Perth Glory 1, Suncorp Stadium, Sunday April 22 2012
This one will be remembered for its infamously controversial ending as Jarred Gillett awarded what many saw as a soft penalty to Besart Berisha after his foot was caught by Liam Miller. The dirty little secret about this contest however was that up until the final 10 minutes, it was not a very good game.
Brisbane were the dominant team throughout and Perth did not register a single shot on target. Their goal came from a cross which deflected off Ivan Franjic and Brisbane just could not put together their free-flowing play to turn their dominance into goals.
Eventually, Brisbane’s pressure amounted to a gain on the scoreboard as Berisha nodded home a cross from Broich with just over five minutes to play. Having broken the dam wall, Brisbane looked to close the game out in normal time. Dean Heffernan was sent off as the clock ticked over to 90 minutes for a second yellow card. Soon after that, Berisha was on the ground in the box after he was knocked off balance by Miller’s touch.
Fans still debate whether or not the contact was enough to truly take Berisha down but Gillet thought so, awarded the penalty and Berisha held his nerve to win the game for Brisbane. There was more controversy after the game, however, as Broich was incorrectly awarded the Joe Marston Medal which should have gone to Jacob Burns.
4. Season 2: Melbourne Victory 6 Adelaide United 0, Telstra Dome, Sunday February 18 2007
Not the most exciting of finishes in this one but certainly memorable for the way Victory carved up an overmatched and undermanned United team. He is loathe to mention his personal achievements and you will never hear him talking himself up, but Archie Thompson had a career day, scoring five goals and claiming the Joe Marston Medal. Having faced off in the major semi-final, those 180 minutes were punctuated by a late Victory goal.
But this was all Victory.
Ross Aloisi saw a second yellow card just over half an hour in, with his side already down 2-0 and Victory in a rampant mood. The floodgates opened from there as Thompson completed his hat-trick on 39 minutes and continued his rampage in the second half before he was substituted in the 90th minute. Chances are there would have been a part of him a little bit disappointed when Kristian Sarkies added a sixth goal in the final minute as Thompson would have no doubt wanted to add another just for good measure.
3. Season 5: Sydney FC 1(4) Melbourne Victory 1(2), Telstra Dome, Saturday March 20 2010
The Big Blue grand final capped a season which saw the league’s two biggest clubs going back and forth from day one and the decider was no different. Sydney pipped Victory for the premiership in the final round before the latter claimed the home grand final in the major semi-final with an extra time winner. So the stage was set for a decider as Sydney would go on to become the only “away” team to win a grand final in an opponent’s stadium.
The Victory cause was hurt early on as Thompson was withdrawn due to a knee injury before he could score his usual five goals, leaving both sides without their marquee strikers (John Aloisi was out through injury). It was an even, back and forth contest with plenty of nerves throughout the game. Mark Bridge scored in the 63rd minute to put the visitors up but that lead would not hold as Adrian Leijer equalised in the final 10 minutes.
In the extra half hour, both sides looked ready to get straight to penalties and it would be decided from the spot for the first time. Victory fans are still probably haunted by the sound of “Penalty Professor” Kevin Muscat hitting the post and the ball bouncing back out. Shannon Cole missed the next attempt for Sydney to put it back on level terms but Marvin Angulo was unsuccessful, giving Sydney the advantage. On their fifth attempt, full-back Byun Sung-Hwan stepped up and was the hero for Sydney as they celebrated their second A-League title.
2. Season 9: Brisbane Roar 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (AET), Suncorp Stadium, Sunday May 4 2014
When the Roar are involved in an A-League grand final, you know there is going to be an exciting finish. The noise, atmosphere, colour and quality of the occasion puts this decider at number two on our list. The highlights of the afternoon began before kick-off when both The Den and the travelling RBB heckled Jason Derulo in unison throughout his set. Then when the teams came onto the field and kicked off, the noise generated by both sets of fans made for a specatular occasion.
Waiting for #ALeagueGF entertainment like… pic.twitter.com/lifaAiXGct
— Daily Football Show (@DFS_AUS) April 27, 2016
On the field, it was an exciting game as the two best sides in the competition faced off. For the Wanderers, playing at Suncorp had been a successful trip in the past having secured their first goal, points and win there in the previous season. They came out in the ascendency and knocked Brisbane off their free-flowing game. A scoreless first half was not without chances and both sides went to the break feeling as though they were in a good position.
After the break, Matthew Spiranovic opened the scoring and the red and black corner of the ground erupted as their side had gained the advantage. Brisbane began to press for the equaliser and were nearly caught out on the counter-attack but the Wanderers could not convert. In the end it, was the combination which had served the Roar well for the last three seasons that got them back into the game as Berisha nodded a header past Ante Covic to level the scores and send the game to extra time.
Perhaps the Wanderers had an eye on the Asian Champions League fixture that was coming up or maybe Brisbane had finally found a way through, but in extra time it was Brisbane that broke the deadlock. It was the “Slippery Fish” Henrique that won the match as he fired into the roof of the net with 10 minutes to play. The Roar held on even with Jade North forced to finish the game as a striker due to cramps.
Brisbane cemented their second double, and third championship, in four seasons.
1. Season 6: Brisbane Roar 2(4) Central Coast Mariners 2(2), Suncorp Stadium, Sunday March 13 2011
Of course it was going to be the original Orange Sunday taking top spot on the rankings. There has been no better single-game showcase of quality entertainment the A-League provides. Despite the fact regulation time was scoreless, it did not stop the Roar and Mariners playing out a very tight contest that at the time had the feeling of a heavyweight fight with the combatants trading blows.
Many were expecting the game itself to be a coronation for the Roar team which had set a new benchmark for the A-League. On the back of a 27-game undefeated streak, the Mariners were treated as the unlucky side that had to be the sacrifice on the day. What those people had forgotten was the fact that Brisbane had needed a miracle comeback in the major semi-final two weeks ago against this same side. Trailing 2-0 in the second leg and tied on aggregate, the Roar needed to find the nerve to fight back and ensure the game would be at Suncorp and that their streak would continue.
Both sides had their chances during the 90 minutes but it was not to be and the game would have to keep going. We could describe extra time for you, but lets be honest, the video highlights are much better.
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