Things have certainly tightened up at the top of the 2024/25 A-League table after Auckland FC took away just a point against the Wanderers on Saturday and Western United loomed ever closer after a 3-1 win over Perth Glory a few hours later.
Those Round 25 results set up a cracking race for the Premier’s Plate and Melbourne City, sitting just a point behind United, would be annoyed with anyone suggesting they are not well and truly in the hunt.
Nine points still remain on the table for City and with Auckland facing a brutal away fortnight against Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory, and Western having Sydney FC and WSW on their radar during the run home, the permeations could still have City somewhere near the top in a few weeks’ time.
No team aside from the top three is assured of a spot in the finals. The Wanderers and Victory would have to do plenty wrong to miss out, both on 36 points and a full game clear and more of the three currently battling for sixth spot.
That leaves the Sky Blues, Reds and Bulls to most likely grapple for the final spot available and the Jets lamenting numerous bad performances that had they been avoided, could also have seen them in the hunt during the final weeks of the home and away season.
It is an astonishing situation, with both the Bulls and the Reds currently outside the top six and, at their best, more than capable of winning the championship should the cards fall in their favour.
After 20 years of following and covering the A-League, I’m not sure I can remember a situation like it. There is a solid argument for every team in the top eight to well and truly believe that they could be the squad holding the trophy aloft on the first day of June.
Auckland silenced the critics early on and Steve Corica has done a brilliant job with a talented squad. Still the favourites for the plate, their defensive stability will be key when the knock-out stuff comes around.
Steve Corica. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
John Aloisi has his youthful group that includes Matthew Grimaldi, Rhys Bozinovski and Noah Botic, in near-perfect harmony with Hiroshi Ibusuki up front. After many predicted a tough season for Western, Aloisi looks more likely to have the last laugh than the naysayers are to be proven right.
Melbourne City have remained resilient and subsequently defied the injury concerns that are yet to be fully expelled from the group. It has been patchwork quilt football from Aurelio Vidmar throughout the season as manager and he has done a superb job.
Arthur Diles took over a Melbourne Victory group in utter shock after the departure of Patrick Kisnorbo. Whilst things have been far from perfect, some level of consistency has been achieved of late. With so much talent in the squad, few are prepared to write them off and let’s face it, we have seen this Victory show before.
Any team with Daniel Arzani, Bruno Fornaroli, Reno Piscopo and Nishan Velupillay is one to be feared. Melbourne Victory are up to their eyeballs in the title race.
What of the Wanderers, with Alen Stajcic building a toughness in them that has been absent for years? With Nicolas Milanovic scoring freely, Zac Sapsford having his best A-League season and Juan Mata seemingly comfortable in the substitution role, there is finally some consistency in the football they are playing late in the season.
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
There would be no surprise in seeing Stajcic guide the men from Western Sydney to the title. He wins wherever he goes, just like the Sky Blues sitting a rung below them on the ladder at the time of writing. Sydney could well have another A-League championship heading its way.
Once Asian competition is out of the way, the Joe Lolley, Douglas Costa and Adrian Segecic show will be a tough one to combat for the teams that meet the Sky Blues in the finals.
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Whilst Adelaide might be in something akin to a free-fall, the form they showed early in the season suggests a few wins on the way to the finals make them a serious contender should they qualify.
The talk around the coach and whether Carl Veart stays on is nothing but a distraction; however, wins against Perth, Wellington and Brisbane over the next three weeks could have them locked into the finals and the coach secure for next season.
Macarthur is on the outside looking in yet another team capable of winning it all. Marin Jakolis remains my favourite for the Johnny Warren Medal, as he was at the start of the season, and wins against Central Coast, Victory and Western Sydney are non-negotiables should they also hope to have a crack at the title.
It is somewhat astonishing as the finals in May draw ever nearer. No team deserves to hold favouritism and every coach and squad will feel confident that the job can be done if a little luck falls their way.
I’ve not seen a more open race heading into the final month of a season and for that, A-League fans should be proud, despite the decimation of fingernails certain to take place on the hands of supporters whose teams manage to qualify.
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