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After months of waiting, the A-League finally returned with a bang on the weekend as fans of the round ball game were entertained with marquee match-ups, star players and sublime goals.
Of course it was not the only football on the weekend as the W-League is already in full swing with plenty to play for with team’s seasons already on the line.
LOSERS
The biggest losers this weekend were our friends in the Sunshine State, the Brisbane Roar. Employing the great initiative of playing A-League/W-League double headers at Suncorp Stadium was meant to be a massive boost for club members and fans. However, I don’t think the teams got the message, both losing 2-1 and conceding own goals.
Brisbane Roar or Peugeot Roar as they should now be known, with their new logo striking a remarkable resemblance to the aforementioned brand, has had a horror start to the 14/15 season. Arguably the most successful club in both the men’s and women’s competitions, they have a combined record of 1-5 with the women looking almost certain to miss the finals for the first time in their history.
Also falling into the losers pile are the fans who lost 90 minutes of their lives watching the F3 Derby. In a match as creative as its name the Mariners controversially stole the points in injury time through Mitch Duke. The only saving grace was the fact that it was played at Central Coast Stadium which meant another appearance from the Mariners unofficial mascot, the giant Masterfoods sauce bottle.
Finally, while not necessarily losers, those who watched David Villa’s interview with John Aloisi were definitely lost. In a farcical series of events Aloisi talked to Villa for a minute completely in Spanish before Villa re-joined his teammates with viewers being left completely clueless. Aloisi then proceeded to be interviewed himself in a modern take on the classic game of Chinese Whispers.
WINNERS
The A-League, back for its anniversary party, was certainly a winner thanks in largely to David Villa. Despite arriving just last week, much was expected of the Spanish star and he didn’t disappoint. Coming on early in the second half, it took Villa barely a quarter of an hour to live up to expectations. While only here for a limited time it is a big win for the A-League to have a player of his calibre.
Speaking of winning big, the Melbourne Victory A-League and W-League teams had a cracking weekend winning 4-1 and 4-0 respectively. Even without captain Mark Milligan, the Victory were a completely different class to the Asian-conquering Wanderers. The women’s team easily disposed of Adelaide to make the club a premiership threat in both leagues.
The final winner for the weekend is the Perth Glory and in particular their W-League outfit. Looming as one of the most dangerous teams currently in Australian football the Glory dispatched another title contender in Canberra United 3-0. The win locks them into favouritism following their record breaking 10-1 win over Western Sydney two weeks ago.