SF33

What a double-whammy: losing in that way, against that opposition. As bad as it gets. Others on here know so much more about the game and tactics than me, I'd love for someone to explain to me why the hell you'd sub off almost every player whom you'd have a bit of confidence in to put away a penalty. Like, to me, there's two types of penalty takers: the class finishers, where they can pretty much put it away and it doesn't matter what the GK does; and everyone else, who basically picks a direction, concentrates on hitting it hard and on target and hopes the keeper picks wrong. With Izzo playing an incredible game, a shoot-out wasn't looking particularly attractive scenario and with so many of our class finishers subbed off, it looked like Mt Everest. Sure enough, that's how it went. Izzo was very good again in the shoot-out, but they were fairly tame shots that he stopped. And I'd argue that it wasn't the shooters' fault: the likes of Antonis and Talbot probably should have been stepping up for us after the first five. We can talk about what a terrible season it's been - really no denying that - but we were a few minutes away from still having a better season than Victory, for the fifth consecutive year. I can't believe we pissed it away. What a waste.

Focus shifts immediately to the double. Any recent updates on Leckie and van der Venne?

Disappointing to not hold on and wrap up the league, but realistically we've done enough now to practically seal the league and make history with our third consecutive Premiers Plate. I rate that higher now than winning the grand final given the deal to host it in Sydney and we're still as good a chance as anyone to win that too. I know, it's frustrating to inch our way to the league title yet again when to my thinking we're the best team in the league comfortably, even with the current injuries. But it's hard to argue with three straight Premierships, that takes us into the discussion of the best teams in the history of the league. And in terms of silverware, makes us a much more successful club than Victory since we've been in the league.

I think he's earned it. He'd secured 16 of a possible 18 points while he was still here this season, odds on at the time to win a third premiership plate for the first time in the history of the league. It seemed a surprising move at the time: not that he was leaving, but that he was going to France and Ligue 1, it felt like he was skipping a step or two in his career progression. Melbourne City isn't Ligue 1 and it appears Kisnorbo isn't either. I think he's made his bed and I wouldn't want to see him back soon, I think a move to the UK (where he has numerous ties) would be the logical step from here. But hell, a bit of respect for a club legend wouldn't go astray. We've had talented squads for many years now, he's the one who's been able to start filling up the trophy cabinet. We've gone from perennial semi final fodder to a powerhouse since Kisnorbo took over.

Realistically, that won't happen. To finish on equal points with Adelaide, they'd need to win all their games and we'd have to win one, lose one and draw two. So the scenario would be something like we win by one goal, get beaten by four (dropping us to +20 GD) and then Adelaide has to win all three games by 3+ goals. There's other scenarios where we could theoretically finish on equal points with Adelaide (e.g. the go 1-1-1 and we lose all four remaining games) but I find it hard to see any where they'd realistically make up the goal difference. Adelaide's best chance is finishing on more points, but I think we'll do enough from here.

All that possession, all that dominance... means stuff all if you barely even manage to make the opposition goalkeeper nervous. Pathetic display.

I'm hoping this turns out to be a blessing in disguise, because we were always going to lose one of these games where we've absolutely dominated general play. And because it was against Victory, there won't be the temptation to write it off as 'just one of those nights'. I don't want us to stagger to the plate like we have the last two years (yeah, first world problems for those who've been around since the early Heart days); I want the league done and dusted with 3-4 games to play. And it feels like last night may be that pivotal moment in a season where we can go one of two ways.

Do you want to know the other thing that's great and the should be a huge motivation? Victory supporters are reduced to thinking 'anyone but them', when they think about who they can stomach taking home the silverware this year. It'll be four straight years when we've been better than them and they've won squat over that period. The chef's kiss is that the one year that they've actually been decent over that time, we stole the plate back off them on the last game of thecseason by one point. If we can do the double this year, we'll be rapidly closing the gap on them in terms of the A-League honour boards. And with Victory claiming two plates and two toilet seats before we joined the league, we'll actually go past them in terms of league honours since both clubs have been in the league.

It's an interesting position, we've opened up a strong advantage, especially considering how strong our squad looks on paper to the rest of the league and that assuming we start the replacement Victory game 1-0 up and 20 minutes in, We'd be pretty long odds to fail to at least get a point from there. We've won the last two plates by a combined three points and we really should do it comprehensively this year.

Spot on. It's a shame, because 90% of the time there's no controversy and it's a nice touch. But there's no simple rule to account for it being inappropriate to wave an Israel flag yesterday, but OK to wave, say, an India flag. So it's probably easiest to just say leave your national flags at home please. Given I have never seen an Israel flag at an A-League game before and considering what's happening in Gaza, I can put two and two together and say it might have been a provocative gesture. As jw1739 mentioned, not sure if a Palestine flag would have received the all clear.

I'm cool with a draw to be honest. Probably would have staggered the senior players with their break over two matches, but would have been a master-stroke if we'd held on to 2-1. A win would have been huge, would have been knocking on the door of mathematically clinching it (like, one more point for us, or a slip up from Brisbane or Central Coast, who'd pretty much have to be perfect and hope for our wheels to come off completely to have any hope), but we're still pretty much only a win away and if we can secure at least a draw in either - preferably both - of the next two we're still cruising, with the Jets and Victory to finish.

Yep, that's poor stepbrother mentality. Would they be chanting about Melbourne City if they had clinched the Premier's Plate against another random club? I dunno, but I doubt it. For the first time, we're consistently showing that we're easily the best football team in the state and we shouldn't waste the moment by thinking about them. As far as waiting for something to go wrong with the premiership race, I honestly haven't been worried about it. In that sense, we've never really been that close to winning it in the past, so I have no nightmares from our history to concern me. In our history, we've been terrible (Heart days) then an underachiever/also-ran (City days). There was one season (maybe 15-16) where we briefly hit to top of the table fairly late in the campaign and then we got smashed in our last two games and finished third or fourth. I think the closest we've come to a heartbreaking moment, which every supporter will know what you're talking about in a few words would be "Riley Mcgree's scorpion" or perhaps "Luke Brattan, Rhyan Grant". It's not like we're talking about a decades long history of us dropping silverware in the most inexplicable ways.

ASAP. In front of Victory would be great in theory, but honestly, you wouldn't be shitting yourself if we'd squandered three opportunities to clinch the Plate and it got to the last possible chance? Not even close to being worth it.

Buying the Puma tracksuit pants at last year's EOFY sale was honestly one of the wisest purchases of my life. They probably cost me $60 or something with the sale and in those 10 months, I swear I've worn them more already than I'll ever wear the 20 or so City jerseys in my wardrobe combined. I got a hoodie/tracksuit top at the same sale which is nice enough and everything (though the tops at least should be sky blue), but the pants are where it's at. More subtle than a jersey or tracksuit top, perfect for WFH, school drop offs or what have you and they're amazing quality, compared to your run of the mill tracky dacks. Like, you feel different in them, compared to say, a t-shirt, or a tracksuit top. I can't remember anyone saying anything to me for wearing any City gear around, besides some Victory knobs walking along Swan Street to a Derby (which doesn't count). It's not Glasgow.

Twilight on Mother's Day. Probably the biggest graveyard slot in the Winter sports calendar. If there was any way for me to get there, considering I thought a win basically locks up the Premier's Plate, I would have gone. But there's not a snowballs chance in hell for me at that timeslot on Mother's Day.

These are the games that would have been frustrating in previous years (probably because we wouldn't have found a winner). But honestly, heading into this game, a point would probably have been okay. Just don't let them gain ground and become a serious challenger. On the balance of play we deserved to win and we scratched it out. I think we're in a position now when we don't have to worry about frustrating wins. That's sealed the Premier's Plate for us, as far as I'm concerned. I know it's not a done deal mathematically, but seriously, three points from our remaining games would probably see off our opposition. It would take a catastrophic slump from here and we just haven't shown the slightest inclination to do that. We've always bounced back from a poor performance, like clockwork. I won't tell anyone else how to approach the remaining games, but personally, I'll just exhale and enjoy them. The finals will be another challenge and I'm not taking anything for granted, but as far as securing one of the two really MAJOR trophies on offer for the first time, I think we can relax - we've done it.

Geez, I'll take it. It was so important to bounce back with three points and these sort of games have been where we've let ourselves down countless times in years gone by. Back up an unlucky loss with a frustrating/dominant draw, then a disappointing loss and all of a sudden we haven't won in a month. If we can grind wins like that when the pressure's on to respond, we'll be hard to keep off top spot.

I mean, to do that on the sidelines during a half time interview... yikes. Even Adelaide people... that's what you want from your captain in a national league? Could Adelaide find anyone less professional to lead their squad? Mauk may as well have stuck his tongue out at Killer and gone "ner ner ne ner ner" like an eight year old. He isn't fit to tie Kilkenny's boots.

Kilkenny's one of those players whom you love when he's on your team or you hate when he's an opponent. Mauk, on the other hand, I didn't even like when he was wearing our colours. Not a terrible player, but just a grub with no class. I can't think of an ex-Heart/City player I loathe more. Sick of seeing him in the A-League: I wish he'd piss off back to Europe, but he isn't good enough. Kilkenny gave us everything he had, I'll back him any day and I was delighted that last night played out the way it did.

It's a bit disturbing when we see the AFL bragging about how popular the AFL has been with sports starved fans in the United States (Gillon McLachlan's Krusty the Clown "Think of the ratings..." moment). When we see ScoMo saying there's a few days to go until we shut events down to a maximum of 500 people, so I'll go watch the Sharks on the weekend, because it's my last chance for a while (what would happen if everyone thought the same way as the Prime Minister). When we say A-League and AFL players observing the regulations with fist bumps and elbow bumps at the end of games (presumably because someone on the staff is yelling reminders to them), but they can't help themselves to jump all over each other after a goal, because it's hard to change instinctive behaviours after 15/20/30 years of celebrating that way. I'm not blaming the players here, just saying that a) it's unrealistic to expect players to be robots during spur of the moment instances of jubilation; and b) it sends a terrible, confusing message to people and especially kids watching their heroes hugging each other and sharing drink bottles when we're being told to absolutely avoid such contact. What it actually tells people is that these aren't really strict rules. It confuses people and it's potentially dangerous. You can see it by the Sydney Kings forfeiting the NBL Grand Final series (and being slammed for it), down 1-2 in a best of 5 series, rather than flying to Perth for game 4. A responsible and noble example of doing the right thing in difficult circumstances. And they're being smashed for it. It gives an idea of the context that people are still looking at this and misunderstanding the point: that it's not about whether you or I get the virus and how physically well we are to be able to cope with it; it's about whether we pass it on to 2-3 people, or 20-30 people that is the real issue. Shut the season down, award Sydney the premiership, look at a finals series and final table positions (e.g. it's debatable where we actually should be on the table right now) if and when we have a chance down the track.

Especially against Perth. I can't imagine Grant being as good against the rest of the league as he always seems to be against us. In isolation, it was a pretty solid performance and it would be nice to be happy with a point, they didn't gain any ground on us, would have taken a point when the ref called a penalty etc. But in the context of the season it's probably another two points thrown away against our closest rival, because we outplayed them last night.

Brattan was a great one for this: he would score the odd screamer, but a lot of the time we'd be absolutely desperate for a goal and he'd put a great chance 3m high and 5m wide and then just give a shrug and a smile. Used to drive me nuts. I haven't seen the replay yet and have NFI what was going on with that pen/non-pen call at the ground, but with that possible exception, I thought the defence was great last night and barely gave Perth a sniff.

More than cancelled out by Popovic starting to talk about making history this season. I had a bad feeling about this game, now I think we'll roll them.

The next four weeks before the bye can pretty much tell us everything we need to know about this team. Perth at home, Adelaide away, derby and Wellington away. I'd say seven points as an absolute minimum if we're serious about staying in the top two.

Maybe, I don't know. I feel like the talent was always there with us and he was quite frequently one of our better players, but he was a roller coaster; he'd make you say "how did he do that?" regularly, both good and bad. He just never had the consistency and it always felt like a howler at the worst possible time was just around the corner.