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2021 Finals (& impact of international duty, coronavirus etc.)


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Now I know there's plenty of time to go before finals and I'm not trying to get ahead of myself by declaring we will certainly be there, but it's looking likely. It's been alluded to in other threads so apologies if it was unnecessary to create a new one but I figured we'd all want to rant about this and share our thoughts as more news comes out. 

The league has amateurishly decided not to pause for international breaks and thus we will likely be missing a number of players as this falls right on finals time. Both Socceroos and Olyroos will be taking players, meaning we'll likely be missing:

Maclaren, Nabbout, Good (Socceroos) and Glover, Atkinson, Metcalfe, O’Neill (Olyroos) (+ the less likely possibility that more are taken, such as Tilio, Gomulka etc.)

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/i-feel-for-the-coaches-a-league-finals-to-be-depleted-of-socceroos-olyroos-20210330-p57f7t.html

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/socceroos-head-to-kuwait-in-june-could-it-derail-a-league-finals-20210313-p57aeo.html

 

Injuries permitting, this means we'll likely be heading into finals with a XI like this:

Noone Colakovski Tsubaki

Berenguer Gomulka Luna 

Jamieson Reis Griffiths Garuccio 

Stokes 

Bench: Tilio, Galloway, Stokes, Random youth players 

 

Frankly it's pretty ridiculous that the league would allow the champion to be crowned when teams will be so depleted and I do not like our chances if we have to play an XI like that. We will be missing 6 first XI players FFS. Other teams like WSW and SFC will also suffer due to this, although we will be the most impacted team. 

Hopefully the league comes to its sense and postpones the finals, or brings them in earlier, or even just cancels them and awards the premiers plate as the championship. When you also throw in the disruption from the ACL our season suddenly starts to look a lot more difficult. Obviously as an Australian football fan I want our national teams to do well but this is very annoying.

What does everyone think?

 

Edited by jw1739
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IMO it's too soon to think about it. The coronavirus situation evolving in Queensland could go anywhere, and the situation in the rest of the world is unstable with infections rising again and new mutations being discovered on a regular basis.

The focus for this season can only be on the next scheduled match.

For next season and beyond, IMO it's madness not to recognise international breaks.

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1. We could play a few mid week games to finish earlier and still get to that (completely random) target of 26 games.

2. We could sign “international replacement players” (remember we did that once, that poor bastard who’s name escapes me (Miller?) who passed away)

3. We could fall in a heap and miss the finals 

4. A meteorite could crash into earth and kill us all

5. the CCP could invade Taiwan and start WW3.

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What I find interesting of these articles that it’s suggesting that the clubs themselves voted against international breaks for commercial reasons.

Was this a majority vote? Can’t imagine we voted against this, but other clubs with less Socceroos/Olyroos would have.

I can’t get my head around it as rounds will just be postponed and revenue will still come.

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1 hour ago, Mr MO said:

What I find interesting of these articles that it’s suggesting that the clubs themselves voted against international breaks for commercial reasons.

Was this a majority vote? Can’t imagine we voted against this, but other clubs with less Socceroos/Olyroos would have.

I can’t get my head around it as rounds will just be postponed and revenue will still come.

I believe it also had something to do with the broadcast deal we renegotiated with Fox. They were adamant the season had to be finished by the end of July. If I’m remembering right, that meant we couldn’t have international breaks. 

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12 minutes ago, Harrison said:

I believe it also had something to do with the broadcast deal we renegotiated with Fox. They were adamant the season had to be finished by the end of July. If I’m remembering right, that meant we couldn’t have international breaks. 

Ah right they makes more sense. Well harden up and just play 2 games per week just like in Europe.

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1 hour ago, Harrison said:

I believe it also had something to do with the broadcast deal we renegotiated with Fox. They were adamant the season had to be finished by the end of July. If I’m remembering right, that meant we couldn’t have international breaks. 

This is 100%.

When they miraculously secured the final season albeit reduced in the peak of the pandemic, nobody was worried about international breaks and Olympics, the only focus was securing a deal so that at bare minimum the game would get another season. 

Now obviously things have changed and IMO change again, so I see us getting through the season and finals as is.

I really can't see the Olympics going ahead and as for the Socceroo qualification I don't think they will be played at the time scheduled. 

Unfortunately we will have no real excuses for choking again come the last day.

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Read somewhere that a rumor going around won't be a finals series and who ever finishes top wins it due to players missing 

2 hours ago, Jovan said:

This is 100%.

When they miraculously secured the final season albeit reduced in the peak of the pandemic, nobody was worried about international breaks and Olympics, the only focus was securing a deal so that at bare minimum the game would get another season. 

Now obviously things have changed and IMO change again, so I see us getting through the season and finals as is.

I really can't see the Olympics going ahead and as for the Socceroo qualification I don't think they will be played at the time scheduled. 

Unfortunately we will have no real excuses for choking again come the last day.

Think the olympics will go ahead they've banned international visitors https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/tokyo-olympics-reportedly-go-ahead-without-overseas-spectators/13233638 as for qualification hard one to judge 

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  • 1 month later...

Time for this thread to resurface.

How does everyone feel about finals? We're all but certain to win the Premiership Plate now which I feel is the pinnacle of the A-League and football in general. But we all know how much the league executives and mainstream media love a Grand Final and in their eyes, the true Champion is the team that wins the toilet seat - the holy grail of Australian sporting trophies. Remember when Perth dominated the league a couple of years ago and then lost the Grand Final to Sydney FC on penalties at home after a 0-0 draw? That's the kind of outcome that'll haunt me if it happens to us.

With our team likely to miss a decent chunk of key personnel come finals, there's every possibility we lose the home Semi-Final or even the home Grand Final providing we get there. How will you feel about the season if we fall at the penultimate hurdle? 

Interested to get your takes because I feel so conflicted about it. I think the finals are a bit of a sideshow but equally, I want that mainstream recognition for effort after such a formidable season. Obviously I just want to win both to eliminate all doubt.

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As I understand it the "Champion" no longer qualifies for the ACL, so that diminishes the value of being it.

I don't care about the finals at all - although I'll be at our home matches if I can be - all that matters to me is our league position and the FFA Cup.

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I think it’s simple for us and has been for a while, control what we can control.

Focus on winning the plate, winning the toilet seat is a bonus.

If we don’t win the toilet seat it’ll be a shame and we’ll be left to wonder what could have been, which is why I think it’s important to consider anything more than the plate a bonus.

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26 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

As I understand it the "Champion" no longer qualifies for the ACL, so that diminishes the value of being it.

I don't care about the finals at all - although I'll be at our home matches if I can be - all that matters to me is our league position and the FFA Cup.

From which season is this?

Is the finals series actually officially confirmed?

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The dunny seat is the big trophy to the public. To football nuts though, it has to be the plate.

Having said all that, this season is a bit different. Playing the finals during the international window is a real act of desperation by the league- it seriously devalues the product. It never should of happened and certainly never should happen again. 

—————

As to what we should or could do, if we can, recall Najjar and Najjarrine. Give us a bit of cover.

Try to get a guest player (striker) out of Man City or one of the other clubs, including the youth set ups. Release whoever to make it happen.

Pray that neither Griff nor Reis get injured.

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1 hour ago, Mr MO said:

From which season is this?

Is the finals series actually officially confirmed?

@Mr MO One of our mob was telling me last night at the match. Premier gets a place in the ACL proper; runner-up in the league and the FFA Cup winner go into the ACL qualifying play-offs. The so-called "Champion" goes nowhere. I haven't confirmed it myself.

I don't know anything about this season's finals, whether on or off. Everyone keeps on about them so I've just assumed that they are to take place as usual.

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1 minute ago, Missing_Moy said:

This would be our finals line up at the moment with good Jmac & metcalfe all unavailable 

 

bench being - Tsubaki, georgievshi, garuccio, Stokes, Gamulka, Nabbout Sutton 

184C2140-817D-44F5-913E-65B17435BC5F.jpeg

Fat chance we'll see Nabbout again this season.

Is it possible to get an injury replacement for him this late?

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14 hours ago, Mr MO said:

From which season is this?

Is the finals series actually officially confirmed?

I'm not sure that all these decisions have actually been taken, although the entry of the Cup winner into the ACL preliminary stages is confirmed here. https://www.theffacup.com.au/news/stand-alone-final-and-afc-champions-league-prize-headline-rebooted-ffa-cup-2021

Even if them A-League "Champion" does continue to gain entry to the ACL it can only be into the preliminary rounds because the Premier goes directly into the Group stage. So the Premiership is now the more important trophy from the club perspective now.

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My personal opinion, as someone who has probably favoured gf just over premiership in a normal year ( talking like 50.1 to 49.9 type stuff) is that if City dont win it this year due to 2-6 let players missing with int duty, then it's an irrelevant hollow trophy.

In which case I'm totally satisfied with the plate.

The seat would be nice for sure, but unless someone is actually knocking us off at full strength then i fail to see how its any sort of achievement and i think the other clubs will prob feel that too to some degree, given how dominant we have been.

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30 minutes ago, Shahanga said:

Well we aren’t getting Ramy back. Named in the olyroos.

That's because Newcastle aren't involved in Finals I suppose. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/a-league-based-olyroos-contenders-remain-clubs-finals-series Loans can be something of a two-edged sword.

Full squad: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australia-u-23-selection-play-four-friendlies-spain

 

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9 hours ago, jw1739 said:

That's because Newcastle aren't involved in Finals I suppose. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/a-league-based-olyroos-contenders-remain-clubs-finals-series Loans can be something of a two-edged sword.

Full squad: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australia-u-23-selection-play-four-friendlies-spain

 

So far that feels like we've dodged a bullet. But I'll wait and see what the Socceroos squad contains before I get too excited. Najjarine has been released because he's not even getting a regular game in a poor Jets side. 

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17 minutes ago, fensaddler said:

So far that feels like we've dodged a bullet. But I'll wait and see what the Socceroos squad contains before I get too excited. Najjarine has been released because he's not even getting a regular game in a poor Jets side. 

Don’t think that’s quite right. Najjarine has been dealing with injuries since February. I think he has a recurring ankle injury that’s kept him out for a while. 

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11 hours ago, jw1739 said:

That's because Newcastle aren't involved in Finals I suppose. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/a-league-based-olyroos-contenders-remain-clubs-finals-series Loans can be something of a two-edged sword.

Full squad: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australia-u-23-selection-play-four-friendlies-spain

 

that makes sense. Looks like tards and Jets u23 players permitted to go to the spain camp.

When is the Socceroos annnounced then?

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The best player in the worst team vs above average player in the best team. That's never ending discussion.  It's a hard to break back into the starting lineup even playing for the wooden spoon team. Some Under XY players are just selected as they have been part of the previous youth squads. It's all balanced out in the senior career. Typical talent situation is playing for a youth national team but not able to break into professional teams competing against ordinary players. 

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  • jw1739 changed the title to 2021 Finals (& impact of international duty, coronavirus)

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