Poletti 
Ben Gibson in action during warm-ups prior to the Jets match vs Macarthur in Round 2 of the 2024/25 A-League Men. Photo: Texi Smith
With 26 goals across the weekend, time wasting shenanigans, and the first dropped points for Auckland; Round Ball Australia keeps you up to date with all the big story lines emerging from Round 8 of the A-League Men competition, with Sliding Doors.
Central Coast Mariners
IF the Mariners had bought themselves some time with fans after their win against Sydney last week…
THEN the goodwill has already dissipated and time is running out.
After a tough-fought win over Sydney, it might have looked like the Mariners of old were back. But judging the team after their lacklustre performance against Adelaide, it looks like the red card did a lot of the heavy lifting.
With the exact same starting XI named for this match as they had against Sydney, Jackson might have been feeling hopeful pre-match that he had found the formula that would breathe life into the Mariners’ season, but what he found instead was an uninspired performance in all areas of the pitch.
Adelaide are a team that have been beatable in a lot of their games so far this campaign, and although they remain undefeated, looked ripe for the taking away from home.
Instead they stifled everything the Mariners had to offer, with Jackson increasingly looking like he is out of ideas.
Was last season a flash in the pan? Has he been figured out tactically by other managers, who have had the off-season to take time and identify exactly what it was that made last years’ side so special?
Or is it a question of the replacement signings not yet clicking like last season’s squad did, who could rely on a core that had spent years on the coast?
My gut tells me it’s a little bit from column A, but mostly from column B, as none of the signings are yet to make any real impact this year.
The Mariners have benefited over the last few years with a few of their punts in the transfer market paying off, but this season looks like one too many, and their strategy might have finally caught up to them.
Will Booth
Adelaide United
IF Adelaide needed a statement win to prove their worthiness at the pointy end of the table…
THEN a 4-0 drubbing over the Mariners will have even the most professional of doubters starting to believe.
Not only was it the Reds’ first convincing performance of the season, but it was against a team who in recent years has had Adelaide’s number.
Not a single Adelaide player put a foot wrong: the usual punching bags of Delianov and Kitto kept their noses clean – indeed they played excellently.
Zach Clough’s fine form continued, bagging a couple of assists, and it seems the attacking unit for Adelaide, even with changes forced through Ben Folami’s suspension, is dynamic, exciting and potent in front of goal.
Notably, though, Adelaide kept the Mariners humble, limiting the Gosford side to only a handful of decent chances in the first half, before turning on the jets and running away with the game in the second 45.
Sure, the Mariners are struggling with form and look a shadow of their former selves. But, this is also a side who managed a big scalp over Sydney just the round prior, and are now fully focused on defending their A-League title with their Asian hopes expired.
Carl Veart and Ernest Faber deserve plaudits for the work they’ve done in the off-season to rejuvenate the squad and get them playing fun, dynamic and effective football with a distinct identity – something that was a big grievance from last season.
Perhaps this is an elephant in a tree situation and Adelaide are destined to fall down: even the side’s biggest optimists would have imagined an undefeated start through 7 games as fantastical. The best start in a decade. And yet earnt through merit.
Adelaide’s biggest test yet comes next round back home at Hindmarsh against the ever-threatening Sky Blues. But with the form they find themselves in, even Adelaide’s biggest doubters would be hard pressed to imagine it impossible the Reds aren’t able to come away with a result yet again.
Jacob Stevens
Wellington Phoenix
IF the Phoenix really are experiencing a “hangover” from last year as Chiefy suggested post match…
THEN a fully fit Marco Rojas could just be the tonic they need.
Setting a new Australian top flight record of 5048 days between competitive starts for the same club (per Andrew Howe), the sight of the one dubbed “Kiwi Messi” back in a startling lineup for the Wellington Phoenix was a joy.
The combination of him and Kosta Barbarouses was a burgeoning glimpse of what’s to come for the ‘Nix, and is hopefully a source of optimism for a group that Giancarlo Italiano described as one that is reset from last season.
At least in his eyes it has. It’s important to reinforce that message, because given the amount of squad rotation that happens in the A-League, especially for a ‘smaller’ team that experiences success, it’s unrealistic to expect the same belief to carry over year-to-year.
So a new source of optimism is required, and the brilliance of Marco Rojas pulling the strings in the final third could be just that, if he can start to run out longer periods of matches.
Lachie Avil
Macarthur FC
IF Mile Sterjovski is considered one of the calmest and most stable managers in the league…
THEN are we sleeping on the Bulls as one of the most unpredictable teams?
6-1 wins against Perth and a 4-4 draw against Brisbane, to a home loss to the Jets and a road win against Wellington, Macarthur are a genuine uncertainty whenever they step out onto the pitch.
From the temper of Valere Germain, to the at times brash nature of challenges from Luke Brattan (who was extraordinarily lucky to not pick up a yellow card in this game), the energy on the field is sometimes a complete juxtaposition to their coach in the dugout.
Nonetheless, an away win to Italiano’s Wellington will always be a scalp. They’re still a game ahead of most of the competition, so on points per game they’re tenuous, but to be sitting in fifth place after what has felt like an extremely inconsistent start to the season means there’s plenty of upside.
If consistency follows over the coming months, there’s no reason why the Bulls can’t establish themselves firmly within the top six, and perhaps even higher.
Lachie Avil
Sydney FC
IF there were question marks over Ufuk Talay’s gung-ho attacking approach before the match against Western United…
THEN they certainly won’t be disappearing anytime soon.
Allowing a slow-starting Western United to put four goals past you when they had only scored seven goals over the previous seven rounds has started to put doubts over the legitimacy of Sydney FC as title favourites, as many had them prior to the season starting.
Western took the lead on three separate occasions, highlighting the vulnerability at the back that was Sydney’s biggest concern coming into this campaign.
With Leo Sena rested, Talay opted to replace him with a completely different profile of player in Adrian Segecic, who has usually been used out wide or in the number 10 role.
This gave dividends in the attacking sense, with Segecic bagging a double of fantastic goals, but in the defensive third the weaknesses were felt.
Anthony Caceres was not able to extinguish all of the fires while occupying a single-pivot defensive midfield role, and Western broke quickly and exploited the space behind Sydney’s front line.
Talay would be hoping the issues resolve themselves when Sena comes back into the starting lineup, otherwise he may have to start rethinking his approach if he wants to be in the hunt for the title.
Will Booth
Western United
IF Adelaide and Central Coast have been known as the high performing youth teams of the past few years…
THEN Western United are building their case to be the case study of 2024/25.
From Noah Botic’s poachers finish to make it five goal contributions in the past four games, Abel Walatee’s second ever senior professional goal, and Dylan Leonard’s dribbling prowess to go past several Sky Blue attackers in his own box to escape to safety, the youth from the West are starting to put on a show.
There’s plenty of other names who have escaped mention as well. It all builds to the promising conclusion that the future at Western looks pretty bright.
One of the best things they did in this game was to not be too adverse to risk when moving the ball forward and act with decisiveness in the final third.
For the first two goals specifically, it was Hiroshi Ibusuki’s little flick-ons instead of recycling back possession like we so often see in the A-League.
But here, Ibusuki chose to take a slight risk, and take as much advantage as possible of a Sydney FC side who everyone knows by now can be extremely vulnerable in transitional moments.
To beat one of the widely considered contenders for the league will do great things for their confidence, and they’ll need every bit of that next week when they travel to take on the still-undefeated Auckland FC.
Lachie Avil
Western Sydney Wanderers
IF Brandon Borrello manages to score two goals every game…
THEN it still might not be enough.
Watching Borrello return to stellar form after a run of unfortunate injuries is fantastic news, and the Wanderers are better for it.
The 29-year-old Socceroo scored a brace against his former club, including a peach of a knuckleball free-kick to once again demonstrate his leadership in more ways than one.
Before the season started, many were well aware of the attacking flair Alen Stajcic had at his disposal. The question was always going to be how the defence would hold up — especially after the loss of the influential Marcelo in the off-season.
Yes, the back four were suspect yet again at times against the Roar in the first 45 minutes, but it was the little things such as losing the ball in dangerous areas, not making the right decisions, taking too much time on the ball (Nicolas Milanovic was prime example for Brisbane’s second goal) and slow build-up play. Those aspects will put even the best defence in world football under distress.
Is Stajcic capable of sorting out these issues before the attacking productivity ultimately goes to waste?
Christian Montegan
Brisbane Roar
IF that second half performance represents where the club is headed…
THEN it’s a remarkable fall from grace.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s Vince Rugari put it best when he wrote on X: “Remember what Brisbane Roar used to stand for? This is the antithesis. Once upon a time they were the best advertisement for the A-League. Now…”
That was in reference to the Roar’s blatant time wasting tactics in the second-half to hold out for a 2-2 draw against the Western Sydney Wanderers at CommBank Stadium — a point they won, but at what cost?
In the 96th minute, cameras panned to Ruben Zadkovich rubbing the back of his hamstring, instructing one of his players to fall to the ground with cramp. In a league that is already struggling for eyeballs and attendance figures, that is nothing but a shameful look for the competition.
It is no secret that this is a rebuilding process for the Roar. They don’t have the talent available compared to many clubs in the league. However, with one point out of a possible 18 before the Wanderers fixture, what message does that send to fans about the ambition of the football club with no relegation?
This is a club which were referred to as ‘Roarcelona’ under Ange Postecoglou with a clear attacking identity who were a joy to behold. Now, they’re not so much the opposite, because they do display flashes of entertainment when they want to, but consistency is a massive issue.
Christian Montegan
Perth Glory
IF you thought things couldn’t get worse for the Glory…
THEN clearly a 4-0 loss to a similarly-struggling Jets side is just par for the course.
What can be said about this side that hasn’t been said a million times already?
They’re just poor across all facets of the game: defensively there’s no mettle and no mental resilience, in progression the team makes silly mistakes, and there’s a lack of creativity in the final third to service the likes of Adam Taggart.
It was complete capitulation on the pitch, only days after drama in the office – the ATO arranging court hearings to have liquidators appointed to the club. Fortunately, it was a mix in communication related to a tax bill that spurred all that – something Ross Pelligra has vowed to rectify. But still… salt in the wound and all that.
And yet somehow Perth managed to draw a crowd larger than the Mariners had, a testament to the quality of the fanbase to stick with the club through tough times.
And perhaps that’s about the best silver lining that Perth fans can draw – that they’re still dedicated and still turning up. Because Heaven knows the players certainly haven’t turned up this season.
There is lots of work for David Zdrilic and Stan Lazaridis to do in the January transfer window if they want to even think about respectability this season. Alternatively, they write it off completely, back Zdrilic through this poor form, and hope to turn a page next campaign.
Whatever the solution, there’s something that needs to be done. Because this is as bad a side has looked in the A Leagues for quite some time.
Jacob Stevens
Newcastle Jets
IF a game against Perth represented the Jets’ best opportunity at a good result this season…
THEN Stanton will be pleased his side was able to get the job done in comprehensive fashion.
It was a tough watch last weekend – the Jets struggling to create against a 10-man Adelaide. But they turned a corner against Perth, and put together a solid performance that has been the bugbear of Robbie Stanton during his stint in charge in Newcastle.
Sure, it was only Perth. But few other teams represent as big an opportunity for a side like the Jets to find some form and really start to build their season. And they did just that.
It was a pure team effort – every player stepping up to deliver. And that’s what the team has really needed.
So many times the Jets have turned wins into draws and draws into losses with momentary lapses, silly mistakes, poor individual play and a lack of cohesion. So it was refreshing to see them keep their boot on the throat of the Glory.
There’s still a lot of work to do to break away from that bottom grouping of teams – especially with Western United starting to find form – but this game at least serves as a starting point.
It also sets a standard. You’ve shown what you can do – now go and do it regularly.
Jacob Stevens
Melbourne City
IF Aurelio Vidmar chose to stick with Patrick Beach after his error at feet in the Melbourne Derby…
THEN his resolve will be challenged again after Beach’s fault cost his side 3 points against the invincible Auckland.
Vidmar has reiterated the same tune pretty consistently so far this season in regards to City’s pre-established plan in preseason to blood Patrick Beach over the experienced option of Jamie Young.
But, despite a slight tongue in cheek as he said it, Vidmar said post-game that he’d have to have a sleep on who to start in the net for next week’s Melbourne Derby.
Whilst the long term play is obviously to back Beach after now two significant errors that in this case cost his team a win, does Beach have the resolve to be able to face his demons head on in one of the biggest games of the season?
Early indicators suggest he’s got a pretty stable head on his shoulders, but the assuredness of Jamie Young waiting on the bench might just be a tempting option for Vidmar as they look to seriously bed down their late season expectations.
Lachie Avil
Auckland FC
IF the Black Knights’ lack of travel meant they hadn’t yet had a ‘true’ A-League experience…
THEN a mole-hill own goal and keeper howler to keep your undefeated streak alive is as about ‘true’ A-League as you can get.
Welcome, Auckland. There’s a pretty hefty supply of peak A-League to get you through the holiday period.
There was a lot working against them this week. Injuries to Louis Verstraete (1-2 weeks) and Dan Hall (2-3 months) forced some late squad rotation, for just their second trip across that Tasman and first proper away day.
On the balance of play, the draw seemed a fair result, which given all the obstacles they’ve had to face, Steve Corica would have to be pretty happy with.
Although, maybe he is not. Auckland have been setting some pretty high standards for themselves so far this season, both on and off the field.
So whilst the perfect record is gone, the undefeated one survives. How will they go next week against a freshly motivated Western United, and will there be more peak A-League factors at play?
Lachie Avil