Will Booth 
Central Coast Mariners 23/24 Season Review. Photo: Central Coast Mariners. Design: Round Ball Australia
The Central Coast Mariners put together one of the all-time greatest seasons ever seen in the A-Leagues Men competition, capping its successful domestic double off with an AFC Cup to boot.
The club defied logic by maintaining their impeccable league form whilst traversing Asia as they progressed all the way to the final of the AFC Cup, with their travel totalling more than 100,000km along the journey, they would go on to beat Al-Ahed 1-0 in the final.
In one of the most exciting premiership races ever seen in the competition, the Mariners pushed Wellington Phoenix all the way to the last day where a result over Adelaide United was enough to seal the premiership.
A win over Melbourne Victory in the grand final established the Marinersβ season as the best ever produced by an A-League side, successfully defending the championship win from the previous year as Mark Jackson introduced a lethal attacking brand of football that captivated the fans from the coast.
Season Grade: A+
After losing core parts of their grand final winning squad from the previous season including head coach and Mariners legend Nick Montgomery, it was always going to be a tall order to replicate anything close to the 2022/23 campaign.
Mark Jackson was the unknown manager tasked with rebuilding the squad that had lost most of its attacking firepower and flair that had seen become such a threat to the competition.
The signings he made werenβt anywhere close to household names and after a tumultuous start the campaign, most had written off the Mariners as being a serious contender for any silverware.
It is the turnaround from the position the Mariners appeared to be in that affords an A+ rating for the team, with Jacksonβs ideologies slowly revealing themselves in the side, which would go on to become nearly unbeatable with a core of local talent and excellent signings from overseas.
Achieving the treble seemed like an impossible feat for any team in the competition, but to do it under the circumstances they did, the Marinersβ season will go down in the history books.
Highlight: Lifting Silverware on the International Stage
The Central Coast Mariners have won premierships and championships before, but what sets this season apart from the rest was their incredible performance in the AFC Cup.
Australian teams have famously struggled in Asia. Since the Western Sydney Wanderers triumph in the 2014 Asian Champions League, no team has even gone close to making it to the latter stages of either competition.
Central Coast put Australia back on the map in continental competition, as they raced away to a famous cup victory. After starting their campaign with a loss, they would go undefeated for the remainder of the tournament.
Victory against Macarthur in the ASEAN zonal final was where the switch was flipped and you could see the team begin to believe in their chances at a trophy. The AFC Cup tested the depth of this new-look Mariners side, but they were good enough to overcome all of the obstacles that they faced.
A historic victory against Al-Ahed in Oman sealed the silverware and laid a platform out for other Australian clubs to follow suit.
Lowlight: Four Straight Losses
In a season of so many highs, you have to go back to the beginning of the campaign to find any semblance of a hiccup for the squad. A horror start saw four losses in the first four rounds of the season, a position from which no team had never gone on to win the premiership.
Conversations were already being had after this run of games questioning Mark Jacksonβs tenure as coach, however previous experience of similar circumstances has given the club an understanding of how to handle these situations.
Time was given to Jackson to bed in this new group of players and the Marinersβ hierarchy were rewarded in the end with a prolific season from the squad.
It took a few rounds for the players to fully buy into Jacksonβs project, but once they did, it was apparent that this was a special group capable of conquering any team they would come up against.
Keeping the Band Together
A different struggle to those that many other sides will face during the offseason will be retaining key players as they have been unable to do after previous successful campaigns.
Mark Jackson should be the first name they look to secure as he has shown the ability to work with a completely new set of players.
With his short run into the 23/24 season, he proved that he can quickly integrate new signings into his system, and with many of the Marinersβ players being touted for big moves elsewhere, this will be an important attribute to have at the club.
Josh Nisbet is another name that the club must focus their planning around, either by throwing the recently topped-up chequebook at him, or to move forward with the scouting and signing of a replacement.
He has proven time and time again to be the ticking heartbeat of the squad and his absence would leave a gaping and seemingly irreplaceable hole in the side.
The midfield duo of Brad Tapp and Max Balard were preferred in the middle by the end of the season, with Nisbet doing his work higher up the field, so it remains to be seen whether Jackson would look to bring in a like-for-like replacement, or if multiple signings would be made to recreate him in the aggregate.
The club have already made a big stride in locking down the mercurial Mikael Doka on a three-year deal, which will see the club net a helpful transfer fee if he is snatched up from elsewhere before the end of the contract.
Individual Performers
Josh Nisbet had an outstanding campaign, and his stock seems to keep rising season upon season, culminating this year in his maiden Socceroos call-up.
He provides so much to the team in all areas of the park, with tireless defensive work and a scintillating range of vision and passing when deployed deeper, or an astute sense of movement and attacking prowess when played further up the field as Jackson experimented with this season.
In his new attacking role that sees him paired alongside a traditional striker, he highlighted the extraordinary depth he has added to his game with three goals and an astonishing 16 assists in all competitions.
He deservedly cleaned up on awards night, adding three more to his growing tally of individual honours given to him by the club.
Mikael Doka popped up countless times throughout the season with vital goals and assists to go along with his capable defending, and it was his versatility that saw him become such an important player for the Mariners.
Deployed at either fullback or higher up the pitch, he was a threat from all areas as he secured Newcomer of the Year for the Central Coast side.
- Playersβ Player of the Year: Josh Nisbet
- Fansβ Player of the Year: Josh Nisbet
- Johnny Warren Medal: Josh Nisbet
- Mariners Medal (All-rounder): Max Balard
- Coaches’ Player of the Year: Brian Kaltak
Conclusion
A breathtaking season in every sense of the word, the biggest headache the Mariners will have is the follow-up to such a ground breaking campaign.
It will be easy to be disappointed with whatever happens come the 2024/25 season, but it is up to Jackson and his staff to keep the atmosphere fresh and not let levels fall off from the high point that they are at currently.
A three-peat of championships will be the aim as the team looks to build upon the current trajectory of the club and stake their claim as one of the most successful dynasties ever seen in the A-Leagues.
You can listen to our full three-part A-League Men review podcast mini-series right now, starting with a look at the overall health of the league.