OH...what a week.

Whatever your take on Australia's failed World Cup Bid, surely the nations grounds staff, the FFA, the clubs, someone, should have taken it upon themselves to remove the 'Come Play' signs which have inhabited the A-League grounds around the country on Friday.

Nevertheless, despite the disappointment which all Australian football fans are feeling right now, we can take some heart that while the worlds greatest show will not be coming to our shores in 2022, we do in fact have a league which - week in and week out - we can support and help grow.

That, my fellow football fan, is a beautiful thing, and as has been my message to all my friends in football over the past few days, it is now up to us to continue fighting the good fight so FIFA simply cannot ignore us in the future.

Yes, it will be some wait till we're in the running again. There's a lot of water that needs to pass under the bridge. But the A-League is here and now, so grab a mate, get 'em to the game and enjoy.

It may not be the champos, EPL or the Bundesliga but there is some quality on offer, as these top moments would attest...

 

Goal of the Week

There were a number of fine strikes in the A-League this week, with David Williams commencing the action on Wednesday evening by lashing home from long-range.

Sitting on my sofa, on first viewing Williams looked a sure thing to win GOTW, but having watched the replay in which Jerrad Tyson may feel he could have done better, Williams' fine effort was relegated down the list.

GOTW likes to appreciate players who can muster up an effort in extraordinary circumstances, so Ben Sigmund's header to claim all three points for Phoenix against Adelaide definitely rates a mention.

Just how important Sigmund's strike may prove to be in the context of Wellington's season remains to be verified, but having lifted the Kiwi's into the top six, the late late winner rates a mention.

Of course, Ufuk Talay also won the day with a cracking free-kick for Fury mid-week, so the former Avispa Fukuoka midfield man also earns a spot in the noms.

But alas, this week's winner is former Brisbane Roar striker Robbie Kruse, who came back to haunt his former club with an awesome curling effort on Friday night.

The culmination of a swift passing move, Kruse simply relishes playing against his old employers, as his turnouts against them this year would indicate.

 

Save of the Week

The number of top class saves seemed down this week compared to other weeks, but the efforts of some of our custodians were still noteworthy.

Take Eugene Galekovic's fine denial of Tim Brown fro, stealing Ben Sigmund's glory in the lead up to his winner.

Or Clint Bolton's fast reaction stop to thwart Jason Culina's strong drive.

But for mine, the most telling save of the weekend came in Townsville, where second A-League gamer Matthew Nash got down low to push Dyron Daal's effort on the spin to safety.

Had Fury have taken the lead in that match, it can safely be assumed the outcome of the match would have been different.

Instead, the Jets are up to eighth, while Fury's good work against Gold Coast unravelled in the second stanza.

 

Performer of the Week

He's a guy who gets few plaudits, and as a Jets fan, I don't take particular delight in feting a Mariner.

But for mine, Adam Kwasnik was fantastic at the weekend and is another reason why Graham Arnold's men remain genuine A-League threats.

He brings versatility to Central Coast's frontline, and as Arnold himself put it, "he bided his time and is now giving me plenty of headaches".

Fair enough.

 

Top Tweets

I've trawled through the #aleague on Twitter to gauge what some of you are saying about our competition. Check it.

Mudflaps12 shared frustration concerning Gold Coast's dismal crowd situation: "It's good to see family and friends have been given free tickets to the game on the GC. What a joke!"

Patrick478 entered the referee chatter: "The A-League needs some better refs. There are a lot of angry fans that want to see some decent decisions."

Padthaigf reckons more money needs to be invested in our officials: "With WC bid over FFA should fund referee coaching, raise ref salary, and raise salary cap by 1m per team to keep stars."

While victoryinmelb promised there'll be plenty of fervour between fans and players at Saturday's Melbourne Derby: "Tell all your friends that if they want to see some passion at an #aleague match they should come to Melbourne next Saturday."

 

Follow me on Twitter at @BennyONeill