THE excitement on Rhyan Grant’s face pretty much summed up the NYL Grand Final.

As the two teams lined up for the national anthem, Sydney were clearly the more confident side. When the camera panned down the line of players, everyone in red looked like they were about to be sick but future poster boy Grant just flicked his hair back and laughed with Kofi Danning.

The game was an excellent showcase of talent and a good indication of the standard the NYL has been at since day one. The only downside was the poor turnout, although the heat and early kick-off time probably played a significant part in that.

I've gotta give props to the Adelaide fans behind Sydney's goal in the first half. I don't know if it was fuelled by beer, passion for football or they were Francesco Monterosso's cousins, but they were awesome.

The game even came with a bit of a biff at the end, incited by a was-it-or-was-it-not-a-card foul but there were no hard feelings between the guys. After the match it was smiles all round, at least for the men in blue.

The cards came out too, in the shade of red for Chris Payne. Personally, I think it was deserved but I'm sure that it was forgotten as soon as the final whistle was blown.

Rhyan Grant was, for me, the man of the final. His first-team experience was clear; he was good under pressure and his versatility and mobility showed. Vedran Janjetovic was also a standout. He was here, there and everywhere. And did anyone else notice just how many people and trophies he kissed?!

Kofi Danning had a great game but his post-match celebrations were a highlight. Gone was the generic "we're number one" hand gesture. From dancing to faux plate stealing, Kofi did it all. Let me tell you, I was dancing with him in spirit.

Adelaide on the other hand just couldn't sign off with style. I thought that Mark Birighitti played a good 90 minutes (bar the error that led to the first goal) and Shane Tobias was solid in defence but there was something missing. TO me, that something was Michael Marrone.

I still don't quite understand why Marrone didn't play the youth game. He didn't end up playing for the first team and it didn't seem that he was ever particularly likely to come on. Adelaide really could have done with him as a defensive reinforcement but instead he was stuck bench warming for the first team.

Another interesting point to come out of the match was the last minute inclusion of Michael Valkanis in the starting line-up.

This should never have been allowed.

I have said this before but I'll say it again. I am not supporter of the inclusion of overage players in youth team squads, but normally I can live with it.

However, in a grand final it is ridiculous to allow the inclusion of a player like Valkanis. A player who not only has more experience than every player on the pitch combined but who is also on the verge of retirement. Would it not have been more beneficial for everyone if Marrone had started in Valkanis' place? This would then have allowed for Valkanis to possibly play a few minutes at the end of the preliminary final as a farewell to his home crowd and would also have given Marrone the opportunity to play in the youth final.

At the end of the day Valkanis didn't provide much extra for Adelaide.

Something else that didn't provide much extra were the interviews with the team coaches during the game. I'd never seen it done before by Fox Sports and to be honest, I found it a bit annoying. Please Fox Sports, let's not delve into the world of ABC football coverage and start using sideline commentators. That is so AFL...

It's been a brilliant first season for the National Youth League. A lot of the youth players go back to the state leagues now but several of them could be on show in the Asian Champions League. I'm already eagerly anticipating next season but for now, I can't wait to see what changes NYL version 2 will bring.

In the noble words of Alex Sunasky, "Well done to yous boys".

And next season, I expect a mention in the winning captain's thank you speech!