IN THE minutes before the first home game of the season, Viteslav Lavicka sent a message to every other team in the competition.
He chose to send that message against Adelaide - a team renowned for pace and playing for the full 90 minutes. A good team. One of the contenders. Lavicka upped the ante by turning on the sprinklers and creating the football equivalent of an ice-rink.
For the first half-hour, it looked like a folly. The ball pinged around, skidding off the surface faster than either team could handle. Adelaide and Sydney furiously chased the ball into corners and down sidelines. Both teams compressed defensively at every chance, meaning that much of the game was played 15 metres either side of half way before one team or another manufactured a break.
The chances that came on the break to both sides were well defended, but Sydney had the better - but for the foot of Galekovic and then the crab-like blocking of Fyfe, Corica could have had two goals. Of course, much of the first half action was overshadowed by the Matthew Breeze doing his best Kath Day-Knight impression, but the real entertainment was yet to come.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, and Lavicka's ice-rink became the scene for a Sydney extravaganza. Adelaide tired after an hour of chasing the skidding ball into corners and tracking back to contain the overlapping runs of Cole, Danning, Brosque and Sung. The pressing game that Adelaide play so well became just a little ragged.
Suddenly half a metre of space appeared and a Sydney team that is now two yards faster than anything that has graced the SFS before, had the fitness to take advantage. The ball pinged around the midfield with precision. Aloisi started drawing fouls as Adelaide clattered into him now just half a second late.
Cole and Danning were given free rein over the right wing, attacking at will, while Kisel and McFlynn controlled the game like a pair of quarterbacks - directing play, switching the tempo of the match (often between fast and faster) and screaming encouragement at every stoppage.
Behind them, Colosimo and Keller played a wonderfully uncomplicated game - making sure that the game was played in front of them, or not at all. Most notably, when not in possession, Sydney closed down and chased with the same ferocity as they did from kick-off. Adelaide inevitably ran out of legs.
The goal was a training ground move - a goal box 1-2 designed to take advantage of all three dimensions of the limited space available close to goal. Flick it up, head it back, strike on the volley. For a tired defender, it's the equivalent of psychological warfare.
Bridge let on post-game that he was praying for it to come off, in fear of a bollocking from Poppa for stuffing it up. But he didn't and that in itself is another message. You have to be fast and skilful to pull off a move like that in a match.
Adelaide are a very good side, who will grace the finals and then do well in Asia. Inevitably they created their own chances. But they were not robbed. They were well beaten.
Aurelio Vidmar's post match analysis said everything there was to say about the Sydney performance: One goal was enough. They kept coming at us in the second half and we couldn't put our foot on the ball, and when it's like that it makes life very hard. You get continued pressure and something has got to give.
Lavicka, on the other hand said very little post-match, but his message to the league was loud and clear.
