IT WAS a hard-fought contest: blood on the pitch, the horrific crunch of heads and knees and by the end of the match more headbands than the Jimmy Barnes Appreciation Society.

At 3-0 to the home team and 60 minutes gone, it looked like another triumph for the sky blues and their bouncing supporters.

But as soon as the unstoppable Simon scored, there was the scent of steel in the air, and the unmistakable voice of Johnny Cash growling I Won’t Back Down. Goals two and three were glorious and yet somehow inevitable. (MATT SIMON ! “Say it loud and there’s music playing, say it soft and it’s almost like praying...”)

Much has been said about the Mariners’ ‘character’, their fighting spirit. This intangible and yet unmistakable quality has been mentioned by the media again and again when discussing how they manage to regularly defy expectations and astound even their own fans.

No-one better exemplifies this quality than a player like Brad Porter, whose disciplined and determined performance at the SFS helped set up two goals, though the glory went to his teammates. “Chicken”, as he is affectionately known, is the type of hard-working, criminally under-rated player who symbolises all that makes the Mariners uniquely compelling.

Time after time they are written off, dismissed as ‘grinders’ and players of ‘unattractive football’, time after time they show tenacity where others would certainly give up. If that’s not beautiful football, I don’t know what is.

Sitting among the Sydney fans, the atmosphere soon turned from celebration to silence, but at the end of the match we all agreed it had been an exciting Saturday night’s entertainment and great for the A-League, regardless of who should’ve won (US!)

What a pity then to see Kossie flouncing off down the tunnel in a huff, apparently ‘forgetting’ to offer Lawrie the customary handshake. Now perhaps we could be kind and dismiss this as an oversight. Good Old Kossie – so focused on the game, so keen to give his players a verbal tongue-lashing that he forgets his manners !

His surly, childish comments in post-match interviews, however, merely added insult to injury. There was no acknowledgement of his opponents fine performance, just “we woz robbed” and a dig at the ref. In contrast, Lawrie graciously paid tribute to Sydney’s outstanding goals and spoke of his belief in his own players.

‘Team spirit’ is a much used and abused term, but one thing’s patently clear: it starts at the top. You don’t need a degree in sports psychology to understand that the Mariners’ great ‘character’ is largely a reflection of their coach’s unfailing dignity and positive attitude.

Belief, commitment, hard work, tenacity AND the ability to remain dignified under pressure – these are the qualities Lawrie inspires in his players through his own behaviour. Kossie, on the other hand, is no role model for anyone.

Defenders of Kossie will no doubt say he’s just a passionate guy whose hot-headed reactions show his great love of football. Commentators seemed inclined to downplay his hissy fit on Saturday, perhaps swayed by a sentimental attachment to his past glories.

Yeah, we all admire Kossie’s achievements as a player, but that doesn’t give him a licence to behave like a toddler. Passion unchecked by a little grace and humility is simply bad sportsmanship. We wouldn’t accept it from our local Under-7s coaches, so why is it acceptable in the A-League ?

(Answer to last week’s secret question : Durante’s rabbit is called Ruby)