THE LAUNCH of the A-League five seasons ago marked a turning point in Australian football.

Handled well, the world game would thrive in a country that loved its sport but had never quite embraced the only truly global one. Handled badly, the A-League would go the way of the old NSL, football would remain at the periphery of Australian sporting culture, and it would be decades before anyone attempted a third resurrection.

Which is why entertainment - specifically goal-scoring entertainment that would hook fans in - has been such a focus of the A-League's early years.

Fans familiar with other codes which see scores climb into double and triple digits expect some bang for their buck. And, although the ecstasy of football is often heightened as a result of the interminable agony of its dearth of goals, the A-League's fiscally responsible organisers have been only too aware that there has needed to be bang to get bums on seats. In short, Animal Farm-like: four goals good, two goals bad (or maybe just ok).

But two rounds into season five and the A-League organisers must be rubbing their hands together with glee. Not only have there been passionate local derbies, face-offs that haven't all been handbags at 50 paces, and bizarre incidents such as Fowler almost break dancing on his head and Ney Fabiano thrusting his crotch at Dodd to demonstrate, er, something, there are have been plenty of goals. Cracking goals.

Rounds one and two each yielded some 17 of them each, including goals by drawcards Fowler and Culina, a foursome by previous and already-on-track-for-another golden boot Smeltz, a draw-salvager by birthday boy Boogaard, and a 3-3 draw between Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar, with every one of the goals a screamer.

But if round two has reminded us of anything, it's that plenty of goals are good, except if they're one-way traffic. Sure, they're great if you're siding with the winning team; but not so great if you aren't.

No one would begrudge Shane Smeltz's swag of goals on the weekend - the man has a knack for finishing that makes other strikers just about want to weep with envy - but I'm not sure who wanted the Gold Coast v North Queensland ‘derby' to finish more: the North Queensland players being pummelled on the pitch or the fans forced to watch it as the goals stacked up Everest-insurmountable against them.

It wasn't so much a good, solid, evenly matched A-League battle as an are-North-Queensland-going-to-be-wooden-spooners and this-isn't-a-great-way-to-start-their-inaugural-A-League-season cringe.

And while the win was convincing and the goals quality, there was certainly an element of slightly anti-climactic Melbourne v Adelaide 6-0 grand final deja vu about it, with Smeltz replacing Archie Thompson as the goal-scoring protagonist.

Which raises some questions:

Are two goals good, four goals bad?

Are four goals good as long as you're on the winning team?

Are four goals good, as long as they're evenly apportioned in a closely fought match?

Or is everything, as far as the A-League organisers are concerned, proceeding according to plan?