Could the Fairytale be Over?

This weekend is the final showdown between the undisputed top two teams of the this A-League season. If this game is anything like the last two games between these sides we should be in for one of the most entertaining Grand Finals since the start of the A-League. I just hope we do not end up with both sides tightening up and playing uncharacteristic football due to nerves.

Before I get onto the excitement of the weekend I would just like to point out a few minor things that have really annoyed me about this Grand Final week. The first and possibly the thing that is going to disappoint me the most is the scheduling of the game by the FFA. By playing the game late on a Sunday afternoon they have ensured that many interstate supporters will not make the trip to the game. I strongly considered attending the game however with work commitments for 9am Monday morning I was unable to get to the game and home again in time. There is a Rugby League game booked for Friday night however there is nothing booked at the stadium on Saturday night. So why would you not play this game on a Saturday night when you can attract a heap of interstate travellers to the game, the region and the state which could really do with more income after the disastrous February.

The other thing that has got me warm under the collar this week is a lack of engagement and fanfare from the Mariners on the local front this week. Apart from the open training session there has been little more than a whimper in the local paper about the Mariners win against Gold Coast. In my opinion the club has missed a possible publicity windfall, using the Blue Tongue and Gosford waterfront for a family festival and big screen to show the game live. Sure the club are telling people to go to the Leagues Club for the game but wouldn't it make much more sense to engage the families who are not only the current generation of supporters but also the future generation. How many kids are going to turn their back on being a Mariners supporter if they have these fantastic early memories of watching the 2011 grand final while sitting on the Blue Tongue Stadium pitch with the grass under them the very same that their players run on every week. I think the club has lost the drive to connect with the public and in this time of dropping crowd attendance can they really afford to lose this drive?

That's enough downer talk on this great week when the Mariners are on the verge of ruining the Brisbane fairytale. As Graham Arnold has reminded us a few times this week already the Mariners have the moral victory of the last meeting and the confidence of last week. With the Brisbane Roar having the week off will there be enough accumulated cobwebs built up for the Mariners to hurt the Roar early in the game. Is it better to play on a weekend or have the weekend off?

The Mariners have been here on two previous occasions and although the team is primarily made up of players who have not been here before there are enough of the experienced guys to hold the team together. With Wilko, Kwasi and Hutch all having played in A-League deciders before, the young guys have players they can lean on. Additional experience on the big stage from the likes of Perez and Zwaanswijk who have played in venues and occasions that could be considered larger than the A-League championship decider will be the icing on the cake for the Mariners young guys. So does the lack of A-League grand final experience work against the Brisbane Roar this weekend? They do say you have to lose a Grand Final before you can win one. The Mariners will want this statement to be true.

The only disturbance that the Mariners seem to have had this week coming into the Grand Final has been the Perez availability issue. So the question is will the Mariners be adversely affected if Patricio is not available? Do the Mariners lose a great deal of attack or defence if Mustafa Amini steps into the point of the diamond instead of Perez? I think most Mariners supporters will tell you that they will lose some experience and possibly some coolness under extreme pressure but at the same time they gain a freshness and energy that Perez does not give them. On Saturday night the Mariners attack looked much more energetic and lively when Patricio Perez left the park and Musti joined the fray. So in a Grand Final is it better to have the cool head and vision or is it better to have an up tempo high energy play. The answer may be both, which is something many of the Mariners supporters have been calling out for over the last three months of football. I would love to see a formation with both Musti and Perez playing from the beginning of the game, one or both can then be substituted for a more defensive mindset once we have the lead. But in this and all matters of the Mariners football I trust Graham Arnolds judgement.

All I know is I want to see a game with the same intensity and polish as the second leg of the major semi final.

The thing that fills me with the most joy about this game coming is the fact that the squad is so young and still developing. The Mariners have a great mix of youth and experience and the Mariners appear to be keeping the core of the team in place for next season. Arnold has repeated multiple times that this team is still improving, the young guys are still learning their craft and the best is yet to come. I hope they show that best this Sunday afternoon and they continue into next season and the Asian Champions League the same way. I would love nothing more than to see the Mariners and the Roar continue his seasons form to next year through the league and on into Asia. Maybe one of them could go one step further than Adelaide United.