As Kossie and Arnie shook hands after the Mariners exciting comeback against the Reds last weekend, you didn’t need to be a lip-reader to know what words were exchanged between the two former Socceroos.  “How did ya get outta that one, you sly old bugger ! ” seemed to be the general tone of Kossie’s greeting and who could disagree ?  With a two goal advantage at half-time and the Mariners looking below their best, he must have thought the game was in the bag. 

But what happened in the second half was an extraordinary turnaround, another glorious goal from super-sub Kwassie and most importantly a victory that put us in pole position to win the Premier’s Plate.  In fact, when Josh Rose did his “happy aeroplane” dance after scoring the winning goal it felt like the whole stadium was elevated 11 points clear up the ladder.  After the toughest week we’ve faced all season, Arnie’s sense of relief at the end of the match was palpable.

Graham Arnold is a man of many talents and according to some recent speculation may even possess a few “get out of jail free” cards.  Some might even say he’s used these up in the last few rounds as we managed to win matches without always dominating.

But if you believe in fate (and what football fan isn’t occasionally superstitious?) it’s hard not to see this Chinese Year of the Water Dragon as bringing further “luck” our way.  According to predictions, 2012 is particularly lucky for  :

  • Those who live by the water (Mariners, Phoenix? Gold Coast?!). 
  • Lucky colours are yellow and black (Phoenix!  Mariners?  Gold Coast?!)
  • Extravagant hairstyles are lucky (Amini, Bernie, Berisha /Bosschart?!)
  • The water dragon has the body of a serpent (CCM, slipping out of trouble) and the feet of (yes!) a phoenix. 

So that’s CCM v Phoenix for the Grand Final and Mariners to take this luck into the ACL (none of their ACL opponents live by the water). 

Superstitions aside, is it luck or good management that has helped the Mariners extend their lead in the past few rounds? 

  • Not luck: making intelligent substitutions that change games : Ollie, Hearfield, Kwassie, Sainsbury (a great signing who will prove himself further this season and beyond).
  • Not luck: having fitness levels that allow you to push through pain and exhaustion after three matches in a week: take a bow Clarkey.  (Although I did discover the shocking secret of one ultra-fit Mariner’s performance last weekend: a certain fast food ! Don’t worry, I’ll never tell….unless I need the money)
  • Not luck:  knowing when to rest players, especially youngsters.
  • Not luck : to have nurtured the precocious talent of Mat Ryan, a player whose breath-taking performance against Melbourne Heart will live long in the memory.  All talk of the Mariners success this season begins and ends with him and the praise lavished upon him is enough to go to any young guy’s head. In person, however, he’s an endearingly humble young man who seems genuinely grateful for the opportunities he’s been given.  Under John Crawley’s wonderful guidance he has developed at a rapid pace and shows a maturity beyond his years.

And there he is after the match, looking slightly uncomfortable in his Mariners' suit and faintly amused by the rapturous attention of fans. Although surely exhausted after a tiring week, he has time for every well-wisher and is particularly kind to the youngsters who idolise him.

“Good luck with the Olyroos,” we say, knowing only too well that any success will bring us ever closer to losing him.  Among speculation that he will be snapped up by some European club and soon after succeed Mark Schwarzer, I can hardly believe this is the same kid we watched in the Youth League a mere 18 months ago.

We can only hope that his precious talent is not taken from us too soon, not merely for selfish reasons but because he deserves the chance to develop further before leaving the cosy Central Coast nest. 

So how will we survive the weeks ahead without him?  Not to mention other pressures like the punishing ACL schedule, the club’s continuing financial worries and even the dreadful state of the Bluetongue pitch?

Lucky we’ve got Pasfield, lucky we’ve signed some great youth players and luckiest of all we’ve got Arnie. 

No matter how tough it gets, his faith and good judgement is all the luck we need.

"Sly old bugger !"