It's all about timing...

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.

There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Those were the wise words of one Kenny Rogers and a more apt set I cannot think of in order to describe what was an intriguing tactical battle between Ernie Merrick and Vitezslav Lavicka, two men with the best poker faces going around who are in the process of developing an intriguing rivalry.

Before the match, both men gave a sneak peak of their hand as Merrick went with the half-fit Thompson and Kruse and Lavicka countered with the inclusion of Bridge and his own not fully fit Alex Brosque. Merrick's decision at that stage looked a little more desperate and smacked of going all-in a bit early on.

When Kruse put Melbourne one up with his brilliant effort from distance it looked as his gamble had paid off as his effort in effect cancelled out Aloisi's away goal from two weeks before.

As the match unfolded it was evident as they stared stoney-faced at proceedings that both coaches would stick rigidly to their gameplans and the result was a match that ebbed and flowed in what was one of the best games that the A-League has ever seen with both teams playing to their strengths. It was a brilliant advertisement of the game and a sign of how far the league has come in five years. In fact, you could almost say it was worthy of a Grand Final.

After Sydney had brought the tie back on equal terms through a soft penalty (I'm not denying it wasn't a penalty, it was just soft and unnecessary from Leijer's point of view) and Bridge's well-taken goal, it would come down to who played their cards the best.

And as I try to stretch this poker analogy to its nth degree it was Merrick who played his cards the best down the stretch as his well-timed substitutions ultimately decided the tie. The introduction of Messrs Thompson, Berger and Angulo all had an impact on the match and if it wasn't for the efforts of Clint Bolton, the match may have never needed to go to extra time.

In contrast, it was quite clear that Lavicka was relying on his starting XI a little too heavily, and was leaving it as late as possible to introduce his substitutes, and when he did it was a little too late.

So this time around, it was Merrick who won this round and in my book that makes it two-all (with one draw) for this season. If Sydney does make it for a re-match in two weeks time, it will definitely be intriguing as to what lessons have been learnt by both coaches in the quest for the Championship. But I guess we will have to see what Wellington Phoenix thinks about all that next week.