As we left Sydney Football Stadium last Saturday night I had an overwhelming urge to wind down the car window and yell out “Hey people, the Mariners are back!”  Sure it had been a nail-biting finish after Emmo’s goal, but overall it was a beautiful win that brought all the highs of last season flooding back at last.

After starting the season as slow as the exit queues in the SFS carpark, there are now so many reasons to believe this team has finally found its mojo.  Zwaanswijk’s glorious free kick, Bojic’s accurate pass to Weemac, Bernie a complete handful and Musti’s increasing fitness all made me feel so good.  Pasfield “done good” in Ryan’s absence and made a crucial save in extra time that proved how lucky we are to have him in the squad.

But my personal favourite performance was Matty Simon, an unstoppable force whose perfect ball control to set up our third goal just made my night.  That and seeing Hutcho in the midfield once again (was that a hint of a smile when he received the inevitable yellow card ?  “Yeah, I’m Hutcho, it’s a fair cop!”)

It was a classic Mariners victory that put us up in second spot, and you just get the feeling that we’re not going to relinquish that position now without a fight.  Having recently lost Michael Baird to an Indonesian club, it looks like we may even have some spare cash to spend on a new player.  Dream on….

Looking at the weekend’s results it’s tempting to start speculating about where other teams are heading as well as your own.  As the weeks roll on, who is showing the ability to toughen up and who is showing signs of weakness ?  What unpredictable factors (injury, referee decisions, financial issues ) may have an effect on team performances ? 

Two weeks back we were all riveted to nine-man Victory’s draw against Roar, surely one of the most incredible performances in A-League history.  I was left thinking Victory had the kind of mental strength that could take them all the way this season. But 10-man Perth’s stunning fightback against them on Sunday raises some questions about just where Victory are heading. 

The Jets, on the other hand, initially looked to have had Roar’s measure last weekend and it’s interesting to speculate what might have been had Ben Kennedy not been replaced by the inexperienced Jack Duncan.  Dare I say, Roar have been showing some vulnerabilities in their past few encounters and who’s to say a pumped-up Perth might not finally crack them next week?

While Roar are still on a record-breaking roll, it’s good to see the A-League has retained the unpredictability which has made for such an enjoyable competition in seasons past.  Our rivalries remain strong, but we should feel proud of this league and our contribution to Australian sport.

That’s why I’ll be raising a glass to Brisbane next week if they make Australian sporting history.  Yeah, I know!  They broke my heart in 17 places but in the real world (apparently it exists somewhere outside of our football-obsessed universe) I’ll be so proud to know a football team has set an Australian sporting record.  I hope they get the media coverage they deserve and bring credit to the game we love.

The same unfortunately cannot be said for this week’s media focus on Sepp Blatter.  As if the events of the past year weren’t bad enough, Blatter now brings our game into disrepute once more through his antiquated attitude to racism in football.  What bothers me most is his complete inability to understand his influential position, and the huge role he plays in setting the boundaries for acceptable behaviour. 

Now I don’t know what happens on the pitch in this country, but I’ve certainly had the misfortune to watch A-League matches while listening to torrents of racial abuse by fans towards players.  Sure, it may not be widespread but it’s definitely out there.

Racism in Australian football is quite frankly, ludicrous.  If you love the game you inevitably must support multi-culturalism and all that goes with it.  The very fabric of Australian football history is woven from a multiplicity of cultural groups which continue to grow and diversify, providing us with a dazzling array of potential talent from all corners of the globe.

Indigenous Australians, refugees, immigrants: these people have shaped our football culture and will continue to do so. 

As the most multi-cultural country in FIFA, with surely the most culturally-diverse football league, I believe we are in a unique position to take a stand on this issue.  Of course we can take a “zero tolerance” approach to racism but we could also take time to celebrate the cultural-diversity of Australian football, perhaps with special events during a designated A-League round. 

So let’s genuinely be inspired by Brisbane’s sporting record this week, because Australian football still has so much more to offer the wider Australian community.