What did I tell you?

Finals football: the Jets will be there (finances permitting). They made Perth look average on the weekend. Simon Hill and Robbie Slater were discussing at the start of Friday's game how Perth were the "real deal". You spoke too early lads! Perth ARE a solid side. They just didn't look like it. Why? Because the Jets outplayed them, and finally scored the goals they deserved.

Yet the Jets performance on Friday night was not as good as the performance against Adelaide the week before. The difference was that the goals went in. Just like Adelaide had missed opportunities on Saturday night and should have won against Brisbane Roar, the Jets previous efforts haven't been rewarded. Now finally they have.

But before we talk more about the qualities of the team on this effort, lets look at the 'other' issue. Where was the crowd? It looked and felt like the crowd was larger than the previous home game and was certainly more vocal. But less people showed up. Huh? I don't get it and I can only think that the remedy is a combination of better promotion, the end of the NRL season and over the longer term, MORE ENGAGEMENT by the club with local clubs, players and coaches. Clearly blaming the crowd for your financial failures doesn't work. Weird eh?

Now I've got that off my chest, the game:

Losing Marko Jesic to the Olyroos turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Branko. It forced him to play a different way and it worked a treat.

The Jets now have a settled and very strong defence. The back four, and screeners in front Zadkovich and Wehrman are very solid and reliable and this allows Culina huge flexibility in the midfield and attack. He can now stack the bench with attackers, confident that even if he loses a defender (like Tarek on the weekend), he has options like Zadkovich, Wehrman and Kantarovski who can fill in.

I was surprised when Tarek Elrich came off and Ali Abbas came on. That was a really attacking move and one that showed ultimately that Abbas should be on the field earlier. He was dodging and weaving all game and brought real speed and danger to the Jets attack. That was one of the big differences between this game's result and the past few weeks. While Marko Jesic is talent, he has not been penetrating enough and has been shooting from too far out.

As I mentioned in previous blogs, Zadkovich has really taken a step up and his flick on, the one-two with Brockie and the chance off the cross-bar should tell you that. The guy has energy and skill to burn. He deserves a goal or three.

Also, having Shuo on from the start was important. There were just so many options going forward for the Jets that Perth couldn't really have known which attacker to target, and I think it was obvious in their confused performance. Then when Shuo came off, ANOTHER attacker came on in Rooney, and then Haliti! That's exciting tactics, it won the game and excited the fans. As long as these guys are in form, which team in the league would want to play against them?

Bridges. Well what can you say? "Michael Bridges walks on water". All class, he scored, orchestrated and created. He needs to stay fit! He is just so capable of picking those perfect through passes and starting the counter-attacks that he is essential. As well, he provides yet another Jets forward for the opposition to be on their guard for.

I had thought late last season that Labinot Haliti looked like a lot of huff and puff without much result at the end of it. Last night, he proved me wrong. He came on with such energy and armed with a number of superb moves that he just bamboozled Perth, literally skipping around and past their defenders. This is what we want in the A-League!

Bring on the next two games, I smell blood. The Gold Coast players have got to be feeling pretty low right about now. If Branko plays an attacking side, it should be enough to account for them.