Here’s what the weekend’s action taught us…

1. Heart Will Contest Finals
The alarm bells have been getting quieter since round three and now Melbourne Heart fans can be truly confident of their finals prospects. Consecutive wins and a five-match unbeaten run have lifted their side into fifth; anything less from here will be a failure considering recent evidence. Matt Thompson’s insatiable work ethic upon restoration to midfield has inspired those around him into similar effort, resulting in attacking combinations reminiscent of Melbourne Victory circa 2006/07. Now, with the return of Rutger Worm, albeit fingerless thanks to Gold Coast United's Michael Thwaite, and the addition of Adrian Madaschi, the Red and White have sourced handy depth and look as likely as anyone – bar Brisbane Roar, of course – for a top four spot.

2. Bouncy Castle’s: ENEMY OF FOOTBALL
OK, the Auckland public turned out in admirable in numbers to support Wellington Phoenix in their meeting with Adelaide United. Fine, the pitch at Eden Park looked immaculate. But for all that good, Auckland again disproved their credentials as A-League hosts when sideline reporter Harry Ngata commented that people were “still coming in up the top near the bouncy castle.” No wonder long queues had reportedly formed outside the stadium – they were too occupied by the lure of the inflatable devil. This level of external amusement should be indefinitely barred from all A-League venues lest we lose crowds to yet another foe. Likewise, we shudder to think of the potential consequences of adult football fans discovering this new post-match entertainment venue after enjoying a few too many refreshments. You can almost read the future headlines should this insanity continue: “Soccer hooligans trash historic town building.”

3. Enough Is Enough
In what was a terrifically engaging battle between Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar on Saturday afternoon with numerous tactical intricacies, we’re going to focus on one of the finer points. While the two most obvious holes in Newcastle’s bold gameplan to devastate Brisbane were a lack of marathon runner fitness and non-existent defence, there is one even more manageable factor: Ruben Zadkovich’s shooting. Most would be aware of the former Sydney man’s penchant for unleashing unrealistic bombs from distance – his coaches especially, you would think – but it has to come to a point where the midfielder’s confidence is undoing team tactics. On two separate occasions – the first just past the 10 minute mark and the second 20 minutes later – Zadkovich’s wild, long-range, incredibly unlikely attempts on goal flew well, well wide of the target. Such silly decisions can be no longer carried when your team’s entire plan revolves around building pressure on the opposition defence at every opportunity.

4. Don’t Miss It
Rejoice – the Mariners have returned, and you get the feeling Patrick Zwaanswijk wanted us all to know when he unleashed a frighteningly powerful drive to open the scoring on Saturday night. Two more followed for Central Coast Mariners, although they were a little more subtly crafted than the first. Socceroo Brett Emerton then chimed in with his first for the Sky Blues, determined to see his account opened with a with a set-piece of greater difficulty than some boring 12-yard penalty. Finally, Strebre Delovski heightened the theatre by awarding a completely unintentional and entirely comical red card to Sydney FC midfielder Karol Kisel. FourFourTwo’s Trev and Andy predicted slightly different outcomes to each other for this match in the most recent podcast, but it’s safe to say a five-goal thriller was probably a very realistic option given the history between these two teams. Never miss this fixture.

5. Defenders Still Underrated
Based on his post-match comments alone, Bas van den Brink deserved Fox Sports’ man of the match, claimed by Archie Thompson, in Perth Glory’s 2-2 draw away to Melbourne Victory. On his performance in the match itself the Dutchman deserves another level on his house when he returns home. The former Eredivisie defender was heroic for Glory in their not-so-stunning comeback and saved this lesson from being a final conclusion of Perth fans as most suffering in the A-League (it’s still quite likely to be decided that way, however). Instead, the oversight of van den Brink for man of the match honours once again proves the absence of appreciation for defenders as he did no less than both preserve and revive Glory’s hopes of managing a deserved result. Arise, Bas Beckenbauer.