Here’s what we learned from the round’s events …

1. No Broich, Lesser Brisbane
It’s the headache Ange Postecoglou was always likely to encounter: with Matt McKay gone, Thomas Broich has become the sole heartbeat of Brisbane. It would be silly to assume Roar will continue crumbling to losses in the German’s absence – they aren’t yet ‘Broichbane’ – but his absence is undoubtedly more harmful than just a club missing its best player. Mitch Nichols is capable of being the key presence in a midfield contest but as yet is unable, whether by pass or dribble, to inspire teammates like Broich so often does. Brisbane have been unable to perform the finer aspects without their orchestrator and, in his absence, will fail to hit the heights to which he can lift them.

2. The Rivalry Builds
Mirjan Pavlovic’s lunging hack from behind on Steve Pantelidis in the final minute of Wellington Phoenix’s 1-0 victory over Perth Glory was reckless, dangerous, unnecessary and a clear red card. Unfortunately, it was just another vicious chapter in what is fast becoming the most hostile rivalry in the A-League. Fans of the two clubs have long held grudges dating back to the days of the inaugural league Rivalry Round, where disdain was formed on the battlegrounds of geographical and ladder proximity. As the mouth-watering precursor to Saturday evening’s ‘main course’ of comparatively sedate clashes, however, FFA head honchos are unlikely to be too concerned by the prospect of another boiling pot of emotion in their fixture list. Fan lock-ins won’t be far away in this one.

3. Mariners Destined for Top
From laboured to stable and now flying, Central Coast Mariners have wiped clean Brisbane’s lead at the top and are every chance to leapfrog the Queensland club in the very near future. Graham Arnold certainly deserves every plaudit heading his way for navigating his playing staff through circumstances beyond his control in recent weeks and will be as determined as ever to see his side seize on the reversal of fortunes at the top of the A-League ladder. Having disposed of nearest rivals Newcastle Jets with ease on Saturday, the Mariners appear destined to jump into pole position at some point. With the former Socceroo in charge, you can be sure they won’t let it slip without a fight.

4. Adelaide Well Unified
Adelaide United will have worked as hard as ever on building a team rapport over the last few weeks – and hasn’t it paid dividends? The Reds may have been fortunate to escape with a point in their blockbuster encounter with Melbourne Victory on Saturday night (which, was labelled a “now or never” moment for the South Australian club – meaning a draw must equate to some kind of temporary purgatory) but don’t let that overshadow their success in unifying the squad. It all came together in the 86th minute: having visions of his equalising strike only minutes earlier, Fabian Barbiero stumbled to the ground in dizzy elation. Not wanting his teammate to feel isolated, Iain Ramsey scrambled to check Barbiero’s health only to discover a knock of his own. The drama then enveloping Francisco Usucar became all too much for the South American import as he collapsed in a ball of emotional anguish. It may have looked silly – in fact it looked as downright ridiculous as that old MotoGP synchronised crash footage – but kudos to the Adelaide players for sticking together, just like good waffles.

5. Weather Ruins, and Saves, Football Matches
If we didn’t learn it last weekend, we sure did this time around – strange weather makes for strange football matches. Further, it can make or break the quality of a fixture – even managing to do both in Gold Coast United’s draw with Sydney FC on Sunday afternoon. In a mostly dull match not assisted by tough conditions, it was the attempts, or lack thereof, to circumvent the limitations which made for the most compelling intricacies. Where Gold Coast ‘keeper Glen Moss resorted to the understandable measure of punching clear crosses, his opposite number Liam Reddy took to combating slippery conditions by heading – yes, heading – the ball clear from within his own penalty area. This wasn’t to inspire Peter Jungschlager to deviate from his normal course of action, though, as the Dutchman attempted not once, but twice, to deliver a long throw in the 37th minute – both failing to clear the first man, of course. Questionable decisions indeed, although neither were matched by referee Ben Williams’s failure to award a yellow card for simulation to Sydney’s Shannon Cole having dished out the same punishment to Gold Coast speedster Ben Halloran for an equal, if not lesser, felony. We guess Cole just slipped, or something.