Here’s what we learned from the final round of the 2011/2012 home and away season …

1. They Should Think Of The Neutrals
Football tactics can be perplexingly fascinating at times, even for the vast bunch of us who are undereducated in comparison to the great minds that have long filtered through the world’s top clubs. But, if certain circumstances dictate, they can become tedious and boring, particularly when geared to the negative – the counterattack, the staunch defence, the rigid midfield and the lone attacker. These traits, though often effective in fighting a more accomplished opponent, are the bane of the neutral viewer. And really, isn’t that what football is all about – satisfying the emotionally unattached? Of course it isn’t – what a ridiculous suggestion – but football fans are often a self-centred lot, so we’ll take our cue from there and say Adelaide’s setup in their 1-1 draw at home to Melbourne Heart on Friday night was in complete disregard of our undervalued neutral interests. Say what you like about Melbourne Victory this season, they have always been sympathetic to our needs. It was much to our relief that Heart striker Eli Babalj had the armchair critic in mind when he weaved a moment of magic, but it was not enough to spare our disdain towards Adelaide’s selfishly ACL-fuelled tactics. They have the off-season to work on an on-field apology.

2. Sniffer Smeltz Is Back To His Sizzling Best
Few would have really thought that Shane Smeltz wouldn’t be a danger in the imminent A-League Finals Series, even in light of his recent drought. But with four – yep, FOURRRR – goals to lead Perth Glory to a resounding 4-2 win over Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, the man who has now surpassed Archie Thompson’s all-time A-League goalscoring record blasted away any doubts about the threat he will pose for finals-bound defences. The former Wellington and Gold Coast’s marksman’s incredible haul – which included two smart headers, a penalty and a belting on-the-turn curler – was a startling pointer to his enduring quality. From confidence boost to form enhancer and, finally, anxiety-inducer amongst the defenders he is set to duel, Smeltz’s feasting on the Victory carcass announced his intentions to surge Perth into Grand Final contention. Form is temporary, class is permanent; and while Glory’s number nine may have only just rediscovered the former, he has a pair of boots bulging with the latter.

3. That’s One Down, One To Go
If you thought back-to-back Premierships was difficult - and it most certainly is, just ask one of the A-League’s best ever outfits, Brisbane Roar – then how about consecutive Grand Final appearances? Prior to this season, the seventh season of the A-League, Melbourne Victory, typically, were the only club to have managed the feat. Now, having wrapped up their second ever Premiers Plate, Central Coast Mariners are favourites to equal that achievement, one which would be a terrific accomplishment for the oft-quoted ‘boutique’ club. Their 2-1 win away to the ultimately fourth placed Wellington Phoenix was a truly great achievement for the Gosford outfit, securing the Premiership in typically professional circumstances. Coach Graham Arnold, however, will know that despite confirming their worth as the best side over the course of 27 rounds, now is the time for his side to etch their name into the Champions’ roll call once and for all.

4. Resolve Proven For Sydney FC
It might have been anticipated that when Ruben Zadkovich glided through the home defence to supply Michael Bridges with a 26th minute equaliser that Newcastle would combine momentum with the safety net of a draw and retain their spot in the top six. But, as Sydney FC have displayed on many occasions this season,  mental fortitude is a not resource they lack, and it was that immeasurable quality which helped them pip the visiting Jets to a finals birth. Indeed, it was within mere moments of the Englishman’s goal that the Sky Blues pulled away from the Novocastrians as 22-year-old attacker Joel Chianese lurched Sydney into an insurmountable 3-1 lead. While Jobe Wheelhouse might have prolonged the afternoon’s drama by adding a second for Newcastle in the 84th minute, Sydney’s win was enough for them to leapfrog both their opponents for the day and Melbourne Heart into an unlikely fifth finishing place, and underscore their determination to extend boss Vitezslav Lavicka’s stay.

5. A Hollywood Ending May Be An Emotional Farewell
Unless the film is Goal!, Bend It Like Beckham or Tom Meets Zizou, no big-screen attraction will ever replace the Hollywood endings so often served up in the arena of football. Even then, not even the invention of an English bloke named Gavin Harris signing for Real Madrid could be so ludicrous as to match what is so often witnessed inside football stadiums. It is from that unlikelihood that Brisbane Roar’s 19-year-old Australian youth international George Lambadaridis showcased his impeccable technique in striking a late winner for his side over Gold Coast United at Skilled Park in the regular season’s final fixture. The match, a dead rubber which finished 2-1 in Brisbane’s favour, was a tight, cagey affair in which both team’s youthful line-ups fought for supremacy, and, although an encounter without meaning to the league standings, should be appreciated for the stage it allowed a host of newcomers to grab. It was ultimately Lambadaridis whose hunger outlasted that of his peers to steal the ending, which is still likely to contain a set of very different twists for its two key characters.