What a coincidence. The week that the Western Sydney Wanderers play off for a spot in the A-League grand final in their inaugural season (just two games away from completing one of the most extraordinary debuts in world sport), Andrew Demetriou makes the trip to Sydney to run his eye over the operation of the Greater Western Sydney Giants. And pose for a photo with Kevin Sheedy. And declare his extreme satisfaction with their progress. And remind us (and the top end of town) that the AFL will do “whatever it takes” to ensure GWS’ success.

We should have expected it – these are standard AFL playbook tactics when any opposing code is in the limelight; you can count on an AFL expansion-type story in the lead-up to the first State of Origin.

Sydney’s western suburbs can rightly feel pretty special in a sporting sense of late. They have had these new teams showered upon them, and have attracted a whole lot of new attention from rugby league types, keen to shore up what they consider their bastion. But the fact is there have always been more kids playing soccer there than any other code, and the Wanderers’ lively support base reflects this.

But their success sure has the other codes worried.

We just wonder whether the round ball voters in that region will remember how it all happened on that “other” one day in September this year – election day. Don’t forget the club only got its financial kickstart when Julia Gillard committed $8 million to the development of soccer in Sydney’s west, including the financing of the Wanderers as a start-up. The club is still owned by the FFA.

Strange days.