Melbourne Victory and Adelaide conducted their own two-team competition, racing each other to the finishing line for both the Premier’s Plate and Hyundai A-League Championship.
Here is the story of the season
STAR POWER
Charlie Miller (Brisbane Roar)
Mark Bosnich (CCM)
Sergio van Dijk (Brisbane Roar)
Eugene Dadi (Perth Glory)
GAME OF THE SEASON
Central Coast 3 Brisbane Roar 4: a seven-goal thriller in Gosford was highlighted by several lead changes and braces for Matt Simon and Sergio van Dijk with the eventual winner coming courtesy of an own-goal by Mariners defender Pedj Bojic.
BIGGEST UPSET
It was a woeful title defence for the Jets who finished rock-bottom, but they did manage to beat Melbourne Victory 4-2 with Matt Thompson scoring a hat-trick.
GOAL OF THE YEAR
Wellington’s first ever win over Victory came courtesy of a Shane Smeltz stunner, the Kiwi international turning away from his marker before firing a tracer bullet into Mike Theo’s top corner.
GOLDEN BOOT WINNER
Shane Smeltz (Phoenix): 12
PREMIERS
In the tightest season in Hyundai A-League history, Victory and Adelaide finished equal on points and goal difference, with Victory’s better goals tally seeing them crowned Premiers. It was hard on the Reds who had held top spot for the two months leading up to the final weekend of the regular season.
STORY OF THE FINALS
For the second time in three seasons, Melbourne Victory and Adelaide met in the Grand Final, but this was a much tighter affair than the 6-0 blowout two years earlier.
Incredibly, the Reds were down to 10 men early in the game with striker Cristiano sent off, but they didn’t capitulate.
Danny Allsopp was also red-carded early in the second half, but Tom Pondeljak’s goal on the hour was enough for Victory to edge it 1-0.
It also meant they had won all six of the meetings between the two sides in 2008/09.
