Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 24, thanks to Mitre.
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What ‘clicked’ for Macarthur in 3-3 thriller
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Harrison Sawyer not only rescued a point for Macarthur Bulls in dramatic fashion, he enjoyed a landmark night much to the delight of his head coach.
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The former Newcastle Jets striker bagged his first two A-Leagues goals more than eight years on from his first appearance in the competition as the Bulls overturned a two-goal deficit in Campbelltown.
Globe-trotting frontman Sawyer has had to be patient with the Bulls learning to use the ex-South Melbourne frontman better following the key departures of Valere Germain and Ariath Piol.
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“Very pleased for him. He works tirelessly,” said Macarthur head coach Mile Sterjovski.
“He is a great professional at our club. Very happy for him to score his first two goals for our club.”
“It will be great for his confidence to have scored two,” the retired Socceroo added.
“Our players now know how to use him. It’s been a while – we’ve worked on a few different things with him. I felt like tonight it really clicked for us in the second half, especially when he came off.
“He showed his strength.”
Are Western Sydney still a top two hope?
After Western Sydney Wanderers’ entertaining 2-2 draw away to Wellington Phoenix on Saturday, Alen Stajcic was asked if his team still a top two proposition.
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A win for Western Sydney, who came into the contest in the midst of four straight victories, would have seen the Wanderers close within a point of second-placed Western United.
“Definitely,” head coach Stajcic said in response to the question. “I think we can beat anyone. I said that even when we weren’t necessarily n winning form or winning every week.
“We can beat anyone on any given day. To be honest, the top six or seven (teams) are probably all in the same boat.
“It’s a very, very tight league. The ones who aren’t in the top seven are only a millimetre behind. Wellington showed that today and they showed it against Sydney.
“We’ve seen Brisbane and Perth chalk up results and they’re a fair way off points-wise on the ladder but they’re not a long way off in terms of talent on the field.”
City’s unlikely hero after long-term injury that ‘could’ve gone either way’
It was an injury that almost cut short Alessandro Lopane’s career, but the 20-year-old made his long-awaited return for Melbourne City in match-winning fashion on Saturday.
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“He had a pretty serious knee injury that could’ve gone either way in terms of how much longer he would have played,” City head coach Aurelio Vidmar told reporters post-game after the team jumped up to third in the standings.
“Again, psychologically, the first couple of tackles in training, the first shot and turn play on your mind.
“But he worked his backside off and put himself in a good position. Hasn’t played for a year and to play the way he did tonight, it was a true testament of his character.”
Academy graduates Medin Memeti and Max Caputo were also on target for City, who had twice led in the see-sawing contest against finals-chasing Sydney.
“Very important,” Vidmar said of City’s youth program. “(Our) academy is doing a great job and has for many years.
“I’ve only been here a short time but to see those players develop and perform on a weekly and daily basis. Things are going really well for them at the moment.
“We’ve had to rely on a lot of them this season because of the amount of injuries we’ve had.
“It’s great we’re relying on those guys and great they’re able to develop and show they’re not afraid to play in big games.”
Adelaide coach’s view on decision that changed ‘whole game’
Penalty or no penalty? That was the question following a controversial moment in Saturday night’s wild Original Rivalry at AAMI Park.
But much of the talk post-game was a “massive turning point” involving Victory star Daniel Arzani and Adelaide defender Panagiotis Kikianis.
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Adelaide were leading 3-2 after overturning a two-goal deficit when referee Shaun Evans was encouraged by VAR to use the pitch-side monitor to review Kikianis’ challenge on Arzani.
Socceroo Arzani went to ground under a challenge from Kikianis inside the box but despite the Victory star’s passionate appeals, no penalty was awarded. That was until Evans overturned his decision following a VAR review, much to the dismay of the young Adelaide centre-back, who felt he made contact with the ball.
Arzani converted the spot-kick and afterwards, Adelaide head coach Carl Veart vented his frustration.
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“(It) changed the momentum of the game,” he said following a result left Adelaide clinging onto sixth position amid their seven-game winless run.
“I don’t know what the messaging was between the referee and VAR, but the on-field decision was Pana touched the ball and it was a corner. That’s what he gave.
“You can clearly see on the TV, and even live, that he got a touch on the ball. Then he comes over, looks at it, then says the reason for the penalty is he didn’t touch the ball.
“He wins the ball, goes out, doesn’t matter about the contact, he’s won the ball. So it’s no penalty. To say if he didn’t touch the ball, then I agree it’s a penalty but he touches the ball. You can clearly see it in the video.
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“I just don’t understand why, one he’s called over to look at it and change his decision when there’s clear contact on the ball. I’d like an explanation. It doesn’t matter after that, why?
“There’s too many times this season, you want players on the pitch to make the decisions to influence games, not officials. That’s what happened today.
“It changed the whole momentum of the game. We were 3-2 up. Yes we weren’t playing cleanly but we were there – 15 minutes to go or something like that and it changes the whole game. It gives them the momentum and they come over the top.”
As for Victory counterpart Arthur Diles, he said: “There’s contact in the box and it’s a penalty. It’s pretty simple for me. I was actually shocked that he was really quick not to give it.”
‘Come on’: Mariners boss’ bullish response to question
Central Coast Mariners are not giving up on the top six just yet.
Mark Jackson’s two-time reigning champions saw off bottom side Perth Glory 3-1 in Gosford on Sunday – their first win since January 17.
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The Mariners are 10th in the table but Central Coast are eight points behind Adelaide and their head coach is still a believer.
“You never know. Until it’s mathematically over, it’s not over, is it? Come on,” Jackson told reporters when asked about his team’s top-six chances.
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“We’re all believers. People wouldn’t have thought we could have won the treble last season but we did it.
“You never know in football.
“All we can do is keep our performances to a certain level and build on what we’ve achieved today, and see where it takes us.
“At the end of the season, we will either be in there or out of it. If we’re out of it, we want to be in a good frame of mind and finish the season really strong.”
‘They’re developing in the deep end’
It has been a challenging season for Brisbane Roar but head coach Ruben Zadkovich has been pleased with the “young guys”.
Brisbane – second from bottom – went down 2-0 to league-leading Auckland FC on Sunday but Roar’s talented youth prospects continue to generate “momentum”, according to Zadkovich.
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While Zadkovich insisted Roar need to strengthen in the transfer window, he said Roar’s prospects are putting the club in a good position moving forward, while also hinting at “one or two” debuts for players from the NPL team.
“If you looked at the team selection all season, there’s been a clear transition,” he told reporters.
“There’s a lot of senior guys in this squad towards the end of their careers, then there’s a lot of young guys making some momentum for the club. They’re developing in the deep end. It’s been a very tricky season for a lot of reasons.
“But there’s been some real shining lights and positives. Some of the Queensland youngsters who we’ve brought through, some young Sydney boys in Nathan (Amanatidis), Braz (Jacob Brazete) and PK (Pearson Kasawaya), they’re developing in massive amounts to be honest. That’s going to put the club in good stead moving forward.
“But we need, with each window, to strengthen. That’s quite clear.”
