Central Coast Mariners are 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League Champions, after a 3-1 extra-time Grand Final win over Melbourne Victory.
As the dust settles after the dramatic title decider at Industree Group Stadium, aleagues.com.au bring you all the biggest talking points from the Mariners’ second-consecutive Championship.
TREBLE COMPLETE: Mariners crowned Isuzu UTE A-League Champions after extra-time thriller
Where does this Mariners side sit among the greatest Isuzu UTE A-League teams of all time?
Central Coast Mariners are treble winners in 2023-24, having secured the Isuzu UTE A-League Premiership and Championship, along with the AFC Cup title.
They’re the first Australian side to have accomplished such a feat – but where does the achievement put Mark Jackson’s side in the conversation of the best Isuzu UTE A-League teams of all time?
Prior to this season, Ange Postecoglou’s Brisbane Roar side of the early 2010s held the strongest claim for that honour. Postecoglou’s ‘Roarcelona’ won the 2010-11 Premiership/Championship double and won a second-consecutive Grand Final in 2011-12.
From September, 2010 to late 2011, Postecoglou’s Roar went 36 games unbeaten, which to this day remains the longest unbeaten run of any team in any top-level Australian sporting code.
Graham Arnold’s 2016-17 Sydney FC side is another of the competition’s greats; the Sky Blues won the Premiership and Championship that season and set a competition record of 66 points recorded in the regular season, losing just one game en route to a penalty shootout win over Victory in the Grand Final.
But the 2023-24 Mariners have achieved a different kind of success to what the Roar managed under Postecoglou, or Sydney under Arnold; speaking after Saturday night’s Grand Final win over Melbourne Victory, Mariners star Josh Nisbet said his side’s accomplishments both domestically and in Asian competition have put his side firmly in the conversation.
“You can always argue who is the best team ever in the A-League,” Nisbet said.
“But we can say we’ve had the most successful campaign by any team, that’s factual, that’s something that will be (a) legacy and I’m sure we’ll all take to the grave.”
Mariners coach Mark Jackson masterminded the Central Coast treble in his first season at the club – and although he admitted his knowledge of Isuzu UTE A-League history is limited, there’s no doubting the “special” nature of his 2023-24 squad.
“I don’t know the history that much, so all I can say is this is a special group of players, staff and club at this particular point,” Jackson said.
“They’re a special bunch, they really, really are and I can’t praise them enough. They have to cross the white line.. they have to fight, they have to execute things, and they’ve done that this season time after time after time.
“I’ll let people make their own assumptions of what kind of team we are, but I know what team we are and it’s a special team.”
Johnny Warren Medalist drops hint at playing future
As Josh Nisbet addressed the media after the Mariners’ Grand Final win over Melbourne Victory, he did so with two medals draped around his neck.
One was for the Championship, his second in two seasons. The other was the Johnny Warren Medal, the most prestigious individual award in Australian men’s football.
Nisbet admitted he felt Sydney FC star Joe Lolley was a frontrunner for the accolade, but expressed his gratitude post-game for the honour being bestowed to him after an incredible 2023-24 campaign, in which the midfielder barely missed a minute of action across his team’s league and AFC Cup commitments.
FULL LEADERBOARD: Mariners star Josh Nisbet claims Johnny Warren Medal
Then, Nisbet was asked about his future. The Mariners have a recent track record of nurturing young Australian players, providing them opportunities through the Isuzu UTE A-League and providing the platform to said players to attract interest from overseas clubs, and after the 2023-24 season, Nisbet is one of those players deservedly garnering international interest.
Nisbet says if he is to move overseas, it’s important he lands at a club where game time is a guarantee.
“I don’t know, to be honest. I’m just sort of weighing everything up and make sure I do the right move to progress my career,” Nisbet said.
“I don’t know where that will take me but I’m excited for wherever it may be.
“Definitely a league that suits me if I was to go overseas, and make sure I get playing time as well – there’s no real point if you’re just going to come back straight away.
“I feel like I’ve just got to make a mature and well-calculated step, who knows where that could be, but I just have to make sure I make the right step.”
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Popovic addresses 0-5 Grand Final record and questions on his managerial future
Melbourne Victory head coach Tony Popovic says the fifth Grand Final defeat of his career will only spur his determination onward to secure the first Isuzu UTE A-League Championship of his managerial career.
Popovic’s first Grand Final defeat as Victory boss adds to three suffered at Western Sydney Wanderers, and one at Perth Glory; Victory came within minutes of securing the title as they led 1-0 into second-half stoppage time but a 91st-minute equaliser from Mariners striker Ryan Edmondson forced extra time, and set the stage for the Premiers to win 3-1 after an additional 30 minutes.
Popovic was asked about his Grand Final record in his post-game press conference, and his raw response was followed later in the press conference by his assurance that Saturday night’s defeat was “not going to stop me trying to do it again.”
You can read his full response to questions on his 0-5 Grand Final record here.
TONY POPOVIC: Raw response to Grand Final record: ‘Why do you bring it up?’
Popovic is out of contract at Victory following the 2024 Grand Final and will need to make a decision on his future after three seasons at the club. He ended his post-game Grand Final press conference by addressing a question on his future.
“We’ll see in the next few days,” Popovic said.
“I’m sure it will all be resolved in the next couple of weeks. But for now, it’s just be with the staff, be with the players. A dfficiult moment right now, obviously, for everyone when you get that close.”
Broadcast and attendance records toppled on special night in Gosford
Saturday night’s Grand Final played out in front of a record crowd at Industree Group Stadium – and in homes around Australia, the biggest viewership for an A-Leagues game streamed on Network 10 and 10 Play tuned in to watch the Mariners win the Championship.
In partnership with Boost Mobile and the Central Coast Council, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) boosted the capacity of Industree Group Stadium for the Isuzu UTE A-League 2024 Grand Final with additional seating added behind one goal to eclipse the ground capacity of 20,059.
As a result, a total of 21,379 fans came through the gates to smash the stadium’s previous attendance record.
On Monday, Network 10 and Paramount+ released their broadcast and streaming figures from the title decider. The game reached 1.12 million Australians on 10 and 10 Play, with the audience up 12% compared to last season’s Grand Final. It was the biggest-ever A-League audience for a single game on 10 and 10 Play.
The viewing figures on Saturday night took the total number of Australians reached throughout the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League and Liberty A-League seasons to 5.72 million. The 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season saw a 16% increase in broadcast TV viewership, 33% on 10 Play and 53% on Paramount+.
