Humour and poignancy was present in equal measure in Hyundai A-League Round 4 with star athletes swapping stories and new frontiers forged.
From a grounded seagull in Melbourne to a gathering of greats in Adelaide, there were several moments flew under the radar amid the results and Remembrance Round commemorations.
Catch up with it all in this week’s Hyundai A-League Paper Talk.
TOTW: Who made the XI for Round 4?
TALKING POINTS: Perth Glory’s long-awaited rise
WATCH FOR FREE: How to watch the Hyundai A-League LIVE and FREE
Glory double up against Adelaide
Everything seems to be going right for Perth Glory at the moment.
Top of the table after beating Adelaide United, Glory were celebrating wins on and off the pitch against the South Australian club.
The league leaders were the subjects of some pre-match praise from storied Serie A side AS Roma, with whom the Reds had previously struck up a Twitter rapport.
The Giallorossi praised the “hugely ambitious” Perth as their ‘Team of the Day’, leaving Adelaide with some wounds to heal.
#ASRoma's Team of the Day is Australian Hyundai A-League side @PerthGloryFC. Hugely ambitious on the pitch, with both men’s and women’s teams, they’re also incredibly active in the local community with a number of initiatives that reach more than 20,000 children each year 🇦🇺🤝🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/J9uLGp1pOU
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) November 9, 2018
Wow, would like to hear what @AdelaideUnited thinks of this…
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) November 9, 2018
Share the love, share the love. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HVMhaRZu3d
— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) November 9, 2018
sorry fellas pic.twitter.com/xtY27Lw7y0
— Harley Mitaros (@harleymita) November 9, 2018
Doyle the wildlife warrior
Tom Doyle went from villain to hero on Friday night, just not in normal footballing circumstances.
The Wellington Phoenix defender inadvertently struck a seagull with a pass in his side’s loss to Melbourne City, before pausing play to escort the injured bird from the pitch.
The incident evoked memories of Danny Vukovic’s sympathetic act in the FFA Cup Final back in 2016.
Social media picked up on the similarity.
Sorry for the delay in updating you all, but I’m ok ?
You’d think I’d learn…
The only positive from last nights incident is the softness of Tom Doyle’s hands.
What type of moisturiser does he use @WgtnPhoenixFC? pic.twitter.com/Vyi8X9mvto
— FFA Cup Seagull (@FFACupSeagull) November 9, 2018
Good to see you are well after that.
How would you rate the hands compared to @vuka20?— Who… are you? What do you want? (@Spookywanluke) November 9, 2018
Seagull update.
It's upright. His friends are visiting him. Seagull lives to see another Aleague match. #MCYvWEL #seagull
— ??Adele K. Thomas?? (@AdeleKThomas) November 9, 2018
Hey @FOXFOOTBALL, we need red button seagull cam ASAP. #ALeague #MCYvWEL
— Ryan Steele (ライアン) (@Steelinho) November 9, 2018
Legends square the ledger
Adelaide did enjoy some success on the day with an AUFC Legends team overcoming an Australian Defence Force outfit.
The match was played as a curtain-raiser at Coopers Stadium and generated funds for the Soldier On foundation.
Former favourites Carl Veart, Lucas Pantelis and Cassio were among those on the scoresheet in an entertaining 5-3 win.
First drinks break over in the #AUFC Legends vs Australian Defence Force. @trav_dodd almost turned back the clock to score but as he said he "was distracted by an unmarked Carl Veart calling for the ball." ? 0-0.
— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) November 11, 2018
Victory fans remember Melbourne icon
There was a heartfelt moment on Sunday night as Melbourne Victory fans paid tribute to Sisto Malaspina.
The beloved Melbourne cafe owner was killed in last week’s Bourke St attack.
Fans in the North End at AAMI Park offered their condolences to the iconic local with a banner bearing Malaspina’s name.
???#MVCvCCM #ALeague pic.twitter.com/oWjzV7IAbm
— Daily Football Show (@DFS_AUS) November 11, 2018
Greats come together
Victory’s meeting with Central Coast Mariners also saw an appearance from Usain Bolt.
This time the sprint star watched from the stands following the conclusion of his trial period with the Mariners.
Bolt’s visit to AAMI Park allowed him a chance chat after the match with Victory playmaker Keisuke Honda.
Presumably, the discussion was about the secrets of being an extremely successful athlete, rather than Honda’s attire.
Legend meets legend! #MVFC @kskgroup2017 @usainbolt pic.twitter.com/YKG3aEsyNs
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) November 11, 2018
Davidson’s touching remembrance message
It was Remembrance Round in the Hyundai A-League with service men and women honoured across the weekend.
The initiative was launched in 2016 and saw commemoration ceremonies held before each fixture, as the Westfield Matildas’ game against Chile in Penrith.
Perth left-back Jason Davidson was among those paying respects with a social media post dedicated to his grandfather.
NEVER FORGET, ALWAYS REMEMBER ? Miss you Poppy ❤ pic.twitter.com/FDSuS1392I
— Jason Davidson (@jasondavidson29) November 10, 2018
Making tracks in Mudgee
History was made over the weekend as the Hyundai A-League graced Mudgee for the first time.
Players were greeted with a sensational pitch and a strong turnout from both locals and travelling fans.
The support was repaid with an absorbing 2-2 draw in the regional New South Wales town, which was visited as part of Wanderers’ attempts to connect with new communities.
And the pitch here is absolute football-porn. Best surface I’ve seen in the @ALeague. World class. #WSWvBRI pic.twitter.com/0wE4DZg1DJ
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) November 10, 2018
#WSWvBRI @ Glen Willow Stadium Mudgee – the 116th Australian National League venue since 1977
Check them all out here => https://t.co/4jgoa0R6w8 pic.twitter.com/gVhhWvLpFh
— andrew howe (@AndyHowe_statto) November 10, 2018
Thank you to all 5,067 members and fans who are here today in Mudgee for #WSWvBRI! #WSW pic.twitter.com/q9WXNOBm7i
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) November 10, 2018