Network 10 commentator Robbie Thomson casts his eye over the Western v Wellington tie to see who’ll seize the moment as the finals get underway
I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO…
Seeing two sides with nothing to lose, two immensely talented and tactically astute home-grown coaches going toe to toe and two sets of players that have turned the tables on the pre-season fortune tellers to make it this far.
This season has been a really tough one for everyone involved in football in Australia and yet we can see just how great this sport is, and how strong the true fans’ connection to the game really is, by the excitement that builds so naturally when you come to the business end of the season.
After the thrilling jockeying for finals positions, the heart-stopping race for the Premiers Plate, now I’m looking forward to seeing the eve of a new format finals campaign and all the incredible, nerve wracking, inspiring, devastating, joyful and heart-breaking football that comes with it.
STRANGE BUT TRUE
Statistics can sometimes be misleading, and records are there to be set straight, history to be rewritten… but they can also allow us to see a little way into the future and give us some amazing story lines along the way.
John Aloisi has his worst coaching record against Wellington Phoenix. Whether it be with Melbourne Heart or Brisbane Roar or Western United, Aloisi has won just three times against the Nix in 17 attempts – his worst win percentage of any opponent. The last win over the Kiwi outfit came back in April 2017.
As fate would have it, his opposite number Ufuk Talay just happens to love playing against Western United. In his three years in charge of the Nix, Talay has lost just once and that was the first time he took on the Green and Black. Since then, he’s won six and drawn one. That’s a 75% win rate against their elimination final opponents, including a 4-1 trouncing a month ago in Ballarat.
DANGER MEN
With two sides that love to play quick transition football, chances can be at a premium. That means these sides need to be able to defend deep, go for (sometimes long) periods without the ball, soak up pressure and then spring onto the front foot.
If Western and Wellington made it this far, it’s because they know how to be clinical on the counter-attack. The danger men are the ones that can turn a low percentage transition into a clear scoring opportunity.
For the home side, Lachie Wales’s pace and direct running style is a constant source of danger to opposition defences (and also their balance). His three goals this season all came in the 6-0 hammering of Glory, but to that you can also add six assists this term. He has the third-most minutes in the WUFC squad behind ever-present ‘keeper Jamie Young and left-back Ben Garuccio, with whom he has provided the most crosses for his team.
David Ball is that man for Phoenix. Despite playing with a seriously damaged and painful toe, he is one of the first names onto the team sheet for coach Ufuk Talay who clearly loves what he brings to the pitch. The 32-year-old Ball has been swapping a protective moonboot, for an pain-killing injection and his football boots for 90 minutes a week for over a month but is just as dangerous as ever. Like Wales, Ball is Wellington’s third-most used player and has provided six assists this term and his constant running in behind, coupled with a fierce fighting spirit (he has given away more free-kicks than any other Nix player – 35) mean he is a constant menace.
SURPRISE PACKET
Without wanting to ruin it for viewers, the surprise in this match could be that we have plenty of goals! Gone are the days of Western’s ability to play out a 1-0 victory. They have kept just two clean sheets in their last seven while the Nix come into the finals with the worst defence of any side in the finals. With just three draws all campaign, their Jekyll and Hyde season has seen them ride the coat-tails of their forwards who are starting to hit the mark. It looks like goals will be the salvation of whoever goes through.
