Network 10 commentator Simon Hill casts his eye over the Adelaide v Mariners tie to see who’ll seize the moment as the finals get underway
I’m looking forward to seeing…
Which five-game winning streak is going to end first! These are two evenly matched teams – only one point between them in the regular season. Adelaide have a habit of coming from behind, while the Mariners appear to have lost the habit of conceding late goals.
Which super-sub will make an impact? Could it be Nestory Irankunda, or Garang Kuol? Each have lit up the A-League with their late cameos this season. Both coaches have used them to great effect, and in what promises to be a tight game, could they be the clincher?
Who will win the battle between Craig Goodwin and Lewis Miller? Goodwin is the Reds talisman on the flank, but Miller is a beast of a defender who can overpower opponents, and get them tracking back the other way.
Youth versus experience in midfield? Adelaide have bucketloads of know-how in the shape of Isaias & Juande in the heart of their team. The Mariners have youthful exuberance in the shape of Max Balard and Josh Nisbet.
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Strange but true…
The Mariners have won only one of their last 11 trips to Coopers Stadium – a 2-1 win in 2016/17, thanks to goals from Roy O’Donovan and Connor Pain after a Sergi Guardiola penalty had put the Reds in front. Adelaide have won the last four meetings between the two in South Australia.
Reds coach, Carl Veart, once scored the winning penalty in a shootout to win the Pre-Season Cup for Adelaide United against Central Coast Mariners in 2006. The game ended 1-1 – Veart scoring the opening goal after seven minutes.
The clubs have only met in the finals twice – once at Coopers Stadium (2005/06) and once in Gosford (2013/14). The Mariners have won both matches by a 1-0 scoreline.
Adelaide United have conceded the first goal on 15 occasions (out of 26 games) in 2021/22 – but they have fought back to win six of those matches.
Central Coast Mariners will equal a club record if they win a sixth consecutive match – set in November-December 2011. They haven’t conceded a goal in 310 minutes – 5 hours, 10 minutes.
Danger men
Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United) – the Reds all-time top scorer is a big-game player. Remember his two worldies in the FFA Cup Final against Sydney FC? He has also created more chances than any other player in the competition, including seven assists. He has a Socceroos spot as an additional target for those qualifiers in June, and along with Isaias, is the only survivor of the Reds only Grand Final win in 2016.
Hiroshi Ibusuki (Adelaide United) – virtually unknown when he arrived mid-season, Ibusuki has chipped in with vital goals to fill the breach left by injuries to Kusini Yengi and Mo Toure. Physically strong, his tussle with either Dan Hall or Kye Rowles could be definitive. Shinji Ono stands alone as the only Japanese player to have featured in an A-League Grand Final (losing in 2013 and 2014 with Western Sydney Wanderers) – can Ibusuki help fire the Reds one step closer?
Beni N’Koloko (Central Coast Mariners) – deceptively quick with those long, loping strides. The winger has played almost his entire career in the third tier in France, but his six goals have been invaluable for the Mariners. He is looking to become just the third Frenchman after Matthieu Delpierre and Florin Berenguer to win an A-League championship.
Jason Cummings (Central Coast Mariners) – with the Socceroos World Cup qualifiers around the corner, Cummings has a big chance to put his name at the forefront of Graham Arnold’s mind – if he hasn’t done so already. 10 goals in 20 matches underline his poachers instincts, and he’s added five assists too.
Surprise packet
I’m not sure it could be classed as a “surprise” as such – but ex-Reds keeper, Mark Birighitti, has been sensational between the posts for the Central Coast Mariners, and if the game goes all the way to spot kicks, then he has form. As does his opposite number, Joe Gauci.
This season alone, Birighitti has saved penalties from Ben Waine (Wellington Phoenix), Bruno Fornaroli (Perth Glory) and Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United). The competition’s seasonal record is four, currently jointly held by Paul Izzo and Ante Covic. He was also the Mariners hero in the FFA Cup against Brisbane Roar in 2019, saving shootout kicks from Roy O’Donovan and Tom Aldred.
Joe Gauci saved two penalties for the Reds in a game against the Mariners in Gosford last season, from Oli Bozanic and Matt Simon, although Adelaide still lost the game, 2-1.
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