Under Ange Postecoglou, Brisbane Roar won a second consecutive Championship with a little-known European striker named Besart Berisha hitting the Hyundai A-League with a bang.
Here is the story of the season
STAR POWER
Harry Kewell (Melbourne Victory)
Besart Berisha (Brisbane Roar)
Shane Smeltz (Perth Glory)
Brett Emerton (Sydney FC)
GAME OF THE SEASON
Brisbane Roar 7 Adelaide United 1 – when Dario Vidosic opened the scoring early for the visiting Reds, things looked promising, but Brisbane gave them a good old-fashioned hiding with Berisha scoring four times, including a sensational five-minute first-half hat-trick.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
See Berisha (above)
BIGGEST UPSET
Having lost to Brisbane in the two-legged major semi-final, the Mariners were favoured to beat Perth in the preliminary final, but with the scores locked at 1-1 after 90 and 120 minutes, Glory’s five penalty takers held their nerve, all scoring to take Perth through to their first Grand Final.
GOAL OF THE YEAR
Carlos Hernandez supplied the brightest moment of an otherwise mediocre season for Victory in their round 19 clash with the Mariners, receiving a low right-wing cross on the edge of the area and belting an unstoppable, curling first-time shot into Justin Pasfield’s top left-hand corner.
GOLDEN BOOT WINNER
Besart Berisha (Brisbane) – 19
PREMIERS
The Mariners took the competition lead in round 11 and held it from then on, despite being chased all the way by Brisbane, who they eventually shaded by two points.
STORY OF THE FINALS
Orange Sunday drama once more. Glory went ahead early in the second half of the Grand Final through Ivan Franjic’s own-goal before Berisha squared the ledger with just six minutes left.
Then, in one of the most controversial climaxes in Hyundai A-League history, referee Jarred Gillett awarded Roar a contentious injury-time penalty which Berisha gleefully dispatched to break Glory hearts.
