A-League 07/08 Finals

[Wedgie]

Currently 3 nil, go you Mariners!!!

[Wedgie]

And that's the final score, what a great game and well done to the Mighty Mariners, its a pity they don't get to play the GF at home though especially when they get more support than some capital cities.

[Dirko]

Its a pity they don't get to play the GF at home though especially when they get more support than some capital cities.

True...damn you Perth & Wellington

Well done to the CCM. Best team of the season, got there in the best way possible at home, extra time etc etc. A couple of injuries which the extra week off will assist...Hopefully Newcastle bounce back and knock off the Roar...

[Dirko]

Prelim Final

Newcastle 3 def Queensland 2

Cracker of a game that went into O/T. Both sides locked away at 1 all after 90 (Queensland scored a Penalty to
take it into extra time in the 92nd minute ).

Newcastle awarded a penalty in the 103rd, and then they scored again in the 110th.

Queensland got one back with another penalty in the 118th...

Four yellow cards for Newcastle, 3 for Queensland (Craig Moore got 2, then sent off in the 122nd minute)...

Queensland GAWN !! A all NSW final with the CCM v the Jets at Sydney Football Stadium.

[RoosterMarty]

It was only a cracker because the ref thought it would be awesome to hand out penalties for fun.

The second half was terrible and consisted of long ball garbage. Penalty decisions... well the equaliser was pathetic as was Newcastle's pen. The Jets should have had it wrapped up earlier had the linesman known the offside law. Joel Griffiths through on goal and flagged offside, he had set-up a team mate for a sitter too.

The Grand Final should be entertaining though, and hopefully a little closer than last season.

[JK]

It was only a cracker because the ref thought it would be awesome to hand out penalties for fun.

The second half was terrible and consisted of long ball garbage. Penalty decisions... well the equaliser was pathetic as was Newcastle's pen. The Jets should have had it wrapped up earlier had the linesman known the offside law. Joel Griffiths through on goal and flagged offside, he had set-up a team mate for a sitter too.

The Grand Final should be entertaining though, and hopefully a little closer than last season.

Good call, the penalties were shocking ... Griffith should never have been called for offside, although his teammate should have as soon as he received it from Griffith.

Pretty sure we're seeing the best two teams of the year in the Granny so can't be too many qualms about that.

[RoosterMarty]

But was his teammate offside? It was a square/backwards ball so I would have thought it would be onside.. I'm sure someone can shed light on that.

Agree about the two best teams competing even though Jets have been largely carried by the brilliant Joel Griffiths. He is all class.
Another Grand Final with two fierce rivals competing.

[Wedgie]

Carn the Mariners!

Do it for Tony Vidmar!

[JK]

But was his teammate offside? It was a square/backwards ball so I would have thought it would be onside.. I'm sure someone can shed light on that.

Agree about the two best teams competing even though Jets have been largely carried by the brilliant Joel Griffiths. He is all class.
Another Grand Final with two fierce rivals competing.

His teammate was offside when Griffith got the ball, but my understanding is that in todays game they let it go if the offside player hasn't affected the play ... If however they then get the ball having come from a previously offside position (as this guy did from Griffith) they'll get called it for it, thats my understanding anyway but admit that it could well be wrong.

[johntheclaret]

But if the ball is passed backwards to a team mate you can't be given offside. Not that I saw the incident but that is the rule, hence you can never be offside from a corner as the only way the ball can go is backwards.

[JK]

But if the ball is passed backwards to a team mate you can't be given offside. Not that I saw the incident but that is the rule, hence you can never be offside from a corner as the only way the ball can go is backwards.

What if that player was in an offside position originally? Is it like Rugby for example where he must return to an onside position before re-joining play?

[johntheclaret]

Ahhh, this is the big question. It is a bit like Johnsons goal at b4st4rds a couple of weeks back. We was in an offside poistion and coming back on side, clearly not in play. There was at least three touches for the ball and 4 rovers players playing him onside when he came back into play, but was still given offside.

How long do you have to be onside before the original non-offence of offside is negated. As I understand it, once you are back onside, that is the end of the offside but not interfereing with play.

Like I said C_P, i didn't see the game so I can't say what happened.

[JK]

Yeah fair enough Johnny, I'm glad it's not just me that see's the ruling as a little "cloudy".

[johntheclaret]

I think one of the problems is that both players and officials all have different perspectives of the rule. I see a lot of CCC games over here as well as EPL and the interpretation by EPL refs is different than the CCC refs.

No wonder no bugger knows what is going on. Go back to the old rule. If you're off, you're off. End of story.

[Wedgie]

Crikey, we Aussies have one topic on the A-League finals amongst all the other pommy junk on this forum and it still gets hijacked into an offside talk in our biggest week of the year!

To get things back on topic it appears The Marinersonly haveTom Pondeljak in doubt with Join Aloisi feeling the best he has for a while after a nice break.

Unbelievably though the Sydney Football Stadium has 3 Rugby League Trials on the night before the Grand Final which along with the recent rain on the eastern seaboard could mean the pitch is a mess and the result will be a lottery. What a stuff up, nothing surprises me with the A-League though.

[Dirko]

Bloody disgrace that the CCM cannot host a home GF. The people of Gosford should bring the SFS down and cheer 'em over the line.

I can actually see Newcastle winning though , hope not as the CCM have been the best team all year...

[Wedgie]

Bloody disgrace that the CCM cannot host a home GF. The people of Gosford should bring the SFS down and cheer 'em over the line.

I can actually see Newcastle winning though , hope not as the CCM have been the best team all year...

Yeah, I reckon its a real lottery, mind you the Mariners dominated at home where the 2 nil scoreline in Newcastle in the previous leg wasnt a true reflection of that match which was pretty close.
At least the SFS is closer to the Central Coast than Newcastle.

[JK]

I reckon the Mariners have them covered, too much class across the board ... That said, Newcastle have a great fighting spirit and rarely give in - Will be nice to see a close GF for a change though (hell even 4-nil would be close after last season's debacle).

There Anthony, is that better?

[Dirko]

Newcastle just scored in the 64th. One nil up over the CCM....20 minutes to go....

Goal to Bridge...

[devilsadvocate]

The commentators mentioned that the sur=face of SFS was cut up a bit by a rugby league trial game which was played there last night. WTF? How was a trial game allowed to be played on the night before the GF?