It’s been almost week now since the National Premier Leagues Victoria season came to an almighty halt, and having had time to bask in the sobering afterglow of the season as a whole, there’s no doubt there’s a shallow feel to how it all ended. Sure, there was excitement at the lower end of the table – pointing squarely at Port Melbourne’s Houdini act in the sixth minute of stoppage time to avoid the drop – but around it? It was just so abrupt!
So now, as the WPL continues with their finals series and the NPL Playoffs begin their run, why are we left desolate on the men’s front after an abrupt stop to the season proper? The more pertinent question remains however, which is whether the higher order were simply unable to accommodate a post-season in the NPL Victoria’s debut year or simply just circumspect in their approach to the incorporation of finals?
When South Melbourne lifted the inaugural NPLV trophy two weeks before the conclusion of the season, there was a seasons worth of ‘well yeah, duh?’ penned up to the moment when they eventually did parade their success. Hell, they didn’t even have to win the trophy off their own bat! It was Oakleigh’s stumble against the Knights – the latter pulling off a 1-0 victory in Round 24 – that sealed the title with a pair of fixtures still to come. Compare that to another Knight’s 1-0 win – their thriller in the Dockerty Cup final – and you get a cruel juxtaposition that shows just what could’ve been for the NPL in 2014.
“Our priority was obviously the Dockerty Cup – we’re not going to get relegated so we’ll play our young team and obviously build for next year.” –Andrew Marth, Melbourne Knights coach after their cup success
For many, the finals format is embedded in the sporting culture of Australian football, with the national competition having adopted the system since 1983. With it have come some of the greatest footballing memories the country has seen. This isn’t going to become another argument about the rigid dichotomy between the ‘European’ and ‘Aussie’ league system but it seems odd that the old format would be scrapped in favour of a first past the post style. Even in the European leagues, you have continental qualification to play for. Our qualification comes through the Dockerty Cup, rendering a lot of the league fodder for the other clubs. This means that rather than a top six to play for, we have to contend with just the one all-important spot.
Time could’ve been crucial in the decision that the FFV took in overlooking a post-season, with the NPL Playoff’s getting underway today across the nation. Three weeks would’ve been taken out of the footballing calendar, which would either have seen the season start early or the potential insert of mid-week games. In it’s debut year, those in charge would’ve erred on the side of safety and gifted themselves that extra three weeks to make sure they and the clubs were prepared.
“In this case [South Melbourne’s] already there, the excitement’s gone, they’ve won the league. There are nine other teams that aren’t doing anything and it’s a shame,” –John Anastasiadis, Bentleigh Greens coach
What the clubs wouldn’t have prepared for however was to anticipate contesting a sundry of dead rubbers come the end of the year, something that became a reality for a lot of the sides in the top flight. While the bottom six fought it out to retain their NPL status, and both South Melbourne and Oakleigh contending for the title, it left a host of clubs essentially playing antagonist to those two league sub-plots. Bentleigh and the Knights were lucky enough to still be in the running in their respective cup competitions, which both ran deep into the league season.
The Greens success in the FFA cup has been the catalyst for them putting out an experienced XI in the final few rounds.
“[The FFA Cup] is the main aim, because we can’t win the league,” coach John Anastasiadis revealed in the latter stages of the year.
“100% the motivation wouldn’t have been there [were it not for the FFA Cup]. We would’ve probably played kids from now on and just give them a go. We always want to finish as high as possible but when there’s nothing to aim for, it really doesn’t mean anything for us.
“We have to consider a finals series as a situation where a lot of the clubs can’t afford to have [high-quality] players from the start of the season. The finals series gives the other teams a chance to try and get somewhere and get a reward for their efforts at the end of the year.
“I think it’s been a failure not having a finals series because we’ve all built our squads around it. Now let’s not take anything away from South Melbourne, who’ve gone on a fantastic run, but last year so did Northcote. The excitement level of a finals series is that Northcote have to fight out a Preliminary Final before they played in the Grand Final.
“In this case [South Melbourne’s] already there, the excitement’s gone, they’ve won the league. There are nine other teams that aren’t doing anything and it’s a shame – they’ve been battling it out for the past 3-4 weeks.”
And that’s the final and most pressing point, the excitement that the finals series brings to the Victorian footballing community. It’s oh so teasing, especially when you consider the reception that the FFA Cup has received nationally. The crowds crave a taste of that ‘cup magic’ that can see individuals become heroes with one strike of the football. You could argue that you see that in every game, but when everything is on the line in one match, well that’s football for me.