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The Australian Championship 🇦🇺🏆

Glenardo said:
They’ve still got a decent core of the squad, but they’ve lost their coach and a couple of players since the end of the npl. I’m having a mental blank re which players off the top of my head.

Again, they did very well to win it, it’s not surprising you hadn’t heard of them, their first ever year in npl 1 was in 2023, they’d been in the lower leagues before that and certainly weren’t tipped to win it this year, very much a Leicester esque situation
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you could say a Leicester I suppose.
All timing eh and how the usual suspects perform.
They killed the 1st round this season compared to many of us dropping points though yours was right in there if I recall right.
SMFC59 - they were in PL2 for over 10yrs.
Mid to high table - won PL2 2015 and runners up '20.
Small local club incl strong W rep teams as well.
Run very professionally, they run like a by product of the curriculum - attacking flair but Very disciplined as you can see in games.
A minnow that has punched above its weight and seized the opportunity.
Apart from the good gaffa 4/5 good players left.
Jap import Okubo past season, 18goals from 27 games now gone to play in HKong - if they had this guy for the Championship may have been the diff many games.
They are a recycle and rinse squad - whoever they put on have been trained very well.
They will give you a good run but @ Lakeside the advantage should get you over the line.
 
Glenardo said:
They’ve still got a decent core of the squad, but they’ve lost their coach and a couple of players since the end of the npl. I’m having a mental blank re which players off the top of my head.

Again, they did very well to win it, it’s not surprising you hadn’t heard of them, their first ever year in npl 1 was in 2023, they’d been in the lower leagues before that and certainly weren’t tipped to win it this year, very much a Leicester esque situation
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Appreciate the update.

These are the types of matches South tends to slip up on. We saw it against the Metrostars and Hobart Olympia in the old national NPL playoffs.
 
southmelb said:
Im not that fussed with Preston missing out, yes it would have been a huge crowd but its a team we now play regularly in Victoria so im not fussed. I'd rather Spirit/Metrostars and one of Apia/Marconi over the teams from here that we usually play.

If results go as expected i see Avondale being sent to Sydney to play the Apia/Marconi winner as the other semi is a very good chance to be an all Melbourne clash.
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Same here..... Sets us up for, more than likely, home semi and maybe even all Melbourne final?
 
SMFC1959 said:
Appreciate the update.

These are the types of matches South tends to slip up on. We saw it against the Metrostars and Hobart Olympia in the old national NPL playoffs.
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That’s right as LFC said, okubu is a big out for them
 
Glenardo said:
Hopefully Hellas do get through, if the semis end up being Hellas v Alexander and APIA/Marconi v Avondale I dare the FA will be pretty happy with that
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A South vs Heidelberg semi final would draw a pretty large crowd. You could be looking at around 7K-8K crowd for that match alone. Interesting to see who will keep the match revenue !
 
SMFC1959 said:
A South vs Heidelberg semi final would draw a pretty large crowd. You could be looking at around 7K-8K crowd for that match alone. Interesting to see who will keep the match revenue !
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Dare say the FA based on previous. Hopefully they atleast put it back into the comp. Hopefully APIA v Marconi can get close to 5k
 
biggiemic said:
2.5k is good, but they had 4.5k the first game, where did the rest of the fans go, or where they Sydney United supporters?
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Yea probably would have been a fairly even mix of supporters of both clubs that night based on what I saw.

As I’ve said, I think around 2k give or take is probably the average base support for the 4 Sydney foundation clubs of APIA, Marconi, Olympic and United. A bit more if they’re doing well/for bigger games, a bit less if they’re having issues or weather isn’t good etc
 
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I'm no real fan of "metrics" - I think we all can see is positives compared to general regular season support days.
Its all 100% up mostly and rightly so for the comp is getitng backing commercially like never before and its the first step into the water.
I'll be really curiousand can't wait how it all looks end of next season.
Crowd numbers may have been a bit more UP IF SU one wasn't treated like they have been and their unfortunate timing of the bad management that prevailed but it is what it is.
That first night I feel it was good % APIA compared to SU's and a good % of interested neutrals I reckon.
 
SMFC1959 said:
A South vs Heidelberg semi final would draw a pretty large crowd. You could be looking at around 7K-8K crowd for that match alone. Interesting to see who will keep the match revenue !
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If its at Lakeside and designated as a neutral venue then we wont be able to open our social club.

I dont want to keep disrespecting Spirit and Metrostars by looking ahead as anything can happen but i do wonder if the free AAMI Park could be an option.

7-8k is so much better at Lakeside though.
 
southmelb said:
If its at Lakeside and designated as a neutral venue then we wont be able to open our social club.

I dont want to keep disrespecting Spirit and Metrostars by looking ahead as anything can happen but i do wonder if the free AAMI Park could be an option.

7-8k is so much better at Lakeside though.
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My view is slightly different without knowing the specifics of any ground arrangement deal. I couldn’t see why Football Australia would prevent the opening of our social club.

If Football Australia was looking at reducing its liability and exposure, it would just handover all the costs to South and South would keep any generated profit.
 
SMFC1959 said:
My view is slightly different without knowing the specifics of any ground arrangement deal. I couldn’t see why Football Australia would prevent the opening of our social club.
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Social club was closed off for npl gf and australia cup final. My understanding is that it only opens if South are the hosts.
 
southmelb said:
Social club was closed off for npl gf and australia cup final. My understanding is that it only opens if South are the hosts.
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That's a perfectly understandable assumption based on those 2 events. Given South may be involved, I hope we are allowed into our social club.
 
southmelb said:
Social club was closed off for npl gf and australia cup final. My understanding is that it only opens if South are the hosts.
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Didn't go to either so I didn't know .... In the case of a SF final between us and Alex 'n Ross, won't we be hosting as a "foundation member" anyway?
 
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