Ahead of this weekend’s A-League Grand Final Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) President Simon Colosimo pays tribute to Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers players.
For both Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers Sunday’s Grand Final is the result of hard work and a commitment to success. Their journey to the decider did not begin when the finals kicked-off. It began in the first week of pre-season.
Like the eight other A-League clubs they would have kicked their first ball in pre-season with Grand Final day in the back of their minds. Unlike the majority of leagues throughout the world every A-League club is entitled to fancy their chances of making the decider. As the stats show eight different teams have contested the competitions eight previous Grand Finals.
With this in mind making it to the season decider in a league where every team has a realistic chance of success is something that should be recognised as a massive achievement, doing it repeatedly as these two clubs have is something that is truly remarkable.
It takes an utter commitment to success and perfection to be able to do so. There are so many hurdles to overcome throughout the season.
The Wanderers have had to deal with the weight of expectation and the new challenge of juggling the Asian Champions League with their A-league commitments. For the Roar the biggest threat to their season seemed to come from their own pitch, which was often far from up to scratch.
Both teams were also forced to overcome injuries to key players and the strength of their whole squads has been tested throughout the campaign. The Grand Final is their reward for doing so and why they were willing to undertake such a grueling schedule.
As I have experienced ahead of season deciders the week will fly past but it is one to savour. However hard you try to tell yourself that it is just another game you know it is not. Training will have that extra little edge to it, the media’s attention goes up another level and you know just how much it means to the fans.
Many will speculate on the impact Grand Finals from previous seasons could have but player’s performances are rarely affected by this type of thing. What they will focus on is replicating the form that has got them to the decider. The team that does this best will more than likely triumph.
On Sunday we will witness two groups of players who are more than worthy of taking the stage in Australia’s biggest club match and both have contributed hugely to the success of the 2013/2014 A-League season. Come full-time there will be another chapter written in the book of Australian football and the players will once again be at the heart of it.
