2024 A-League Men Grand Final

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2024 A-League Men Grand Final
The match will take place at Central Coast Stadium
Event2023–24 A-League Men
Central Coast Mariners Melbourne Victory
Date25 May 2024 (2024-05-25)
VenueCentral Coast Stadium, Gosford
RefereeAlex King
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The 2024 A-League Men Grand Final, known officially as the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final, is a soccer match that will be played between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory on 25 May 2024 at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford, Australia. The match will determine the champion of the A-League Men and is the 19th A-League Men Grand Final, the culmination of the 2023–24 season.

Background[edit]

Central Coast Mariners were playing their second consecutive A-League Men Grand Final, the first time in the club's history, having won in the previous Grand Final against Melbourne City.[1] The Mariners came into the final as premiers[2] and previously won the minor premiership twice in the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, making four Grand Final appearances during that time.[3][4] The club also won the AFC Cup during their 2023–24 campaign and were competing for the first treble achieved by an A-League club.[5][6] For Melbourne Victory, the club were playing in their seventh Grand Final and their first since 2018 where they won their fourth championship.[7] Victory's Tony Popovic will make his fifth Grand Final appearance as head coach, having done so three times for Western Sydney Wanderers and once for Perth Glory in the 2019 final, all of which have ended in defeats.[2] Popovic took Melbourne Victory to one final, winning the 2021 FFA Cup.[2]

Previous finals[edit]

In the following table, finals until 2004 were in the National Soccer League era, since 2006 were in the A-League Men era.

Team Previous grand final appearances (bold indicates winners)
Central Coast Mariners 5 (2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2023)
Melbourne Victory 6 (2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018)

Road to the final[edit]

See also: 2023–24 A-League Men and 2024 A-League Men finals series

Summary[edit]

Following the regular season, a five-week Finals Series is played to determine the winner of the A-League Championship. The top two highest-placed teams are given a bye into the semi-finals, while third to sixth are drawn into the elimination finals; both third and fourth hosts against the sixth and fifth-placed sides respectively.[8] The winners progress to a two-legged semi-final, first introduced in the 2021–22 season,[9] with the first leg played at the home stadium of the lowest-ranked club.[8] Both legs' results are put into an aggregate score to decide the winner that will face each other in the Grand Final. If the aggregate scores are level, the second match will go into extra time, and then to a penalty shoot-out if the score remains level.[10] The Away Goals rule is not used in the semi-finals.[10] The finalists who placed highest on the table will host the Grand Final.[8] The finals series will also utilise a video assistant referee (VAR) announcement for the first time in the league's history which allows referees decisions to be announced after a video review. The A-League became the first league of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to implement this.[11]

In the 2023–24 season, Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix were the two highest-placed teams. The Mariners won the premiership in the last game of the season after a 2–0 win against Adelaide United on 1 May 2024.[12] Prior to that match, Wellington held a one-point lead in first.[13] Both teams were given a bye to the semi-finals.[8][14] Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC finished in third and fourth respectively and acted as hosts for the elimination finals. Macarthur FC and Melbourne City rounded out the top six after placing in fifth and sixth respectively.[15] The second match of the elimination final had its scheduled time changed from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (AEST) on 5 May.[16] Sydney FC played Macarthur on the day before at Sydney Football Stadium and defeated the Bulls 4–0 to progress to the semi-final.[17]

Central Coast Mariners Round Melbourne Victory
2023–24 A-League Men 1st placed / Premiers
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 Central Coast Mariners 27 55
2 Wellington Phoenix 27 53
3 Melbourne Victory 27 42
4 Sydney FC 27 41
5 Macarthur FC 27 41
Source: A-Leagues
 Regular season 2023–24 A-League Men 3rd placed
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 Central Coast Mariners 27 55
2 Wellington Phoenix 27 53
3 Melbourne Victory 27 42
4 Sydney FC 27 41
5 Macarthur FC 27 41
Source: A-Leagues
Opponent Score Elimination-finals Opponent Score
Bye Melbourne City 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) (H)
Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg Semi-finals Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
Sydney FC 2–1 2–1 (A) 0–0 (H) Wellington Phoenix 2–1 0–0 (H) 2–1 (a.e.t.) (A)

Central Coast Mariners[edit]

See also: 2023–24 Central Coast Mariners FC season

Central Coast Mariners' opponent for the semi-final was drawn to be Sydney FC and was played on 10 May in Sydney. The first-leg ended in a 2–1 win for the Mariners after a goal each from Josh Nisbet and Mikael Doka, from a penalty, overturned the one-goal lead resulted from Joel King for Sydney FC.[22] The Sky Blues had two players sent-off after Jack Rodwell and Corey Hollman were given red cards. Rodwell received an initial yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Christian Theoharous before a straight red was shown, following a review by video assistant referee (VAR).[22] The second leg was played eight days later at Central Coast Stadium in front of a sell-out crowd in Gosford.[23] The match ended in a goalless draw, 2–1 on aggregate, allowing Central Coast Mariners to progress to the final.[24] During the match, Mariners' assistant coach Danny Schofield was sent-off for his disputes on a challenge by Max Burgess on Jacob Farrell. Anthony Caceres was given a red card in the final minutes for dissent to referee Alireza Faghani.[24]

Melbourne Victory[edit]

See also: 2023–24 Melbourne Victory FC season
Paul Izzo played for Melbourne Victory during the finals series

Melbourne Victory, as a result of finishing third, were required to play in the elimination final against Melbourne City in a Melbourne Derby, the first meeting to be played in a finals series since 2015.[16] The match ended in a 3–2 penalty shoot-out win for Melbourne Victory after a 1–1 scoreline in regular time on 5 May.[25] Paul Izzo was named player of the match for Victory, saving four penalties during the shoot-out, with Nishan Velupillay and Samuel Souprayen a goal each for Victory and City respectively. Both sides had a player sent-off when Zinédine Machach and Curtis Good received a red card.[25][26] Melbourne Victory faced Wellington Phoenix in the semi-final and drew a goalless scoreline in the first-leg on 12 May.[27] The second-leg took place six days later with Melbourne winning 2–1 over Wellington in extra-time in front of 33,000 spectators at Wellington Regional Stadium.[28] Chris Ikonomidis scored the winning goal in extra-time after Oskar Zawada equalised a late goal for the Phoenix during regular time.[29]

Pre-match[edit]

Venue and promotions[edit]

Main article: Central Coast Stadium
Further information: Australian Professional Leagues § 2022 Grand Final decision

As the team that finished highest in the table, Central Coast Stadium in Gosford was the hosting venue for the A-League Men Grand Final, the first time a Grand Final was to be played at the ground.[30] It was also the first time the host was awarded to the highest-placed club since the reversal of the Grand Final deal in November 2023 and the second time Central Coast Mariners were named as the home side since 2008, although the venue was moved from Central Coast Stadium to Sydney Football Stadium at the time.[31]

Tickets for the match opened on 20 May 2024, with a 10% discount in the first 24 hours, for finalists club members. Tickets for the general public opened the next day.[32] Central Coast Council hosted a live site at Gosford Leagues Club Park on the day of the final.[33] The Grand Final will be broadcast live and free on Network 10 in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, and streamed on Paramount+ and 10Play.[2]

Build-up to Final[edit]

In the three matches between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory during the 2023–24 A-League Men, the two clubs drew twice in December 2023 and in January 2024 with the Mariners winning 1–0 over Victory in February.[2] Bruno Fornaroli is the top goalscorer for Melbourne Victory with 18 goals. Prior to the final, Fornaroli has not scored in six league games.[2]

The referee for the match was announced to be Alex King, who will officiate his first A-League Men Grand Final.[34] Kearney Robinson and Brad Wright were named as the assistant referees, with Adam Kersey appointed as the fourth official. Shaun Evans was the video assistant referee (VAR).[34]

Match[edit]


References[edit]

  1. ^ ""We dug deep and it's got us to a Grand Final" Jacko post-Sydney". Central Coast Mariners. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Grand Final Preview: Six Mariners v Victory storylines to watch as 2021 omen looms large". A-Leagues. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Central Coast Mariners beat Adelaide to reach A-League grand final". ABC News. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. ^ D'Urbano, Nick (18 May 2023). "How the Mariners went from 'laughing stock' to A-Leagues force after legend's on-air gaffe". KEEPUP.
  5. ^ Monteverde, Marco (22 May 2024). "Central Coast striker Ryan Edmondson says Mariners are only concerned with winning grand final rather than contemplate treble success". news.com.au. NCA NewsWire. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Alou Kuol writes Mariners history with AFC Cup Final winner". Central Coast Mariners. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  7. ^ Pisani, Sacha (5 October 2023). "RANKED: The A-Leagues clubs with the most trophies from 13-1". A-Leagues. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "How the 2023–24 A-Leagues Finals will work: Structure, dates, everything you need to know". A-Leagues. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  9. ^ "A-League Men introduces two-leg semifinals". ESPN. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Isuzu UTE A-League Semi Finals guide - everything you need to know". A-League. KEEPUP. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Live VAR to debut during A-League Men's Final Series". Football Australia. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Plucky Mariners pick-up Premiers Plate in pink". Central Coast Mariners. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  13. ^ Rollo, Phillip (24 April 2024). "Premiers Plate on its way to Wellington for Phoenix decider". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  14. ^ Jansen, Bonnie (22 May 2024). "Revealed: Date set for Wellington Phoenix's historic semifinal". NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Elimination Finals Preview: A Derby clash 9 years in the making & the drought Sydney must end". A-Leagues. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Elimination Final fixture update: New time for Melbourne Derby blockbuster". A-Leagues. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Sydney FC beat Macarthur to march into semi-finals". Sydney FC. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  18. ^ "A-League Competition rules". A-Leagues. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Explained: Why the A-Leagues ladder sorting rules have changed this season". A-Leagues. 2 January 2024. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024.
  20. ^ "A-League Competition rules". A-Leagues. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Explained: Why the A-Leagues ladder sorting rules have changed this season". A-Leagues. 2 January 2024. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024.
  22. ^ a b Comito, Matt (10 May 2024). "Josh Nisbet explains party game entire Mariners team are loving in hilarious interview". A-Leagues. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Match Preview: More history to be made for Jacko's Mariners". Central Coast Mariners. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Mariners march into Grand Final after gritty draw". Central Coast Mariners. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  25. ^ a b "MATCH REPORT | Victory win Elimination Final classic". Melbourne Victory. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  26. ^ Lynch, Joey (6 May 2024). "The incredible new chapter in Melbourne Derby history". ESPN. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  27. ^ "MATCH REPORT | Scores remain locked after semi-final first leg". Melbourne Victory. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  28. ^ Monteverde, Marco (18 May 2024). "WILD extra-time finish; cards galore and 'crazy moments' as A-League GF match-up sealed". Fox Sports. NCA NewsWire. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  29. ^ "WATCH: Highlights from Phoenix's semi-final against Melbourne Victory". Friends of Football. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Industree Group Stadium announced as potential Grand Final Venue". Central Coast Mariners. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  31. ^ Williams, Paul (22 May 2024). "'A nice buzz': Central Coast shines under the spotlight of A-League grand final". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  32. ^ "Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final details locked in: Everything you need to know". A-Leagues. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  33. ^ "Central Coast Council to host Grand Final Live Site to cheer on the Mariners!". Central Coast Council. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Alex King appointed referee for 2023-24 A-League Men Grand Final". Football Australia. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
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