Grand Final Performance Review

The A-League Grand Final for 2013/14 has come and gone. Brisbane Roar won their third Championship in four years, in the process becoming the most successful team in the league.

Let’s take a look at individual performances.

Brisbane Roar
Michael Theo: Rarely tested but solid when called upon. 7/10

Matt Smith: Contained Santalab and Bridge well. Reliable throughout. 7/10

Jade North: Supported Smith well and like him, contained Santalab and Bridge. 7/10

Ivan Franjic: Excellent on the right flank as right back and later on as a right winger. Had the edge over D’Appuzo after a brief slanging match. 7.5/10

Shane Stefanutto: Contained the Wanderers attacks down his flank. 7/10

Liam Miller: Played his part in the Roar midfield without being excellent. 6.5/10

Luke Brattan: Unable to dominate as per usual but still provided some good moments. 6.5/10

Thomas Broich: Man of the Match by far. He was contained to some degree by the Wanderers but was still able to exert enough influence on the game. 8/10

Besart Berisha: After a quiet first half, he came to life with his equaliser late in the second half. He was back to his old self after a hot-tempered discussion with La Rocca. 7/.5/10

Dimi Petratos: A quiet game with injury possibly hampering his influence. 6/10

Henrique: The Slippery Fish for a reason. Came on as a sub and threatened, culminating in him scoring the decisive goal. 7.5/10.

Steven Lustica: Subbed on for Miller, he played the role his team required without being great. 6/10

James Donachie: Subbed on late in normal time, he was solid and provided the assist for Henrique’s winner. 6.5/10

Western Sydney Wanderers
Ante Covic; Solid throughout but when they needed him most, he was unusually indecisive. 6/10

Adam D’Apuzzo: Was solid until his run-ins with Franjic. 6/10

Nikolai Topor-Stanley: The key defender for Wanderers, he was excellent until injury ended his contribution. 7.5/10

Matthew Spiranovic: Scored the Wanderers’ goal and supported Topor-Stanley well. Clearly lost once Topor-Stanley went off with injury. 6.5/10

Jerome Polenz: Unable to own the right flank with Hersi as has become customary. Flirted with danger late on, receiving a yellow card. 6/10

Mateo Poljak: Played an unassuming role in the Wanderers’ midfield. 6/10

Iacoppo La Rocca: Played much the same as Poljak. Forced to play in the back line once Topor-Stanley went off injured. 7/10

Mark Bridge: Rarely threatened throughout. 5.5/10

Brendan Santalab: Led the front line with high pressing but offered little else. 6/10

Shinji Ono: Disappointing throughout. Only played marginally better than what he did in the Grand Final loss to Central Coast. 6/10

Yousouff Hersi: Lively without looking like scoring. 6.5/10

Aaron Mooy: Subbed on for Topor-Stanley. Struggled to exert any influence. 5.5/10

Tomi Juric: Subbed on for Santalab but effectively smothered by Brisbane’s backline. 5.5/10

Labinot Haliti: He replaced Ono late in normal time. He had the opportunity to score in extra time but shot straight at Theo. 6/10

Overall
Few of Brisbane’s players were outstanding in this game but it didn’t matter. The overall performance of the team made up for individual performances and deservedly got them over the line. Credit must go to Mike Mulvey, he got his tactics right and made the right changes at the right time.

Tony Popovic got things wrong in this game. He risked having no centre back on the bench, he kept Juric on the bench rather than start him and he was happy to have his team defend for the entirety of the match. All of these things backfired and contributed to their defeat. Importantly, Popovic is yet to get the best out of Ono in a Grand Final and now will never get the opportunity to do so.

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