Epic match-up ... the A-League's eyes will be on Bluetongue this weekend. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited
Cast your mind back to 6 October 2012. A-League round 1. The debut of Western Sydney Wanderers.
Western Sydney Wanderers 0. Central Coast Mariners 0.
No one would’ve walked out of that game predicting nearly five months later we’d be counting down to the same fixture as one of the most anticipated A-League round matches in recent memory.
1 v 2.
Not quite a Premiers’ Plate shoot-out, but a classic six-pointer at the top of the table.
It’s been quite the ride since we held our breath hoping Tony Popovic’s hastily assembled squad would buck the trend and provide some hope for A-League expansion.
Two rounds later, the goals hadn’t come yet. Would they? Could they?
If ever a monkey – make it a gorilla– was lifted off a back, it came in the most unlikely circumstances. A win against the two-time defending champions – away from home.
They haven’t looked back.
For the Mariners – they picked up their consistent regular season form pretty quickly after round one, and have been setting the pace ever since.
Missing in the big games? What about the gutsy effort to hold Victory to a 2-2 draw in Melbourne, despite battling with 10 men for 40 minutes?
Lose Tom Rogic? Arnie doesn’t care; keeping faith in his systems and structures.
Boring and methodical? Try 7-2 against Sydney, 5-0 against Wellington or 6-2 against Melbourne Victory.
Lacking creativity? How about re-inventing Daniel McBreen, getting the best out of Bernie Ibini or Michael McGlinchey?
Both sides have been saluted for their organisation and defensive prowess. Popovic has been much-lauded for helping players reach their career best form.
As we count down to the weekend’s A-League epic, we recount some of the seminal moments in the Mariners’ and Wanderers’ rise to the top of the table clash.
MARINERS
Round 5: 7-2 win against Sydney FC at Bluetongue Stadium
In the midst of a nine-game unbeaten run, the Mariners lined up against their old sparring partners and got away with an 81st-minute winner, via Tom Rogic. One thing that can't be questioned about this side is their character.
A game that turned heads in the competition as the Mariners got their top spot back off the Wanderers, and told the next best rival exactly what they thought of them. Fluid, high tempo and classy, the Mariners put on a show and tore the Victory to shreds.
WANDERERS
You can be taken a whole lot more seriously when you upstage your big brother. Two clever finishes in either half from Hersi and then Michael Beachamp silenced and embarrassed Sydney FC and made everyone take the Wanderers a whole lot more seriously.
Momentum. It's a crazy thing. After the derby win, the Wanderers enjoyed the golden moment piling six of the best against a hapless Adelaide in front of a rapturous gallery. That man Bridge nabbed a hat-trick, Shinji Ono started to show form that befitted his reputation - even Dino Kressinger scored!
The great wins keep coming for the Wanderers, and amidst a seven-game winning streak, they travelled to Melbourne and claimed Victory's scalp, away from home. Sceptics said that the match would teach us a lot about the Wanderers. Indeed, it did. It catapulted them into bookies' favouritism, before they went on to temporarily snare the premiership lead last Saturday night.
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