Clouds hang over Poppa's picks

Injury cloud ... Tony Popovic still has some decisions to make before Sunday. Source: Simon Chillingworth / News Limited

Wanderers boss Tony Popovic may be forced to deploy a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old in the heat of the grand final, with Aaron Mooy believed to be struggling to be fit for Sunday's finale and Youssouf Hersi already ruled out due to suspension.

Mooy has rated himself as even money at best to recover from knee ligament damage in time to be considered for grand final selection, despite Popovic describing him as close to being ready before Friday night's semi-final win over Brisbane.

If the recently capped Socceroo is ruled out, Popovic is set to give only a third start to Yianni Perkatis, 19, while Kwabeena Appiah-Kubi, 20, is set to replace Hersi on the right wing.

The only real alternatives are Shannon Cole, who will play at left back in the absence of Adam D'Apuzzo, or Labinot Haliti.

But Appiah-Kubi has come on as substitute for Hersi a number of times this season and is the front runner to get the nod from Popovic.

But the Wanderers will be heartened by the return to fitness of Shinji Ono, whose remarkable goal sealed Friday night's win.

The Japanese international confirmed afterwards he had felt no reaction to the groin injury that forced him out of the final-round victory over Newcastle that sealed the Premiers Plate.

Jerome Polenz faces a desperate race to be fit after a recurrence of the quad injury he suffered against Melbourne Heart in round 25. The German defender is likely to be given until the last minute to prove his fitness, or Tarek Elrich will come in as he did off the bench against Brisbane. 

The burden of creativity will weigh heavily on Appiah-Kubi's shoulders in Hersi's absence, shown by the remarkable statistic that none of the Wanderers' 19 victories this season has come in the absence of Hersi.

Praise for Popovic's organisation of a team thrown together in months came from beaten Roar coach Mike Mulvey, who predicted that the Wanderers would be fearsome opponents in the grand final.

Western Sydney beat the Roar four times this season, including the Wanderers' first win.

"There's no team that's pressed us and pressured us like they have," Mulvey said. "I think they've got the meanest defence in the league and, if you give goals to a team who have such self-belief in terms of the way they're structured defensively, they are going to be hard to break down.

"I think the biggest thing in the opposition's favour next week will be that the game won't be (at Parramatta Stadium). You'd like to bottle this atmosphere."

View the original article here