FFA defends A-League finals format

Finals fairness ... the A-League defend their revamped finals format for 2013. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Football Federation Australia have defended this season's controversial sudden-death A-League finals series which critics say disadvantages the top-two teams.

With four games remaining before the finals it looks certain Western Sydney and Central Coast will occupy first and second spot.

But where in season's past they would have had the advantage of a double chance, a loss in the revamped format means instant elimination.

The FFA have dropped the two-legged major semi-final and the preliminary final and reduced the series from four weeks to three.

Now the top-two clubs sit out the first week of the playoffs and wait to play the winner of third versus sixth and fourth versus fifth in the semis with the winners progressing to the grand final on April 21.

Many have claimed the knock-out format rewards mediocrity as a team which just scrapes into the top six - likely finishing with more losses than wins and as many as 25 points behind the top two after 27 rounds - needs to string just three wins together to be crowned champions.

Mariners coach Graham Arnold has openly criticised the system but A-League boss Damien de Bohun says it's fairer and ensures a broader interest.

"The fact that the top two have a week's rest to start and then go straight into a home semi-final by most measures is a significant advantage," de Bohun told AAP on Monday.

"The way the A-League ladder is right now there's a real interesting discussion about fans staying involved and interested right the way through."

De Bohun conceded the FFA would review the system at the end of the season.

The one thing he says won't happen is eradicating the finals series all together in favour of a European-style system in which the team finishing at the top of the ladder is the champion.

He said while the Premiers' Plate is recognition of a season's worth of excellence, in Australian sport there can be no champion without a grand final.

"If we had the first-past the post system it would be between two teams right now and you'd have fans of the eight other teams losing interest," de Bohun said.

"The reality is, in Australian sport, playing a grand final is the most important day of the year and the winner of the grand final is undoubtedly considered the champions of the league.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	23	15	2	6	14	47
2	Central Coast	23	13	6	4	24	45
3	Victory	23	12	3	8	3	39
4	Adelaide	23	11	3	9	1	36
5	Newcastle	24	8	6	10	-11	30
6	Brisbane	23	8	4	11	1	28
7	Heart	23	8	3	12	-2	27
8	Sydney	23	8	3	12	-10	27
9	Perth	23	7	4	12	-3	25
10	Wellington	24	6	6	12	-17	24

"Over the last few years there's been crowds of over 50,000, there's been broadcast audiences of over 300,000.

So by every measure it is quite easily the most important day of the year.''

Wanderers skipper Michael Beauchamp agrees and says the easiest way to settle the debate about whether the Premiers' Plate is more important than the championship trophy is to win both.

"In Australia we love that grand final atmosphere," he said.

"That's what we've grown up being used to so I don't think it will be changing any time soon.

"So if we win both of those that would be fantastic."

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A-League defends finals format

Electric ... will Parramatta Stadium be the grand final venue? Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

A-League boss Damien de Bohun has defended this season's revamped finals format amid claims it disadvantages the top two teams and can potentially reward mediocrity.

As the season enters the run home to the playoffs, more focus has been put on Football Federation Australia's decision at the start of the season to remove the double chance for the teams finishing first and second, eliminate the preliminary final and make every game a knockout.

In previous seasons, first and second played a two-legged major semi-final. The winner went to the grand final and the loser got a second chance in the preliminary final against the qualifier from the games involving the third, fourth, fifth and sixth teams.

Now the top two teams have a week off before the Premiers Plate winner (first) plays the lowest ranked winner from the third v sixth and fourth v fifth elimination finals and the second-placed team plays the other winner. The two winning sides then contest the championship decider.

Under the new system, teams finishing fifth and sixth could contest the grand final on April 21, even though it is likely they will finish with a record of more losses than wins, a negative for and against and as many as 25 points behind the top two after 27 rounds.

Graham Arnold, coach of competition leader Central Coast Mariners, recently voiced his disapproval over the change, saying the finals series was "unfair", which sparked plenty of debate from foxsports.com.au users in a recent Friday Focus.

"You don't get any reward for being one or two," Arnold said after the Mariners drew 2-2 with Brisbane Roar three weeks ago.

He said only that the week off would hurt the teams finishing one and two. "It's a problem for sure," Arnold told The Australian. "Ask any coach and they'd rather be playing, especially now the finals only go over three weeks (and not four)."

Arnold is also on record saying the real champion of the A-League should be the team that finishes top of the table after the preliminary season.

De Bohun is adamant the grand final will remain the defining game of the season and that the new format is fairer and does not disadvantage the teams finishing in the top four.

"I think when you look at the way it is set up, the top four teams will get to host at least one final and home ground advantage in the A-League is massive," de Bohun said. "I've been around the country and I've seen the different grounds and crowds and home ground advantage is significant.

"While some people might sit there and say you can get knocked out (after one game) and then the whole season is gone, the reality is a weeks' break plus home ground advantage is very significant."

De Bohun said FFA would not be swayed by the Asian Football Confederation's decision to award an automatic Asian Champions League spot to the team that finishes first in the A-League, rather than the grand final.

The Mariners finished top of the table last season and earned the right to play in this season's ACL while grand final winner Brisbane Roar was eliminated last week after losing to a club from Thailand after the AFC altered the conditions and made it pre-qualify for the tournament.

"The grand final is the most important day on the football calendar for the A-League and always will be. So, no, it does not change our perspective," he said.

"The thing to keep in mind is the market we are in. The fans here expect finals and have come to know and understand the finals.

"Look at the last couple of seasons . . . 50,000 crowds and television audiences of over 300,000 shows you it is the most important day on our calendar."

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