2025 Australia Cup final rounds thread

[Glenardo]

Avondale v APIA was a very good quality game imo. Fairly even contest and highly competitive for the most part, lived up to the “hype”. APIA do play an attractive style imo. Could see APIA tiring half way through the second half, perhaps the quick turn around and travel vs the time off and playing at home played a part. Not to take anything away from Avondale obviously, they’re a very strong team and well worth the win.

Imo bodes well for the championship, hopefully more of that to come.

I just don’t understand and never have understood these soccer snobs, I don’t know how you could have watched that game and not concluded that this was a very watchable and enjoyable standard of football.

 

[Glenardo]

Also I noticed APIA players slipping and sliding all over the place all game. Sometimes with massive consequences. Perhaps a matter of acclimatisation, have always felt Melb grass is slightly different to sydney grass. Plus APIA playing a lot games of synthetic turf

 

[GDEATHE]

NZ derby in the semi of Australia Cup is on the cards isn't it?

 

[Kitwally]

I missed that lol

But genuinely interested how you could have those two teams

He’s an Aussie, not a Kiwi, who is kind of a troll-lite. Says and does things to be contrarian, so he supports Kiwi teams, Wellington first and Auckland second.

 

[LFC]

Avondale v APIA was a very good quality game imo. Fairly even contest and highly competitive for the most part, lived up to the “hype”. APIA do play an attractive style imo. Could see APIA tiring half way through the second half, perhaps the quick turn around and travel vs the time off and playing at home played a part. Not to take anything away from Avondale obviously, they’re a very strong team and well worth the win.

Imo bodes well for the championship, hopefully more of that to come.

I just don’t understand and never have understood these soccer snobs, I don’t know how you could have watched that game and not concluded that this was a very watchable and enjoyable standard of football.

I'm afraid the late arrival yesterday of my 1st grand child took me away from watching even though I had the live scores of all games to glance at now and then.
I'll have to suss the replay.
We do play a good game as do many other NPL clubs as you say why don't others get their head out of the sand see for a change.
Watching the earlier round of Spirit vs MV it damn impressive play by Spirit the touch movement and speed was great viewing football.

Ah well shame APIA lost but I expected a tuff away fixture ad you mentioned, its never easy adjusting to grounds you hardly play at and atmosphere but hey thats cup football.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Also I noticed APIA players slipping and sliding all over the place all game. Sometimes with massive consequences. Perhaps a matter of acclimatisation, have always felt Melb grass is slightly different to sydney grass. Plus APIA playing a lot games of synthetic turf

What are the Sydney teams going to do about getting grass pitches sorted for the Championship? We cant be playing on plastic surely?

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I'm afraid the late arrival yesterday of my 1st grand child took me away from watching even though I had the live scores of all games to glance at now and then.
I'll have to suss the replay.
We do play a good game as do many other NPL clubs as you say why don't others get their head out of the sand see for a change.
Watching the earlier round of Spirit vs MV it damn impressive play by Spirit the touch movement and speed was great viewing football.

Ah well shame APIA lost but I expected a tuff away fixture ad you mentioned, its never easy adjusting to grounds you hardly play at and atmosphere but hey thats cup football.

Congratulations nonno ... bambino or bambina?

 

[Glenardo]

What are the Sydney teams going to do about getting grass pitches sorted for the Championship? We cant be playing on plastic surely?

It’ll just be Sydney united, APIA have said they’ll be playing out of Leichhardt which is grass, Marconi obviously it’s a grass pitch, Sydney Olympic will be at Kogarah which is grass.

I put the question to Beretta recently and he reckons they wont go back to grass. I dare say the club being what it is, full of purists didn’t take the decision lightly. My preference is obviously grass, but you’ve gotta understand some clubs only have 1 pitch to train on a play on, and despite the reputation Sydney actually gets double the annual precipitation that Melb does, and sometimes that subtropical heavy downpours. There are always Multiple games each year which get rained out which doesn’t happen in Melbourne.

It’s different for Marconi obviously because the club has multiple pitches to train on and the main ground is preserved for match days

Ps. To be fair to united it’s a very good quality synthetic, it’s not like the ones in the early days. Pretty sure it’s FIFA grade approved

 

[tsf]

He’s an Aussie, not a Kiwi, who is kind of a troll-lite. Says and does things to be contrarian, so he supports Kiwi teams, Wellington first and Auckland second.

Ok not sure what to make of that

 

[tsf]

What are the Sydney teams going to do about getting grass pitches sorted for the Championship? We cant be playing on plastic surely?

Plenty of countries with less annual rainfall than Sydney that play on grass only

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

It’ll just be Sydney united, APIA have said they’ll be playing out of Leichhardt which is grass, Marconi obviously it’s a grass pitch, Sydney Olympic will be at Kogarah which is grass.

I put the question to Beretta recently and he reckons they wont go back to grass. I dare say the club being what it is, full of purists didn’t take the decision lightly. My preference is obviously grass, but you’ve gotta understand some clubs only have 1 pitch to train on a play on, and despite the reputation Sydney actually gets double the annual precipitation that Melb does, and sometimes that subtropical heavy downpours. There are always Multiple games each year which get rained out which doesn’t happen in Melbourne.

It’s different for Marconi obviously because the club has multiple pitches to train on and the main ground is preserved for match days

Ps. To be fair to united it’s a very good quality synthetic, it’s not like the ones in the early days. Pretty sure it’s FIFA grade approved

Yeah I understand the difficulties up there regarding facilities, I was more questioning around "fairness" I suppose. The rest of the clubs wont really be experienced playing on synthetic pitches, and being semi pro, the threat of injuries is real.

 

[Glenardo]

Plenty of countries with less annual rainfall than Sydney that play on grass only

I dare say they wouldn’t be semi pro and have juniors through to seniors playing and training on the same pitch back to back to back. Again, my preference is grass, Marconi have grass. I’m just saying a club like Sydney united wouldn’t have been making that decision lightly. These are non for profit club owned and operated facilities

 

[tsf]

Yeah I understand the difficulties up there regarding facilities, I was more questioning around "fairness" I suppose. The rest of the clubs wont really be experienced playing on synthetic pitches, and being semi pro, the threat of injuries is real.

I've been helping out friends who coach a youth team, they're in a high division and had to swap to synthetic cause of ground issues. It seems to give them an advantage. On grass the results are always close, on synthetic, theyre putting 5+ past the opposition, no matter the quality.

Just an observation from that

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I've been helping out friends who coach a youth team, they're in a high division and had to swap to synthetic cause of ground issues. It seems to give them an advantage. On grass the results are always close, on synthetic, theyre putting 5+ past the opposition, no matter the quality.

Just an observation from that

Yeah it plays different, no matter what anyone says.

In my playing days we ALWAYS struggled with synthetic, admittedly the technology has changed and Im guessing SU58 is a lot better than what I played on in the 90s but....

 

[Glenardo]

I hope they do go back to grass now that they’re playing at a national level again, but i won’t be holding my breath.

Tbh I still think the fact it’s a compact, historic, club owned facility with a synthetic pitch, outweighs the option of playing in a public facility just coz it’s grass

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I hope they do go back to grass now that they’re playing at a national level again, but i won’t be holding my breath.

Tbh I still think the fact it’s a compact, historic, club owned facility with a synthetic pitch, outweighs the option of playing in a public facility just coz it’s grass

Yeah I get why they did it... You just have to see the costs Melbourne Knights must incur trying to keep the natural grass alive and presentable themselves (and not doing particularly good job these past few years Im sorry to say) to explain why United just ripped it out and put astroturf.... Not having a go at their ground, I cant wait to visit again personally.

 

[Glenardo]

I’m very happy Marconi is still grass I’ll put it that way. Best club owned facility in the country imo. I’ll put it that way. If anything it’s better now than in the nsl era. The physical club/facilities are a vital/inseparable part of the clubs identity

Re united; Have done my part, I’ll leave beretta to defend his clubs decisions from here on out haha

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Senior football should only be played on grass.

 

[Beretta]

It’ll just be Sydney united, APIA have said they’ll be playing out of Leichhardt which is grass, Marconi obviously it’s a grass pitch, Sydney Olympic will be at Kogarah which is grass.

I put the question to Beretta recently and he reckons they wont go back to grass. I dare say the club being what it is, full of purists didn’t take the decision lightly. My preference is obviously grass, but you’ve gotta understand some clubs only have 1 pitch to train on a play on, and despite the reputation Sydney actually gets double the annual precipitation that Melb does, and sometimes that subtropical heavy downpours. There are always Multiple games each year which get rained out which doesn’t happen in Melbourne.

It’s different for Marconi obviously because the club has multiple pitches to train on and the main ground is preserved for match days

Ps. To be fair to united it’s a very good quality synthetic, it’s not like the ones in the early days. Pretty sure it’s FIFA grade approved

if you are playing the Australia Cup on Artificial pitches, what makes you think it will change for the championship? It wont.

 

[Glenardo]

Yep, and professional football clubs should own their own stadiums, but that’s not always the most practical call or what’s sustainable long term when weighing up all the pros and cons.

As I say, in this country we have to start being more realistic about and not always let the perfect be the enemy of the good