Man Of The Match: This probably should go to Marko Jesic for scoring the winning goal but Edmundo Zura was nothing short of outstanding, despite missing a penalty in the first half. We are still to see the spider mask come out but with performances like this, surely this is not far away. His work rate was immense while he also delivered some excellent crosses after he dropped off onto the flanks. His partnership with Jesic looked very promising as the youngster buzzed around the big striker the whole night. It will be interesting to see if Joel Griffiths returns to the team as a striker as he and Zura are quite similar players and might get in each others’ way.
Special Mentions: The match winner, Jesic, was a constant threat and had several good opportunities during the course of the game. The fact that he gets himself into great goal scoring positions suggests that he has great instincts as a striker. Additionally, he didn’t let missed opportunities faze him which is another essential attribute. Adam Griffiths was excellent as the defensive midfielder as he was very composed on the ball while his distribution was also accurate. The Jets have been trying to fill the void left by Musialik and they might have found their man.
Missing In Action: A few of the stars of the Victory were below their best. The whole team was really as there was just not the excellent movement off the ball that has won the Victory so much praise for their football. The likes of Celeski and Pondeljak never really got into the game.
Newcastle Verdict: This was the kind of performance that made them Champions. Given that arguably their two most talented players didn’t even start, Joel Griffiths and Song, they might finally be getting their title defence on track. The question is now how van Egmond will fit all that attacking talent into the team. Additionally, the Jets continue their tradition of bringing through young Australian players. The latest prospects are Ben Kantarovski and Jesic.
Melbourne Verdict: The constant red-cards would definitely be a concern. Other than that, it was just a rather flat performance from the usually dynamic Victory.
