I dont really follow the A-League, however I do watch the occasional game and follow it in the papers.
The problem with football in Australia is that it is well down the pecking order of winter sports.
GAYFL, NRL and Super 14 are all ahead at the moment and that doesnt seem like it is going to change. The problem is that all our best homegrown talents; Timmy Cahill, Haz Kewell, Dukes et al get poached by European clubs offering the big bucks at a young age. And who can blame these players for going?
Not just for the money, but if you had the choice between playing infront of 10,000 fans at Aussie Stadium against the Wellington Phoenix or infront of 40,000 fans at Anfield or Goodison or any other Premier League ground what would you choose?
Thats no disrespect to any A-League team, its just the truth. Its great to see players like Craig Moore ending their careers back home. And players like Timmy Cahill and Haz Kewell saying that they intend on finishing their careers here. It can only be good for the game here.
Hopefully the A-League can continue to grow in stature here and I think that gaining the 2018 WC will be a big catalyst for the success of the game here. Hopefully Frank Lowy knows what he is doing..(Im sure that he does.
That being said, I think that Adelaide are the ones to beat this year, their experience in the Asian Champions League will be invaluable.
But being a Sydneysider, my money is on the boys in sky blue to bring home the bacon.