It's hard to believe that the A-League big dance is just around the corner again.
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I think the teams that finish one and two - especially with some of the margins we've seen at times this year - deserve to make the grand final . Both Sydney FC and Melbourne City have lost some key players to Socceroos duties, which made them a little under strength heading into the finals series. But they've shown the depth that they've got in their squads to make the decider.
At this stage, it looks like the match will be played in Melbourne, which City probably deserve after playing an away "home" semi. I think it's going to be a tight affair, but Sydney FC have a little bit more experience, which may leave them in good stead on grand final day.
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Milos Ninkovic missed the semi-final but I think if he's fit, he will be a key factor for Sydney FC. And since Adam Le Fondre came back into the line-up, he's been their key goalscorer. City are missing Jamie MacLaren, but I think the young boys Marco Tillio and Stefan Colakovski are key players, as well as Andrew Nabbout if he's back for the grand final.
And, of course, Shellharbour's Joel King will play in his second straight grand final. Joel has had a fantastic season for Sydney FC and it's great that our region will get local representation in the A-League big dance. It's nice to see the players from our region on that big stage. And Robbie Stanton and Paul Reid are Sydney FC's assistant coaches, both of whom played in the golden era of the Wollongong Wolves. So there's still some Wolves flavour among the Sydney FC camp, which is great to see.
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