Kevin and the Jets
For so many reasons, the 2018 A-League final will be one to savour
TWELVE months ago, Newcastle Jets were a rabble.
Mark Jones was sacked as head coach, the third coach gone in as many seasons, and they had just collected the A-League wooden spoon, their second in three seasons, after missing the finals for the seventh straight season.
Just 12 weeks ago, Melbourne Victory fans ferociously booed coach Kevin Muscat, many wanting him sacked after a string of poor results.
Come Saturday night, one of them will complete a fairytale revival to be crowned A-League champion.
It’s the grand final no one thought we would have, but it’s the grand final the A-League needs after a difficult season.
Whereas the location of the AFL and NRL grand final is locked in stone, that’s not the case for the A-League, and it’s a unique difference worth celebrating and worth keeping.
Geelong fans will never see their AFL team win a premiership at Kardinia Park. The same is true of almost all AFL and NRL clubs.
But this Saturday the people of Newcastle, a working-class town that shares many similarities with Geelong, have a chance to watch their team in a grand final on their turf.
Newcastle will be buzzing all week, with splashes of red and blue right across the city, and the excitement will reach fever pitch on Saturday when it explodes with the colour and noise of football fans.
Tickets sold out within minutes of going on sale to the general public and finding accommodation is like winning the lottery.
More than 3000 Victory fans are expected to make the trip north for the match, helping to create an atmosphere like few others in Australian sport.
This grand final will be a huge event for Newcastle and the wider Hunter Region and one fans will remember for years to come.
The Jets are the A-League’s good news story in an otherwise bad news season, and seeing the grand final played in front of their passionate and loyal fan base will be a fitting way to end the 2018 season.
Who would’ve thought we’d be here 12 months ago?