It’ll stick in the craws of a lot of haters, but the
Central Coast Mariners are the “Moneyball” team of the A-League, with coach Graham Arnold worthy of a portrayal by Brad Pitt. And they might even be better than Brisbane at their peak.
Moneyball - the book and more recently the film - is the true tale of a weakling US baseball side that overcame it’s relative poverty to rise to the top. In a classic case of turning a weakness into a strength, they discover a masterful recruitment policy (enter Brad Pitt’s character) that transforms a team of bargain binners into a champion team.
(Not everyone's a fan of the moneyball approach. On the weekend, former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill delivered
a ripping smackdown on his old national coach.)
A similar thing is going on at the Mariners. Arnie’s team reportedly has the lowest paid squad in the competition, yet they are so far ahead of the pack this season that only disaster can stop them finishing in pole position for the finals.
So what’s the secret to success? It’s something’s quite different to the number crunching that drives Moneyball, reckons captain Alex Wilkinson.
"We’re the team that everyone loves to ride off each season and give us not much chance. But we’re a team that continually proves people wrong and are successful," he told us.
"We’ve made three grand finals in six seasons, which is a fantastic result for arguably the smallest club in the league. It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to grow such a fantastic supporter base, and we really are a family orientated club and a club that really identifies with the Central Coast.
"Most of the boys live on the coast. Only a couple of them still travel (to the Central Coast). That's probably what’s so successful about the team, the community can really identify with the boys," Alex says. "We see the fans down the shops every day and they stop you, have a chat. That’s what’s helped really build that support that we’ve got on the coast.”
There’s also a strong bond within the team. It helps explain how they’ve bounced back from last season’s grand final loss - the most devastating of all their near-misses.
"I always said last year that I thought we'd be a better team this year just because we did have quite a number of new players come in, and it does take quite a while to gel," Alex explains. "Playing together as a group over a long period of time really improved the team and I think that's what you're seeing now with us."
The Mariners have proven themselves to be a team deals well with trauma. Mid-way through last season they were walloped by Brisbane but since then, they’ve reeled the Queenslanders in, and this season finally overtook them.
The numbers say they might even be a better side than Brisbane were at their peak. The Roar set a national all-codes record, when they went 36 games without a loss. The Mariners, after a groggy beginning to this campaign, are now undefeated in 15 outings. But while the Roar drew every third match, the Mariners have had won all but three - a massively superior winning record.
At the same time, Brisbane have become a shadow of the side that was unbeatable.
"It's a funny game, football. Just goes to show anything can happen. ... No one would have ever guessed (how Brisbane's form has dropped.)" Alex says.
"They're by no means a spent force, they're a very, very good team. They lost 1-0 on the weekend to Newcastle but as usual they controlled most of the game, kept possession very, very well. They're a team that you can't give the ball up to very easily. When they get it, they keep it for long stretches and you're left chasing them.
"(But) we don't want to concentrate on them too much. Arnie's a big believer in focusing on your own game and the rest will look after itself. He’s been tactically superb since he arrived at the club and we’re 100 per cent backing his game plan.”
The Mariners have also had to deal with the loss of key personnel. A few weeks back, their gun striker Matt Simon took off for Korea. On the pitch though, it’s been business as usual.
“The club were great in not standing in his way and letting him go," Alex says. “Obviously he’s been missed, but I think we’ve covered it very well. Since he’s gone we’ve remained unbeaten and have scored a number of goals. It gives the other boys in the squad the chance to step up now.
“It’s great that the club didn’t stand in the way, but let him go. They probably could have said ‘No, he had to wait til the end of the season’, and that would have meant the opportunity was gone for him.”
They’ll also lose fan favourite Mustafa Amini at the end of the season. He’s off to Germany, to join reigning champions Borussia Dortmund. Last season, the young attacking midfielder won fans both here and there for his
giant flame-haired afro. He cut it short during the off-season, but Wilkinson says it might be back in times for the finals
“He loves a bit of limelight and the hair makes him more recognisable. The fans on the Coast heave embraced him, with the big red wigs on game days.
“He cut it in the off-season, but he’s started to grow it back now. All the boys are encouraging him to leave it. Obviously with hair that big, it would have to be a bit annoying,” Alex laughs.
“Hopefully he’ll keep it til the end of the season.”
WORDS: Jack Kerr
@jckkrr