Sssh don't shout Sydney's sleeping: I'fill up your goal, Archie!

Football, the football I love is about forwards, and skill.

Today Paul Ifill for Wellington Phoenix waltzed past our Aussie great hope Ben Kantarovski Newcastle Jets, not once not twice but maybe ten or more times in the game. Mostly with a drop of the shoulder and an explosion of pace.

In extra-time after much huffing and puffing Ifill scored. Jets go home. Game ended 3-1.

Poor Ben, he's only young and previously I've raved about him but he looked like he'd been supplied with something from the Newcastle rugby league team. How could he defend so badly, so often?

And of course the Phoenix won, in front of 33,000 nutters wearing bras and that was just the men!

Great stuff, great game with Tarek Elrich and Matt Thompson missing sitters for the Jets. This was anyone's game and the Jets were tremendous at times. Mr Abbas from Iraq I like. Pity, today, about Ben

And then to Melbourne or rather Sydney where one wee slip, early on or late on can stuff you. A dodgy free kick with five minutes of extra-time to go. Tired legs tired minds and an ageing Kevin Muscat pounced.

Alert, he played a twenty yard pass, just twenty yards, and Archie Thompson, rested and alert sped in and touch the ball home.

All that training, all those drills, and wise words. Puff, disappeared in that one lapse. How many Sydney players were sleeping? Not one, but the wall, the few covering Archie, almost half the team, maybe more.

Simple game football, so simple, but you must concentrate at all times.

2-2 (agg 4-3) to Melbourne so it's Grand Final in Melbourne, as always!

Can Sydney recover? Will the Nix get the Sydney New Zealanders out to support?

Finals football. Collossal battles!

Asia this week, the rise of Leckie continues, Victory must win at home, then Sydney Wellington. Doesn't stop does it!

Nearpost radio will be talking football Tuesday as ever 6.30pm streamed www.2xxfm.org.au or poddied here later that night.....unless like Sydney we're dozing and we miss our bus.