Dominic Bossi
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Wanderers comeback to win 5-4
Western Sydney Wanderers beat Brisbane Roar 5-4 after being 3 goals down in an A-League semi-final thriller.
In grand final week, even the smallest things can have the greatest consequences – and that's why a three-millimetre variation in grass length is causing serious concern ahead of the A-League final.
A request from the AFL for the grass at Adelaide Oval to remain at a longer length for the match between Adelaide and Fremantle on Saturday will deny Western Sydney Wanderers and Adelaide United the chance to familiarise themselves with playing conditions at the ground until their warm-up before kick-off on Sunday.
The grass height at Adelaide Oval will remain at the AFL-decreed 28mm for Saturday afternoon's match between Adelaide Crows and Fremantle Dockers, some 3mm longer than the maximum allowed in the A-League.
Geelong captain Scott Selwood is taken down by Ollie Wines of the Power.
The grass height for Australian rules is longer than for games with the round ball. Photo: Getty Images
Fairfax Media understands the Wanderers are privately furious with the situation surrounding Adelaide Oval for the final, with both clubs only allowed to train at the venue on Friday, where the pitch will not be cut to football standards.
While seemingly minimal, an extra 3mm in grass height will significantly slow the pace of the ball across the surface. Sources fear the pre-game grass height will detract from the preparations of two teams that play a fast-paced, short passing game.
Western Sydney Wanderers are set to travel to Adelaide on Friday ahead of their grand final but are yet to commit to training at Adelaide Oval. With the grass height outside of football requirements there are concerns that a training session at the venue would be pointless.
Due to the AFL match on Saturday, both Western Sydney and Adelaide will be forced to conduct their last training sessions before the grand final at Coopers Stadium in Hindmarsh, where the surface is one of the best in the A-League, cut specifically for football.
By contrast, the 53,500-capacity, multi-use Adelaide Oval has proved problematic for football in the past due to its hardness and grass height. Adding to concerns is the weather forceast – three days of rain before the grand final are expected to contribute to a heavy playing surface.
Adelaide Oval came under heavy criticism from Ange Postecoglou, who blasted the pitch after a World Cup qualifier between Australia and Tajikistan in March, when the playing surface detracted from the quality of football.
Head of the A-League Damien de Bohun was sympathetic to the situation of both clubs as Football Federation Australia remains committed to using Adelaide Oval, which The Reds have used for seven home games in the past.
"Home city advantage has been won on the pitch by Adelaide United," de Bohun said. "As the premiers and winners of the first semi-final they have earned it. The fact that Adelaide United has played regular season and finals matches on Adelaide Oval is part of that advantage."
While there are fears for the preparations for the final, the FFA has no concerns over the final state of the field for match day, which is set to be an improvement of the standard the Socceroos endured last month.
"The Adelaide Oval management has been very accommodating in finding a Friday slot for each team, even though the venue can't be in full football trim on Friday because of preparations for another event on Saturday," de Bohun said. "But, we have assurances that the Adelaide Oval pitch will be in great condition for Sunday's Grand Final. The pitch and grass length will be delivered to FFA's specifications."
More then 29,000 tickets were sold to members of both clubs by the close of business on Monday afternoon with the remaining tickets to be made available to the general public at 11.30am on Tuesday.
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/aleague-grand-final-afl-demands-deny-western-sydney-wanderers-