Those at the FFA must be rubbing their hands together after three rounds of the A-League, despite the fact that it looks a divide between the top and bottom teams is already forming.
The 2007/08 season was remarkable for the closeness of the eight teams, and while that produced some interesting results, and a fairytale for a champion, the reality is that unless the big clubs are up there and firing, the interest in the competition wanes.
FFA likes to play, the 'you're all equal' card, but when it comes to getting people through the turnstiles and sponsors to fork out their hard-earned, some are more equal than others. Strong sides from Sydney and Melbourne are clearly crucial to the competition's success and both sides have been ultra-impressive in the past fortnight.
When they met in Round 1 and it petered out into a 0-0 draw, there were concerns that all the off-season hype about the recruiting of both sides would not be justified. But Sydney, with a 3-2 win over the Mariners and a 5-2 success over Perth, and Melbourne which has whipped Wellington 4-2 and slaughtered the Jets 5-0, are clearly the benchmarks this season.
Melbourne has rediscovered its killer instinct and with more depth down the spine, is able to attack the goals in even more ways than it did in its championship winning 2006/07 season. No longer is it up to Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp to get the job done. Ney Fabiano has proven a revelation, with his strength and touch on the ball, while Carlos Hernandez is fit and playing some great football. But more importantly, they now have a midfield general in Jose Luis Lopez.
Lopez has stepped into the role Kevin Muscat played two seasons ago, setting up the forays forward with his intelligent distribution, but also providing a bit of steel in the tail end of the midfield. Coach Ernie Merrick admitted Muscat no longer has the pace to play that role, which is crucial in Victory's game plan.
Over at Sydney, John Kosmina still has a medical room which is far too full, but much like Merrick at Melbourne, he is prepared to back his players to attack and win. While Alex Brosque, John Aloisi and Wayne Bridge all played a role in the demolition of Perth, it was the old master Steve Corica pulling the strings. Corica always knows how to be in the right place at the right time and seems to be afforded a ridiculous amount of time on the ball. He punished Central Coast in Round 2 and did the same to the Glory a week later. Meanwhile, Shannon Cole, who represents what an astute judge of talent Kosmina is, gets the headlines.
Adelaide completed the troika of the A-League's big clubs and the Reds have been so typically efficient this season. The Reds' 3-0 win over the Phoenix didn't look as easy as Sydney and Melbourne's successes, but they know how to get the job done. It is now 13 competitive games since Aurelio Vidmar's team last lost a game.
With those three clubs clear on top of the table, there is every chance they could march away and have the title between them. While that may not be good news for fans of the other five clubs it spells m-o-n-e-y for FFA.
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