The poisoned chalice

Australian football's governing body faces some tough decisions on the future of its pre-season tournament with little incentive for clubs to perform well in its current format.

Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar's reaction in the aftermath of Saturday's 0-0 draw with Perth Glory, a result which saw the Reds' chance at a third straight title ended said it all. Fronting a media contingent of three in Mount Gambier, Vidmar was hardly a devastated figure that his team would not make the final.

Across the country in Port Macquarie, Ernie Merrick was contemplating a mixed blessing. His team had made the final, but he was worrying about the effect a trip to New Zealand would have on his players just 10 days before the start of the season.

Then on Sunday in Brisbane, Frank Farina blew his top. The Roar boss was furious that his skipper and arguably most important player, Craig Moore, was sent off in a match which meant nothing. The experienced defender will now be missing when Queensland kicks off its season in Wellington.

Farina doesn't want a Pre-Season Cup and given the cautious approach the other A-League coaches took to this tournament, which is supposed to be a regional showcase, you would say that Frank is not on his own.

The result of the ridiculous amount of yellow cards - more than 55 - issued during the tournament is that some of the A-League's drawcards may not be in action in Round 1, which was compounded by the puzzling decision not to alter the disciplinary structure for the tournament.

This year, FFA lifted the amount of cautions required for a suspension for the season proper (from four to five) and for the finals (two to three), but didn't do likewise for the pre-season.

It's clear that referees have been told to assert themselves in the pre-season, but the fact that two cautions earn you a suspension, means there was little incentive for coaches to play their best players once they have earned a card.

Common sense has at least prevailed for the final, with the slate wiped clean which means Merrick and Ricki Herbert will be free to play their best sides on Wednesday. Still, Herbert will be without Andrew Durante, who received two yellows in Saturday's win over Sydney.

The regional experiment has not worked as FFA would have wished. Because of the disciplinary restraints, many of the matches were hardly played in an enterprising spirit, meaning football-starved regional fans were not given the real deal, just a glorified trial match. Three thousand fans in Mount Gambier saw a 0-0 snore-fest on Saturday, including possibly the worst 45 minutes of A-League football this reporter has witnessed.

The media have also failed to embrace the Pre-Season Cup, with the majority of regional matches attended only by local journalists and a few intrepid reporters from Sportal (funded from an FFA travel budget).

Something needs to be done to re-invigorate the format, perhaps a 'carnival-style' format where all the teams play in a different town/city each week, or even a Cup-style tournament featuring state league teams.

Thankfully, the two teams which made the pre-season final are the two teams which have the most to gain by securing the year's first silverware. A win for Wellington would be an important breakthrough for the Phoenix, while Victory are coming off a disappointing season and need to show their legion of fans that they are back at the top of their game.

In those terms it's a dream final. But when you have a situation where coaches are secretly relieved they don't have to play then something is seriously wrong. The pre-season is supposed to enhance the appeal of the A-League, not detract from it.