The pre-match narratives of football finals can often overemphasise focus on managers, a short-hand reduction of eleven versus eleven on the pitch down to a one-on-one touchline battle. Thanks to its historic context and possibilities, Saturday’s A-League Men’s decider really does have Steve Corica and Patrick Kisnorbo front and centre.
It will be the second time the pair contest a final opposed to one another, reprising the 2021 decider when Kisnorbo’s Melbourne City beat Corica’s Sydney FC. Corica arrives now to claim the missing piece from his two years at Auckland; Kisnorbo stands in his way – and with Corica’s beloved former club – less than two months after walking in the door.
‘You can feel it every time you see Steve; it still hurts. He’s a very serious coach, he lives it. All his family is still in Sydney, his kids play in Sydney. You can see it still hurts a little bit,’ said Robbie Thomson of Corica, who was sacked by the Sky Blues in 2023 after five trophies in five years.
‘And, the fact that the man who beat him in his last Grand Final [for Sydney] is Kisnorbo, and he’s now sitting in Corica’s seat at Sydney FC means there are massive storylines everywhere.
‘There are players that Corica brought to Sydney before he then lasted only half a dozen games after a poor start to the season [in ‘23] and was let go. Jake Girdwood-Reich will be up against his former side as well, but the coaches are a massive part of this.’
History beckons for Corica. His two Championships have him among the greats of Australia’s national leagues – Arok, Mariani, d’Avray, Merrick, Muscat, Arnold – but a third would elevate him to legendary status, next to Eddie Thomson and Zoran Matic, and behind just Ange Postecoglou.
Equally, Kisnorbo has a second look at joining the pantheon of two-time greats; his 2021 City title was followed by a Grand Final loss to Western United the next year. During that period he led the club to two of three successive Premierships.
His reputation has taken a hit in some quarters since. Stints overseas with Troyes and Yokohama F. Marinos ended unsuccessfully; sandwiched between was an unpopular appointment at Melbourne Victory where he fulfilled twelve games of a three year deal, before leaving for Japan.
He can now become Sydney’s fifth Championship manager after just seven matches, all of which would have been unbeaten. For near-on two full seasons this group promised plenty under Ufuk Talay but never found consistency. Kisnorbo has ironed that out instantly, and was this week rewarded with a three-year deal.
‘He’s done [typical] Patrick Kisnorbo, hasn’t he? He’s got them disciplined. He’s got them defensively aggressive, and I think that’s exactly what was needed when he found a side that was in more or less the same situation as they were last year, under Talay,’ said Thompson, who will call the decider for 10/Paramount+.
‘I think that’s what triggered the change was the powers that be looked at this season and thought ‘you know, this is looking worryingly like last year and we can’t afford to miss finals again.’
‘So Kisnorbo hasn’t come in looking to build a project. He’s come in with four games plus finals to try and do something to put out fires, and he’s done it exceptionally, to be fair.’
Australian National League football tomorrow writes a piece of history in seeing a Grand Final hosted outside of Australia, in its 49th season; further history awaits if Auckland become Champions. In contrast to a league that has broadly tanked since Covid-19, their establishment has bolstered nearly all metrics over their two years. .
‘There are two models. There’s everything we see in Europe: millionaires, foreign investment losing money hand over fist, but it doesn’t matter because the league is flying and generating this sort of false economy. Or, there’s perhaps a German-style model, a little more moderate in economics, but clubs sustain themselves as they move forward.
‘Auckland are a way forward. They are owned by a billionaire American (Bill Foley), they came in with big investment and put their money where their mouth was. They brought Kiwis home, they brought in foreign players, they pay them well. They have excellent facilities where they train. We find ourselves in need of that sort of magnanimous investor who can say, ‘I’m happy to lose a bit of money for the good of the game, for the good of this football club and this community.’
‘Auckland have shown us that it can work; Adelaide and Newcastle have shown us the other side of it, from grassroots level up. I think there’s a place for both of them. What we need is people invested and passionate about the game at all levels, first and foremost, and we’re not necessarily seeing that at all clubs across the board.’