A-League table

Does the rise of the three Melbourne-based A-League Men's clubs signal a shift in Australian men's football's powerbase?

"It was difficult to try and identify talented players and who was in a good state at that time. Neither entity is exactly frugal when it comes to first-team spending, and both brought in a significant number of key contributors during the offseason; invariably, these individuals were not forged in the Victorian scene. And how that was going to work best going forward. But their Melbourne rivals are seeking to rapidly close the gap and establish their own, local powerbases. Though hardly emulating Athletic Club's locals-first approach to squad construction, City are slightly better in this regard with five players who have emerged in one way or another from the Victorian scene. The manner in which they have done so hasn't always been pretty, but both sides have been able, in enough games, to capitalise on the league's prevailing trends in possession and approach to grind out results. Is this a moment of celebration for Victorian exceptionalists as their capital becomes the mecca of Australian football? Widely heralded as prohibitive title favourites heading into the season after securing a premiership and championship double in 2020-21, the presence of City atop the ALM summit will have surprise few. So with these contrasting trends in mind, does the rise of the Melbourne clubs signal that Australian men's football's powerbase is shifting? Only once previously have sides from the same city occupied the top three places in the national league table: Marconi, St George, and Olympic in 1989. This is history that Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers and Macarthur will not have wanted to create. Take a moment to absorb the A-League Men's finals participants and striking features begin to emerge.