With one round remaining, a remarkable four teams are still in contention for the A-League's regular season crown.

Leading the charge, Brisbane Roar have exceeded expectations for most of the season. Adelaide's poor early season form is distant memory as they lie in second, a point adrift of the summit.

Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City could also claim the title if results go their way, but both will need to put recent inconsistencies behind them.

As fans across Australia dissect the possible outcomes of the final round, here are five major talking points:

1. Final round could be so much more

There has never been a better time to ask whether or not the format of the A-League's final regular season round needs to be changed. Unlike most league's across the globe, not all matches are played at the same day and time, making for a potentially meek crescendo.

Outgoing Football Federation Australia chief Damien De Bohun insists that hosting fixtures across three days is addressing the "needs of the members and fans attending the match."

In truth, it's about television rights, and the ability to soak up maximum hours to ensure ratings and, subsequently, advertising revenue. There's nothing wrong with this, but it would be respectful if the powers that be were honest about their motives.

In his article for the official A-League website, De Bohun went on to claim "this coming weekend will be three days of great unscripted drama".

Will it?

If top-of the-table Brisbane Roar defeat Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, both of Sunday's matches -- which include the in-contention Western Sydney Wanderers -- will be irrelevant in terms of the title race. It's only by luck that Brisbane's match isn't on Friday, which would potentially make all games less exciting for the neutral.

With television broadcasting rights a hot topic as a new deal looms in 2017, there was never a chance this stance would be altered this season. Hopefully, as the league matures, fans will be treated to spectacular all-encapsulating final day of the season.

Sadly, when this happens, it's unlikely there will be four teams vying for silverware as is the case this campaign.

2. Brisbane in box seat as WSW hit the road

Regardless of results earlier in the round, if Brisbane Roar -- currently sitting on 47 competition points -- can win on Saturday, then a third Premier's Plate will be heading the way of the Queensland club.

For their part, Melbourne Victory have only form to play for as they cannot be displaced from holding the last finals spot, and would need a huge win in order to topple Perth Glory in fifth position.

On the surface it may appear that Western Sydney Wanderers have an advantage over the final weekend, as they take on ninth-placed Wellington Phoenix. However, having to play away, the trip to New Zealand could prove tricky. The Wanderers also play on Sunday afternoon, meaning their hopes could be dashed before they kick a ball in anger.

3. Reds and City still in with a shout

Both Adelaide United and Melbourne City remain alive in the race for the regular season title, as they sit one point and three points off Brisbane respectively.

City let a golden opportunity to claim their first piece of silverware as a club slip last weekend, falling 3-2 away to an in-form Perth Glory side. This result came despite the return of Socceroos Aaron Mooy and Alex Wilkinson from international duty.

Potentially, the shock defeat was the wake-up call City needed heading into the finals series, but Adelaide boss Guillermo Amor will smell blood in the water. His Reds will be primed for battle, particularly given they have kept clean sheets in their past four away matches.

Adelaide's defence, led by goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, will be severely tested by the league's best attack, which is fronted by record-breaking goalscorer Bruno Fornaroli. Expect this to be a tight, tense affair early, until both sides throw caution to the wind late on.

4. Perth eye final round glory over Sydney

Perth did not get the other results they needed last round to remain in contention for the Premier's Plate, despite their impressive triumph over City. Regardless, Glory coach Kenny Lowe will want to finish the season on high as they take on an underwhelming Sydney FC side on Sunday.

At stake for the West Australians is a club record six consecutive wins which, of course, would be a huge boost heading into the finals series. More valuable, however, is the potential to clinch a home finals match if they are to win and other results do go their way this week.

Sydney FC are expected to be relatively lethargic in this clash, as they recover from their 1-0 win over Pohang Steelers in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night.

This clash could be a one-sided affair as Perth go all-out for a top-three finish.

5. F3 Derby gives meaning to old foes

On the surface, there is nothing to play for in this fixture. In reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. So much pride and passion will be on the line when the league's oldest rivals face-off in the latest edition of the F3 Derby on Saturday evening.

Whilst Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners failed to make the finals this season, both clubs have begun building for the future in earnest. Certainly the Jets are further ahead of their southern rivals in the rebuilding phase, with coach Scott Miller making significant improvements since last season's bottom-placed finish.

The last time these two sides met, a lone strike from Newcastle midfielder Steven Ugarkovic split the teams, and it would not surprise to see the impressive 21-year-old shine again.

No doubt Mariners veteran Nick Montgomery will will be keeping close tabs on Ugarkovic in the middle of the pitch, but one senses the Olyroo's mobility will win out again.

Ominously for the Mariners, they have conceded 14 goals in their past four matches, which will need to be seriously addressed if they are to get anything out of this derby -- and indeed the same applies to next season generally.

This was the first match circled on the calendar by both sets of fans, and it will be a fitting final act for the two squads as they round out their respective campaigns.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Rob Brooks

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