Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Brisbane Roar
Warren Moon (Central Coast Mariners):
"It's tough. We're still ambitious to make finals but this week has been in our calendar for a couple of months now. We certainly would have loved to have done it but not to be. It's tough when you've got (three games in eight days) with an away trip inbetween and two days to recover. I'm a little bit disappointed about the scheduling. We did it for the good of Melbourne City who played on Sunday and we played on Friday. I get it, these things happen, I'm not sure of the ins and outs of the logistics, but taking that aside I'm super proud of the group's attitude. We might not have got the points we wanted but they turned up and stood up for the club."
Michael Valkanis (Brisbane Roar):
"I think we should have finished off the game in the first half and not given them that opportunity to have that 10-15 minute period where they got on top of us. We had some good opportunities to finish off the game and it would have been a different story. I was disappointed with the start of the second half because we spoke about it at half-time. It's part of the Central Coast DNA that they were going to come out more physical and with more intensity to get into the game and we had lapses of concentration that cost us. Two shots on goal, two goals. That has sort of been the story of our season. We restrict teams from getting anything and then suddenly two hit the back of the net. Positives? The young boys came on and made a difference to the match with their energy. It wasn't meant to be. That has been the story since the 31st of December where we won here. It has been a really strange season with a lot to review and learn from, and to keep building on a season that started so well."
Auckland FC 2-2 Melbourne Victory
Danny Hay (Auckland FC):
"If you're being very blunt about it, a very poor first half. Steve (Corica) wasn't happy with the manner of the goal we conceded and he made it very clear at half-time. I thought the way we came out in the second half and the performance in the second half was sensational. Yan Fitzharris was fantastic, and this club is meant to be about providing opportunities for young Kiwis, so it was beautiful to see. That red card (for Corica) has been building up for some time. When you see what we think are blatant fouls not being given, the frustration just boiled over. We felt like we were in the ascendancy and when you don't get those calls, sometimes you're disappointed."
Arthur Diles (Melbourne Victory):
"We got a response from last week, that's for sure. The first thing we needed to see tonight was a team of hungry men. We came close and the disappointing part was to concede two goals from set pieces. That was disheartening, but the effort was there. In the first half the football was good. We could have gone up by another one and killed the game off but we weren't good enough to get the third (goal). We still should have held on but unfortunately we didn't. Tonight we performed well for most parts. We know their strengths and we should have dealt with them better, so that's the disappointing bit. We knew of their long throws and their set pieces. Auckland has been the most consistent team over the last two seasons and it's a tough game so I'm proud of my players for showing incredible fight, resilience and hunger."
Newcastle Jets 1-1 Adelaide United
Mark Milligan (Newcastle Jets):
"(Top two) is a massive achievement for the club and fully deserved by everyone involved this year. I don't speak to the boys much after the game but I said they have achieved a lot for themselves this year and for the football fans in Newcastle. This is just one more thing they can put on that list, but there are so many more things available for them to get. I see that hunger and I thought for large parts of today we were fantastic. Everything we spoke about after the Macarthur and Sydney games have produced a reaction. We worked extremely hard. We need to be a little bit more clinical and perhaps the last pass or last decision could have been better, but I can't fault our intent for the majority of the game."
Airton Andrioli (Adelaide United):
"I thought it was a really good game tonight. The pleasing thing is there were two good teams trying to play good football. It was a great spectacle and I really enjoyed the match. From our perspective I was really pleased with the way we played the game out. I've got questions about their (Newcastle's) goal so there is a sense of frustration and disappointment. It was such a great game of football but I'm probably going to walk away with a bitter taste in my mouth again that the VAR is destroying our game. Unless they've got a different camera angle to show me, or different rules in Australia, the FIFA rules say it has to be 'clear and obvious' (to overturn) the referee's decision. It sounds like I am whinging here, but twice in one game is frustrating. For me, it's ruining the game of football. I think the referees on the pitch are doing a great job but the technology is hindering our game and taking it backwards."
Western Sydney Wanderers 0-2 Sydney FC
Gary van Egmond (Western Sydney Wanderers):
"I think in the first half they (Sydney) were a little better, but I don't think it was overly one-sided. Second half we came out and definitely dominated the game, but again not enough end product or clear-cut opportunities created. I thought it was a bit harsh in regards to the (handball) goal. I think it was handball because he gets pushed. But that's football. You've got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go again. That's part of being resilient and I thought the boys' effort was tremendous. I think the consistency of a 90-minute display (has been lacking). For the mainstay, we have alleviated the real issue in regards to scoring goals, but change comes in regards to how you defend and shut down transitions. For periods in the back half of the season we've done some really good things, but have also lacked in certain moments."
Patrick Kisnorbo (Sydney FC):
"I think our application to start with was good. We controlled the game and created some decent chances. We dropped our concentration but recovered from that. For me, it's the application for the whole 90 minutes. I can't be more proud. The main thing is we keep going forward, but the application they showed tonight under difficult circumstances was great to see. We got rewarded for persistence. I was happy to see a collective performance. We need to keep pushing. I'm only concentrating on tomorrow's training. We've just got to take it day-by-day and not worry about what's happening in the future. All we can control is what we can do tomorrow."
Melbourne City 2-0 Wellington Phoenix
Aurelio Vidmar (Melbourne City):
"I thought it was a real solid performance. It was never going to be an easy game because of the physical nature of the team, especially the two games up front, Eze and Piper. I thought Sammy (Souprayen) and German (Ferreyra) were incredible in dealing with them tonight. It was never easy for them, but they found an extra leg to combat their qualities. The team as a whole worked really well and we deserved the win despite some hairy moments that we dealt with in a real professional manner. The last three games have had the added pressure of needing to win. I prefer that because having that little additional pressure makes you a little more focused."
Chris Greenacre (Wellington Phoenix):
"We huffed and puffed a little bit to be honest. We were quite reactive in the first half and Melbourne were picking up second balls a lot better than we did. We had moments, some decent possession in the second half and a couple of moments from set pieces where on another day we might have added goals, but overall they were a better side on the day. We made it difficult but they probably deserved the points today. We had a lack of quality in the final third. I don't think for a second my players gave up but a lack of quality at the right moments let us down today. Whenever it is mathematically possible (to qualify for finals), we'll take care of the business that is in our hands."
Perth Glory 3-1 Macarthur FC
Adam Griffiths (Perth Glory):
"It was a good win and the boys deserved it. We spoke about last week and even the week before, where we felt like we dominated the games and created chances, and how we can focus on the next moment rather than dwelling on the last. They did that today. I felt like we had good forward momentum and intent, and we matched one of the most physical teams in the league. We created a lot of chances and should take a lot of positives from that. More recently we have had squad consistency in our lineup especially from a training perspective. We brought some more energy into this game due to injury and those players really stepped up and showed me something I didn't know we had."
Mile Sterjovski (Macarthur FC):
"I think it was a difficult match for us. Every match we've played against Glory this season has been hard for us. Credit to them for taking their chances and that was the difference in the end. The chances that we missed cost us. We love to see passion in the game. I think there was a lot riding on this game with both teams trying to sneak into the top-six. It's great to see passion from the players, as long as it is controlled. I can't fault the effort of my players. We have to hope for a miracle now where we win our last two games and City lose both of theirs. It's still possible so we're going to keep working like we always do. When there's still a chance to make the six, we don't need motivation. It's there already."