A-League Men grand final 2023: Melbourne City 1-6 Central Coast ...

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Summary

Thank you very much for joining me tonight for a couple of hours that will live long in the memory of everyone connected to Central Coast Mariners. They arrived as underdogs but departed as champions courtesy of the most incredible performance full of belief, brilliance, and backbone.

It is a credit to Nick Montgomery and his staff that he has produced a side of such excellence while also bringing through wave after wave of young local talent through the ranks, serving not only the Central Coast community but the national side as well.

I’ll leave you with Joey Lynch’s report from Parramatta. Catch you all soon.

There we have it. Against all odds an extraordinary night for Central Coast Mariners and the A-League.

Vukovic accepts the championship trophy, makes his way in front of the massed ranks of the CCM team, and raises the toilet seat to the sky as the heavens open with confetti.

The Mariners celebrate as 2023 champions. Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images

Finally, Danny Vukovic accepts his winner’s medal and takes to the microphone to offer his commiserations to Melbourne City, share his pride in his team, and thank family and friends. As he does so an army of Mariners staff congregate around the presentation. Normally this is reserved solely for players, so it’s a wonderful sight to see such an extended group share in the moment.

The penultimate figure onto the stage is Nick Montgomery, who has his three children in tow. What an incredible job he’s done.

Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery celebrates with Maximilien Balard. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

And now, to great cheers, come the Mariners, led by Brian Kaltack with a flag of Vanuatu tucked behind his ear.

The City squad are plodding dejectedly across the dais to collect their runners-up medals. There are some haunted looks on their faces. Understandably so. Three premierships in a row for only one championship.

Jason Cummings wins the Joe Marston medal

Of course he does. You can’t score a grand final hat-trick and not walk away with a bauble to go alongside the match ball.

Jason Cummings is presented with his Man of the Match medal. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Time for the presentation ceremony.

That did not play out at all as I expected. City were so open on the transition and were caught time and again by the intelligence of Tulio and Cummings centrally and the trickery and pace of Silvera and Nkololo in wider areas. The decision to start Reis at right-back backfired, and the commitment to selecting so many attackers denied O’Neill midfield support. It was a mystery why Vidosic opted not to use his bench more with his side chasing the game.

Central Coast Mariners celebrate as 2023 A-League Men’s champions Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Danny Vukovic has seen it all with multiple teams over a long distinguished career, but even he’s struggling to hold back tears.

It means everything. Some youngsters in the team, young supporters, now winning grand finals, thousands of young kids there, boys and girls, inspired by our young players today.

Jason Cummings is speaking beautifully on the telly.

I don’t know what happened, we just beat the champions. We just beat them 6-1. But I’m not surprised, the team we have, the hunger of the boys, the togetherness, the family, the gaffer, wow, what a journey, man. I have been here a year and a half, and the gaffer has changed my life. My career was spiralling out of control and I have come here and I have felt… honestly, I’m lost for words.

I have never experienced anything like it. On the pitch, showing the belief, I have never had a manager believe in me like that. I’m just glad I repaid them today with a hat-trick in the grand final. We are going to party tonight, I tell you that!

Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” reverberates around Commbank Stadium as CCM players and fans soak up the most extraordinary night. Melbourne City’s players look shellshocked.

The most incredible night for Central Coast Mariners. A Jason Cummings hat-trick. A Sammy Silvera masterclass. The culmination of an extraordinary piece of work from Nick Montgomery. Absolutely magnificent.

Mariners coach Nick Montgomery celebrates the grand final win with Daniel Vukovic. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty ImagesFull-time: Melbourne City 1-6 Central Coast Mariners

The Central Coast Mariners are A-League champions!

GOAL! Melbourne City 1-6 Central Coast Mariners (Moresche 90+1)

This is farcical. Theoharous wins the ball in midfield, dribbles to the edge of the box and shapes to shoot twice before being closed down. The ball breaks to Moresche who steps inside O’Neill and smashes a finish wide of Glover. The most unexpected rout in A-League history is complete.

Christian Theoharous celebrates a sixth goal and a famous grand final victory. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

90 mins: The camera cuts to Scott Jamieson, who looks destined to end his Melbourne City career as club captain and record appearance holder but without a run-on in the grand final.

Melbourne City legend Scott Jamieson says farewell to the game. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

89 mins: Tulio hauls down Berenguer for a booking nobody could care less about.

87 mins: The crowd is announced at 26,523, most of them presumably overjoyed with what they’ve seen. This trip to NSW will stick in the craw of Melbourne City.

85 mins: What a night.

GOAL! Melbourne City 1-5 Central Coast Mariners (Nkololo, 84)

Unbelievable. Nisbet mops up in midfield and carries the ball downfield with poise. He offloads to Silvera who stands up the City back four and unfurls a majestic assist with the outside of his right boot, curling the ball temptingly into the path of Nkololo who thumps an unmarked header past the helpless Glover. This is beyond the wildest dreams of anyone in Gosford.

Mariners players celebrate their fifth goal. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

81 mins: Vidosic is clearly happy with his attacking options on the field, despite his side’s deficit. Lam almost pops up as an unlikely scorer but his left-footed snapshot following a corner is dragged wide.

80 mins: The Mariners are working so hard off the ball to chase down every sky blue jersey and put a foot in or get a body in the way. It’s gritty and diligent and shows great team spirit.

79 mins: Tilio goes into Beath’s book for a cynical foul on Nkololo in transition after City were crowded out of a half chance in the box.

77 mins: City need a miracle but they’re running out of inspiration. Talbot tries to jink his way down the right but there’s a yellow wall in his way.

A couple more subs for the Mariners with Steele and Hall coming on for Balard and Roux.

75 mins: Melbourne City careering towards a third grand final defeat in four years. And this one will sting enormously.

Hat-trick hero Jason Cummings celebrates with Central Coast Mariners fans. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

74 mins: Only the second man to score a grand final hat-trick (after Archie Thompson) Jason Cummings has secured his place in A-League history in his final appearance.

GOAL! Melbourne City 1-4 Central Coast Mariners (Cummings, 72)

Jason Cummings has a hat-trick in the A-League grand final! The first was low to Glover’s right, the second high to the keeper’s left. Nervless penalty taking from the Cumdog. The Mariners are going to do it. They’re going to bloody do it!

Jason Cummings celebrates a hat-trick in his final game for Central Coast Mariners. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Chris Beath awarded the spot-kick on the field. It is being reviewed by VAR but doesn’t look like it will be overturned. Cummings has a chance for a hat-trick…

PENALTY! (Central Coast Mariners)

… and the first thing the substitute does is handle the ball in the box, sliding to block a cross from Farrell the left. It is all going Pete Tong for Melbourne City.

69 mins: City return to their side-to-side passing moves but can’t identify any penetration. Nabbout goes on a run but runs out space quickly.

The premiers make an odd substitution with Talbot replacing Reis at the back.

67 mins: Lam strides out of defence like Beckenbauer for the second time tonight. He feeds Nabbout on the right but his cross doesn’t beat the first man and van der Venne can’t keep the move alive. Things are not working out for City.

GOAL! Melbourne City 1-3 Central Coast Mariners (Cummings, 65)

Jason Cummings restores the two-goal cushion! The Mariners haven’t had a sniff all half but they take full advantage of their one opportunity, Cummings sending Glover the wrong way to send the crowd wild.

Crowd favourite Jason Cummings celebrates another Central Coast Mariners goal. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty ImagesPENALTY! (Central Coast Mariners)

Dear oh dear. Andrew Nabbout just whacks the substitute Farrell with a wild hoick of his right boot and concedes a stonewall penalty. Great skill preceding it by Silvera, but that was awful from the Socceroo.

63 mins: Speaking of subs, Montgomery makes his first change of the night with McGarry making way for Farrell.