2008–09 A-League

The 2008–09 A-League was the 32nd season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the fourth season of the A-League competition since its establishment in 2004. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy[1][2] had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008.[3] Expansion plans are on hold until the 2009–10 season. Based on their 2007–08 performances, the Central Coast Mariners and the Newcastle Jets competed in the 2009 AFC Champions League for the first time.

A-League
Season2008–09
Dates15 August 2008 – 28 February 2009
ChampionsMelbourne Victory (2nd title)
PremiersMelbourne Victory (2nd title)
AFC Champions LeagueMelbourne Victory, Adelaide United
Matches played84
Goals scored249 (2.96 per match)
Top goalscorerShane Smeltz
(12 goals)
Best goalkeeperEugene Galekovic
Highest attendance31,564
Lowest attendance4,433
Average attendance12,180

Changes to the league included:

  • The introduction of both a youth league and women's league aligned with A-League clubs.[4]
  • An increase in the salary cap to A$1.9 million.[5]
  • The addition of a Junior Marquee player. (A player under the age of 23 who has up to A$150,000 of his salary outside of the cap.[5]
  • Injury replacement players can only match the injured players' salary, or have any excess included within the total Salary Cap.[5]

Clubs
Further information: A-League § Clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Adelaide United Adelaide Hindmarsh Stadium 17,000
Central Coast Mariners Gosford Bluetongue Stadium 20,119
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Telstra Dome 56,347
Newcastle Jets Newcastle Energy Australia Stadium 26,164
Perth Glory Perth Members Equity Stadium 18,156
Queensland Roar Brisbane Suncorp Stadium 52,500
Sydney FC Sydney Aussie Stadium 42,500
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Westpac Stadium 34,500

Foreign players
Club Visa 1 Visa 2 Visa 3 Visa 4 Non-Visa foreigner(s) Former player(s)
Adelaide United Alemão Cássio Cristiano Diego Walsh Jonas Salley1
Central Coast Mariners André Gumprecht Andrea Merenda3
John Hutchinson2
Melbourne Victory Ney Fabiano Carlos Hernández José Luis López Grant Brebner1
Newcastle Jets Jesper Håkansson Song Jin-hyung Edmundo Zura
Perth Glory Adrian Trinidad Amaral James Robinson Eugène Dadi Victor Sikora3
Queensland Roar Reinaldo Sergio van Dijk Charlie Miller Henrique3
Seo Hyuk-su1
Sydney FC Bobby Petta Terry McFlynn Michael Enfield
Wellington Phoenix Daniel Gao Leilei Chris Greenacre Manny Muscat2 Fred4

The following do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian Residency (and New Zealand Residency, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);
2Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
4Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of ten games)

Salary cap exemptions and captains
Club Marquee Junior Marquee Captain Vice-Captain
Adelaide United Paul Agostino[6] None Travis Dodd[7] Lucas Pantelis[7]
Central Coast Mariners None None Alex Wilkinson[8] None
Melbourne Victory Archie Thompson[9][10] Nick Ward[11][12][13] Kevin Muscat[14][15] None
Newcastle Jets Edmundo Zura[16][note 1] Adam D'Apuzzo[12] Jade North[18]
Matt Thompson[note 2][19]		 Ante Covic
Adam Griffiths
Perth Glory None Nikita Rukavytsya[20] Jamie Coyne[21] None
Queensland Roar Craig Moore[22] None Craig Moore[23] None
Sydney FC John Aloisi[24] Mark Bridge[12] Steve Corica[25] None
Wellington Phoenix None None Andrew Durante[26] Tim Brown[26]
Jon McKain[26][27]
Richard Johnson[26]

Pre-season Challenge Cup
Main article: 2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup

All A-League clubs played the pre-season cup competition held in July and August, and were drawn into two groups. Group A consisted of Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory. Group B was Central Coast Mariners, Queensland Roar, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

The winner of each group, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix, met in Wellington on 6 August 2008 for the Pre-Season Cup Final.[28] With the score at 0–0 after 90 minutes, the game went to penalties, Melbourne Victory eventually prevailing 8–7, thus becoming the first team in A-League history to claim all three available trophies, after winning the Premiership and Championship in the 2006–07 season.

Regular season

The 2008–09 A-League season was played over 21 rounds, followed by a finals series.[29]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Melbourne Victory (C) 21 12 2 7 39 27 +12 38 Finals Series and 2010 AFC Champions League Group stage
2 Adelaide United 21 11 5 5 31 19 +12 38
3 Queensland Roar 21 10 6 5 36 25 +11 36 Finals Series
4 Central Coast Mariners 21 7 7 7 35 32 +3 28
5 Sydney FC 21 7 5 9 33 32 +1 26
6 Wellington Phoenix 21 7 5 9 23 31 −8 26
7 Perth Glory 21 6 4 11 31 44 −13 22
8 Newcastle Jets 21 4 6 11 21 39 −18 18
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion

Round 1
15 August 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–1 Central Coast Mariners EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+10 J. Griffiths  90+1' (pen.) Report
Summary		 Simon  87' Attendance: 16,022
Referee: Matthew Breeze
16 August 2008 Sydney FC 0–0 Melbourne Victory Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 16,227
Referee: Mark Shield
17 August 2008 Wellington Phoenix 1–1 Queensland Roar Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+12 Smeltz  51' Report
Summary		 Miller  46' Attendance: 10,516
Referee: Ben Williams
17 August 2008 Adelaide United 1–0 Perth Glory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+9:30 T. Dodd  41' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 10,510
Referee: Peter Green

Round 2
22 August 2008 Perth Glory 3–3 Newcastle Jets Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Trinidad  35' (pen.)
Dadi  58'
Rukavytsya  81'		 Report Summary J. Griffiths  20' (pen.)
Coyne  49' (o.g.)
North  90+5'		 Attendance: 8,876
Referee: Craig Zetter
23 August 2008 Central Coast Mariners 2–3 Sydney FC Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+10 Petrovski  13' (pen.), 67' Report Summary Corica  6', 14'
Cole  81'		 Attendance: 10,932
Referee: Ben Williams
24 August 2008 Wellington Phoenix 2–4 Melbourne Victory Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+12 Smeltz  29', 65' (pen.) Report Summary Allsopp  16', 35'
Ney Fabiano  47'
K. Muscat  68' (pen.)		 Attendance: 6,110
Referee: Strebre Delovski
24 August 2008 Queensland Roar 1–1 Adelaide United Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17:00 UTC+10 Miller  47' Report Summary T. Dodd  8' (pen.) Attendance: 12,761
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 3
29 August 2008 Melbourne Victory 5–0 Newcastle Jets Telstra Dome, Melbourne
18:00 UTC+10 Hernández  41'
A. Thompson  45+2'
Allsopp  61', 64'
Brebner  90'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 22,589
Referee: Mark Shield
30 August 2008 Adelaide United 3–0 Wellington Phoenix Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+9:30 Pantelis  15'
Cristiano  49', 60'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 7,832
Referee: Matthew Breeze
31 August 2008 Sydney FC 5–2 Perth Glory Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
15:00 UTC+10 Brosque  3'
Corica  21' (pen.)
Bridge  39'
Cole  43'
Topor-Stanley  88' (o.g.)		 Report
Summary		 Dadi  12', 67' (pen.) Attendance: 11,732
Referee: Peter Green
31 August 2008 Queensland Roar 2–4 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17:00 UTC+10 Miller  69'
van Dijk  73' (pen)		 Report
Summary		 Simon  31'
Jedinak  48'
Macallister  64', 71'		 Attendance: 12,185
Referee: Peter O'Leary

Round 4
12 September 2008 Melbourne Victory 1–0 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
18:00 UTC+10 K. Muscat  64' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 24,812
Referee: Matthew Breeze
13 September 2008 Newcastle Jets 0–0 Sydney FC EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,535
Referee: Peter O'Leary
14 September 2008 Perth Glory 0–3 Queensland Roar Members Equity Stadium, Perth
15:00 UTC+8 Report
Summary		 Moore  14'
McKay  23'
Miller  45+2'		 Attendance: 8,203
Referee: Ben Williams
14 September 2008 Wellington Phoenix 0–0 Central Coast Mariners Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+12 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 6,928
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 5
19 September 2008 Queensland Roar 0–1 Newcastle Jets Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 J. Griffiths  83' Attendance: 12,103
Referee: Craig Zetter
20 September 2008 Sydney FC 3–0 Adelaide United Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 McFlynn  2'
Brosque  34'
Santalab  79'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 12,462
Referee: Ben Williams
20 September 2008 Central Coast Mariners 2–2 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+10 Simon  12', 84' Report
Summary		 A. Thompson  16', 90+4' Attendance: 9,010
Referee: Peter Green
21 September 2008 Perth Glory 1–0 Wellington Phoenix Members Equity Stadium, Perth
15:00 UTC+8 Dadi  79' (pen.) Report
Summary		 Attendance: 4,433
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 6
26 September 2008 Central Coast Mariners 4–1 Perth Glory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+10 Petrovski  9'
Jedinak  29'
Caceres  45'
Osman  64'		 Report
Summary		 Rukavytsya  63' Attendance: 8,016
Referee: Mark Shield
27 September 2008 Adelaide United 2–0 Newcastle Jets Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+9:30 Cristiano  72', 89' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 8,111
Referee: Strebre Delovski
28 September 2008 Wellington Phoenix 2–1 Sydney FC Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+12 Smeltz  42'
Brown  76'		 Report
Summary		 Brosque  20' Attendance: 6,729
Referee: Chris Beath
28 September 2008 Melbourne Victory 0–2 Queensland Roar Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Minniecon  83'
Zullo  90+4'		 Attendance: 22,266
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 7
3 October 2008 Adelaide United 3–3 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 T. Dodd  7' (pen.)
Cornthwaite  19'
Cristiano  50'		 Report
Summary		 Jedinak  66' (pen.), 76'
Simon  84'		 Attendance: 9,074
Referee: Ben Williams
4 October 2008 Melbourne Victory 4–0 Perth Glory Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Brebner  25'
Allsopp  39', 71'
Vargas  46'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 18,036
Referee: Strebre Delovski
4 October 2008 Sydney FC 1–1 Queensland Roar Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+10 Musialik  90+3' Report
Summary		 Miller  49' Attendance: 12,403
Referee: Matthew Breeze
6 October 2008 Newcastle Jets 2–2 Wellington Phoenix EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
15:00 UTC+11 T. Elrich  59'
Patafta  68'		 Report
Summary		 Smeltz  52' (pen.), 89' (pen.) Attendance: 8,492
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 8
17 October 2008 Queensland Roar 0–1 Adelaide United Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Cornthwaite  60' Attendance: 11,117
Referee: Mark Shield
18 October 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–0 Melbourne Victory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:00 UTC+11 Jesic  85' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,384
Referee: Matthew Breeze
19 October 2008 Central Coast Mariners 0–1 Wellington Phoenix Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
15:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary		 K. Dodd  53' Attendance: 9,011
Referee: Ben Williams
19 October 2008 Perth Glory 2–1 Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium, Perth
14:00 UTC+8 Harnwell  5', 47' Report
Summary		 Santalab  11' Attendance: 7,759
Referee: Peter O'Leary

Round 9
24 October 2008 Central Coast Mariners 1–0 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Macallister  33' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 10,710
Referee: Matthew Breeze
25 October 2008 Melbourne Victory 0–2 Sydney FC Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary		 Bridge  20'
Aloisi  62'		 Attendance: 31,564
Referee: Ben Williams
26 October 2008 Adelaide United 2–1 Perth Glory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10:30 Alemão  80'
T. Dodd  82' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Rukavytsya  55' Attendance: 10,126
Referee: Strebre Delovski
26 October 2008 Wellington Phoenix 0–1 Queensland Roar Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+13 Report
Summary		 McCloughan  40' Attendance: 6,543
Referee: Peter O'Leary

Round 10
31 October 2008 Adelaide United 2–3 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30 T. Dodd  28' (pen.)
Cássio  67'		 Report
Summary		 K. Muscat  55' (pen.), 81' (pen.)
Celeski  84'		 Attendance: 13,191
Referee: Matthew Breeze
1 November 2008 Sydney FC 3–3 Central Coast Mariners Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Bridge  28'
Casey  39'
McFlynn  57'		 Report
Summary		 Simon  63', 81'
Mrdja  78'		 Attendance: 18,251
Referee: Strebre Delovski
2 November 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–2 Queensland Roar EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 J. Griffiths  23' Report
Summary		 McKay  24'
Miller  35'		 Attendance: 10,507
Referee: Craig Zetter
2 November 2008 Perth Glory 2–0 Wellington Phoenix Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+9 Rukavytsya  15', 70' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 7,228
Referee: Chris Beath

Round 11
7 November 2008 Sydney FC 1–2 Wellington Phoenix Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11 Musialik  77' Report
Summary		 Bertos  34'
Smeltz  89' (pen.)		 Attendance: 12,856
Referee: Craig Zetter
8 November 2008 Queensland Roar 0–1 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 A. Thompson  71' Attendance: 12,022
Referee: Peter O'Leary
9 November 2008 Perth Glory 2–2 Newcastle Jets Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+9 Rukavytsya  27'
Dadi  90+2' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 J. Griffiths  17'
T. Elrich  45'		 Attendance: 7,837
Referee: Matthew Breeze
15 November 2008 Central Coast Mariners 3–0 Adelaide United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:30 UTC+11 Simon  18'
Petrovski  44'
Caceres  50'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 7,865
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 12
21 November 2008 Melbourne Victory 2–1 Central Coast Mariners Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Pondeljak  37'
A. Thompson  60'		 Report
Summary		 Hutchinson  34' Attendance: 21,455
Referee: Strebre Delovski
22 November 2008 Adelaide United 2–0 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+10:30 Ognenovski  45+2'
T. Dodd  78'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,509
Referee: Ben Williams
23 November 2008 Wellington Phoenix 2–0 Newcastle Jets Westpac Stadium, Wellington
18:00 UTC+13 Smeltz  79'
Hearfield  86'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 5,500
Referee: Matthew Breeze
23 November 2008 Queensland Roar 4–1 Perth Glory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17:00 UTC+10 van Dijk  45+1' (pen.)
Minniecon  45+3'
Miller  55'
Nichols  82'		 Report
Summary		 Harnwell  57' Attendance: 9,118
Referee: Peter Green

Round 13
28 November 2008 Wellington Phoenix 2–1 Melbourne Victory Westpac Stadium, Wellington
19:30 UTC+13 Brown  21'
Smeltz  58'		 Report
Summary		 Allsopp  20' Attendance: 7,953
Referee: Craig Zetter
28 November 2008 Sydney FC 1–1 Queensland Roar Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+10 Corica  64' Report
Summary		 McKay  12' Attendance: 8,502
Referee: Matthew Breeze
29 November 2008 Perth Glory 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Members Equity Stadium, Perth
18:00 UTC+9 Rukavytsya  55', 62' Report
Summary		 Jedinak  31'
Petrovski  90+2'		 Attendance: 6,496
Referee: Peter O'Leary
30 November 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–1 Adelaide United EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 M. Thompson  56' Report
Summary		 Ognenovski  90+4' Attendance: 7,136
Referee: Chris Beath

Round 14
5 December 2008 Adelaide United 6–1 Wellington Phoenix Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30 Ognenovski  21'
Cristiano  43', 74'
Cassio  57', 70'
T. Dodd  90+1'		 Report
Summary		 Fred  56' Attendance: 9,442
Referee: Matthew Breeze
6 December 2008 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Queensland Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11 Gumprecht  83' Report
Summary		 van Dijk  11' Attendance: 8,995
Referee: Ben Williams
6 December 2008 Perth Glory 3–1 Melbourne Victory Members Equity Stadium, Perth
18:00 UTC+9 Dadi  19', 23'
Pellegrino  79'		 Report
Summary		 Ney Fabiano  55' Attendance: 6,621
Referee: Peter Green
7 December 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–2 Sydney FC EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Wheelhouse  11' Report
Summary		 Fyfe  15'
Gan  78'		 Attendance: 7,872
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 15
13 December 2008 Wellington Phoenix 1–1 Perth Glory Westpac Stadium, Wellington
19:00 UTC+13 Brown  83' Report
Summary		 Dadi  76' Attendance: 6,362
Referee: Strebre Delovski
13 December 2008 Central Coast Mariners 2–1 Sydney FC Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+11 Macallister  11'
Jedinak  90+1' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Aloisi  65' (pen.) Attendance: 11,220
Referee: Peter Green
14 December 2008 Queensland Roar 2–1 Newcastle Jets Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 Nichols  45+2'
van Dijk  90+1'		 Report
Summary		 J. Griffiths  26' Attendance: 11,048
Referee: Ben Williams
6 January 2009[30] Melbourne Victory 1–0 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:30 UTC+11 Ward  58' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 27,196
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 16
19 December 2008 Wellington Phoenix 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Westpac Stadium, Wellington
19:30 UTC+13 Smeltz  2' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 6,722
Referee: Chris Beath
19 December 2008 Newcastle Jets 4–2 Melbourne Victory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 M. Thompson  16', 45', 49'
Song  60'		 Report
Summary		 Allsopp  66'
Ney Fabiano  87'		 Attendance: 6,268
Referee: Craig Zetter
21 December 2008 Sydney FC 1–4 Perth Glory Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Musialik  61' Report
Summary		 Pellegrino  11'
Golec  36' (o.g.)
Srhoj  49'
Middleby  69' (o.g.)		 Attendance: 12,165
Referee: Ben Williams
14 January 2009[30] Adelaide United 0–0 Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 14,450
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 17
26 December 2008 Newcastle Jets 1–2 Central Coast Mariners EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 J. Griffiths  9' (pen.) Report
Summary		 Petrovski  67'
Simon  80'		 Attendance: 11,413
Referee: Peter O'Leary
26 December 2008 Perth Glory 0–1 Adelaide United Members Equity Stadium, Perth
20:00 UTC+9 Report
Summary		 Sarkies  40' Attendance: 12,581
Referee: Craig Zetter
27 December 2008 Melbourne Victory 3–2 Sydney FC Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11 A. Thompson  14'
Ward  71'
Ney Fabiano  80'		 Report
Summary		 Cole  1'
Gan  4'		 Attendance: 25,398
Referee: Matthew Breeze
28 December 2008 Queensland Roar 3–2 Wellington Phoenix Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 McKay  39'
van Dijk  48'
Oar  90+1'		 Report
Summary		 de Vere  11' (o.g.)
Hearfield  46'		 Attendance: 13,115
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 18
31 December 2008 Central Coast Mariners 1–0 Perth Glory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson  80' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 15,546
Referee: Strebre Delovski
2 January 2009 Melbourne Victory 2–1 Queensland Roar Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Allsopp  55'
Vargas  67'		 Report
Summary		 Moore  75' Attendance: 23,447
Referee: Peter O'Leary
3 January 2009 Adelaide United 2–0 Sydney FC Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30 Cássio  45+1'
Alemão  83'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 23,002
Referee: Chris Beath
4 January 2009 Wellington Phoenix 3–0 Newcastle Jets Westpac Stadium, Wellington
19:00 UTC+13 Bertos  62'
Smeltz  67', 86' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 7,520
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 19
9 January 2009 Adelaide United 2–0 Newcastle Jets Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30 Barbiero  23'
Pantelis  74'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 13,585
Referee: Peter Green
10 January 2009 Central Coast Mariners 3–4 Queensland Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+11 Mrdja  5'
Simon  55', 81'		 Report
Summary		 van Dijk  43', 48'
Minniecon  60'
Porter  69' (o.g.)		 Attendance: 11,454
Referee: Matthew Breeze
11 January 2009 Sydney FC 1–0 Wellington Phoenix Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
18:00 UTC+11 Danning  85' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,605
Referee: Ben Williams
11 January 2009 Perth Glory 3–2 Melbourne Victory Members Equity Stadium, Perth
18:00 UTC+9 Dadi  32', 76'
Rukavytsya  36'		 Report
Summary		 Allsopp  3'
Ney Fabiano  48'		 Attendance: 9,381
Referee: Chris Beath

Round 20
16 January 2009 Melbourne Victory 3–0 Central Coast Mariners Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Allsopp  68'
Hernández  71'
A. Thompson  75'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 24,003
Referee: Peter Green
17 January 2009 Queensland Roar 3–1 Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 van Dijk  16', 28', 90+3' Report
Summary		 Danning  25' Attendance: 19,111
Referee: Craig Zetter
18 January 2009 Wellington Phoenix 1–1 Adelaide United Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+13 Barbarouses  31' Report
Summary		 Reid  9' Attendance: 8,241
Referee: Chris Beath
18 January 2009 Newcastle Jets 2–1 Perth Glory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Kovacic  41'
Milligan  55' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Bulloch  65' Attendance: 6,665
Referee: Kris Griffith-Jones

Round 21
23 January 2009 Melbourne Victory 2–0 Wellington Phoenix Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 K. Muscat  40' (pen.)
A. Thompson  90'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 28,905
Referee: Strebre Delovski
24 January 2009 Queensland Roar 4–2 Perth Glory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Nichols  27'
Tiatto  63'
van Dijk  76'
McCloughan  82'		 Report
Summary		 Rukavytsya  21'
Skorich  66'		 Attendance: 17,367
Referee: Peter O'Leary
25 January 2009 Sydney FC 4–0 Newcastle Jets Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Brosque  13', 41'
Milligan  77' (o.g.)
Bridge  86'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,551
Referee: Kevin Docherty
25 January 2009 Central Coast Mariners 0–1 Adelaide United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary		 Cristiano  82' Attendance: 12,351
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Finals series
  Semi Finals Preliminary Final Grand Final
    L1 L2    
                           
1 Melbourne Victory 2 4    
2 Adelaide United 0 0           1 Melbourne Victory 1
    2 Adelaide United 1   2 Adelaide United 0
    3 Queensland Roar 0  
3 Queensland Roar 2 2
4 Central Coast Mariners 0 1  
6 February 2009 Minor Semi-Final Leg 1 Central Coast Mariners 0–2 Queensland Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary
Attendance: 9,514
Referee: Ben Williams
7 February 2009 Major Semi-Final Leg 1 Adelaide United 0–2 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+10:30 Report
Summary		 Hernández  13'
Allsopp  89'		 Attendance: 14,119
Referee: Strebre Delovski
13 February 2009 Minor Semi-Final Leg 2 Queensland Roar 2–1 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10 Nichols  21'
McKay  49'		 Report
Summary		 Mrdja  64' Attendance: 23,705
Referee: Peter Green
14 February 2009 Major Semi-Final Leg 2 Melbourne Victory 4–0 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:30 UTC+11
Report
Summary		 Attendance: 34,736
Referee: Matthew Breeze
21 February 2009 Preliminary Final Adelaide United 1–0 Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+10:30 Barbiero  25' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 8,472
Referee: Strebre Delovski
See also: 2009 A-League Grand Final
28 February 2009 Grand Final Melbourne Victory 1–0 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:30 UTC+11 Pondeljak  60' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 53,273
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Statistics

Leading scorers
Further information: A-League Top scorers
Total Player Team Goals per Round
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718192021
12Shane SmeltzWellington Phoenix121211112
11Matt SimonCentral Coast Mariners11212112
11Daniel AllsoppMelbourne Victory22211111
11Sergio van DijkQueensland Roar11111231
10Eugène DadiPerth Glory1211212
10Nikita RukavytsyaPerth Glory11121211
8Archie ThompsonMelbourne Victory1211111
8CristianoAdelaide United22121
8Charlie MillerQueensland Roar1111111
7Travis DoddAdelaide United1111111
7Joel GriffithsNewcastle Jets1111111
6Mile JedinakCentral Coast Mariners11211
6Sasho PetrovskiCentral Coast Mariners21111
5Ney Fabiano de OliveiraMelbourne Victory11111
5Kevin MuscatMelbourne Victory1121
5Alex BrosqueSydney FC1112
As of the end of the home and away season
A goal was scored from a penalty kick
Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

Attendance

These are the attendance records of each of the teams at the end of the home and away season. The table does not include finals series attendances.

Team Hosted Average High Low Total
Melbourne Victory1124,51631,56418,036269,671
Queensland Roar1012,99519,1119,118129,947
Sydney FC1012,37518,2518,502123,754
Adelaide United1111,71223,0027,832128,832
Central Coast Mariners1110,46515,5467,865115,110
Newcastle Jets109,72916,0226,26897,294
Perth Glory107,94212,5814,43379,415
Wellington Phoenix117,19310,5165,50079,124
{{{T9}}}00000
{{{T10}}}00000
{{{T11}}}00000
{{{T12}}}00000
League total 84 12,180 31,564 4,433 1,023,147

* Adelaide United played a one-off match at the Adelaide Oval against Sydney FC in their Round 18 match. This is why Adelaide United's highest single attendance exceeds the capacity of Hindmarsh Stadium.

Top 10 Attendances
AttendanceRoundDateHomeScoreAwayVenueWeekdayTime of Day
53,273Grand Final28 February 2009Melbourne Victory1–0Adelaide UnitedTelstra DomeSaturdayNight
34,736Major SF (L2)14 February 2009Melbourne Victory4–0Adelaide UnitedTelstra DomeSaturdayNight
31,654Round 925 October 2008Melbourne Victory0–2Sydney FCTelstra DomeSaturdayNight
28,905Round 2123 January 2009Melbourne Victory2–0Wellington PhoenixTelstra DomeFridayNight
27,196Round 156 January 2009Melbourne Victory1–0Adelaide UnitedTelstra DomeTuesdayNight
25,398Round 1727 December 2008Melbourne Victory3–2Sydney FCTelstra DomeSaturdayNight
24,812Round 412 September 2008Melbourne Victory1–0Adelaide UnitedTelstra DomeFridayNight
24,003Round 2016 January 2009Melbourne Victory3–0Central Coast MarinersTelstra DomeFridayNight
23,705Minor SF (L2)13 February 2009Queensland Roar2–1Central Coast MarinersSuncorp StadiumFridayNight
23,447Round 182 January 2009Melbourne Victory2–1Queensland RoarTelstra DomeFridayNight

Awards

See also

Notes
  1. Zura's contract was mutually terminated part-way through his marquee deal on 2 November 2008.[17]
  2. Thompson replaced North as captain mid-season

References
  1. "Galaxy, Thunder to join A-League". Fox Sports. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  2. "Thunder, Galaxy get go-ahead". FourFourTwo. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  3. "A-League expansion plans postponed". SBS. 12 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
  4. "FFA: A-League WILL Get Bigger". FourFourTwo. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  5. "New season to start with a bang sea". AU FourFourTwo. 2 May 2008. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  6. "Agostino fit for season kick-off". ABC News. 14 August 2008. Adelaide United marquee player Paul Agostino has been declared fit...
  7. Brettig, Daniel (30 July 2008). "Cool Dodd new Adelaide United skipper". The Advertiser.
  8. "Captain Wilkinson promoted to Centurion". Central Coast Mariners. Football Federation Australia. 8 February 2011. Wilkinson took the captain-s armband from an injured Noel Spencer late in the second season of the Hyundai A-League
  9. Lynch, Michael (30 April 2016). "Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory". The Sydney Morning Herald. As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing...
  10. "Archie Thompson, Adrian Leijer sign new deals with Melbourne Victory". The Guardian. 2 May 2014. Victory's first ever signing, and scorer, will join up with new marquee Besart Berisha next season, after agreeing a new deal with the club that takes him inside the salary cap
  11. Ritson, Jon (15 May 2008). "Marquee Glee For Victory's Ward". FTBL.
  12. Ritson, Jon (8 August 2008). "Slow Start For Marquee Scheme". FTBL. Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets, confirmed they had signed junior marquees for the new season – Mark Bridge (Sydney), Nick Ward (Victory) and Adam D’Apuzzo (Jets).
  13. Lynch, Michael (7 January 2009). "Victory take top spot". Brisbane Times. A second-half goal by midfielder Nick Ward, who, injury-free, is finally finding the sort of form that justified making him the club's junior marquee player
  14. "Muscat Takes on Coaching Role". FTBL. 29 August 2007. MELBOURNE Victory skipper Kevin Muscat has signed a new two-year contract that sees him taking on a coaching role as well as the captaincy
  15. "Kevin Muscat appointed as new Melbourne Victory coach". The Guardian. 31 October 2013. Phoenix’s Ernie Merrick was the Victory's inaugural coach and Muscat the club's inaugural captain
  16. Gardiner, James (31 July 2008). "Newcastle Jets unveil Edmundo Zura as marquee signing". The Newcastle Herald.
  17. Dillon, Robert; Gardiner, James (2 November 2008). "Exit Edmundo: Zura bids Jets farewell". The Newcastle Herald.
  18. "North heading to Korea". Newcastle Jets. 13 December 2008. North is a Newcastle Jets foundation player, having been with the club since the 2005/06 Hyundai A-League season, and was instated as captain last season.
  19. "Matt Thompson tipping Kaz Patafta to kick on". The Newcastle Herald. 23 January 2009. Stand-in Jets captain Matt Thompson has...
  20. "Nikita Fills Marquee Role". FTBL. 17 November 2008. Perth Glory striking sensation Nikita Rukavytsya has been confirmed as the club’s Under-23 marquee player for this season.
  21. "Coyne leads the way for Glory". A-League. 15 August 2008.
  22. Ritson, Jon (24 July 2007). "Moore Signs With Roar". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012.
  23. Lomax, Andrew (22 December 2008). "Former Rangers captain Craig Moore given all-clear after cancer". The Daily Telegraph. Moore, 32, had the operation at a hospital in Brisbane, where he is now captain of Queensland Roar.
  24. "Sydney FC put players on notice". Fox Sports. 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Aloisi, 32, signed a lucrative two-year deal as the marquee player...
  25. "Teenage sensation Danning lifts Sydney FC". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 January 2009. Sydney Captain Steve Corica was left on the bench...
  26. "Durante named Wellington Phoenix skipper". Nine MSN. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012.
  27. "You Can't Beat McKain: Herbert". FTBL. 11 August 2008. McKain, who will be Phoenix vice-captain this season
  28. 2008 Pre-Season Cup Draw Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Football Federation Australia, 2 May 2008
  29. Hyundai A-League 2008/09 Season Draw Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Football Federation Australia, 2 May 2008
  30. Match re-scheduled due to Adelaide's participation in FIFA Club World Cup
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