The 1997 National Soccer League Grand Final was held on 25 May 1997 between Brisbane Strikers and Sydney United at Lang Park. Brisbane gained home advantage because despite finishing below United on the league standings, they defeated the Sydney side in the major semi-final two weeks earlier. The teams were all locked up at half time, however two goals for the Strikers by Frank Farina and Rod Brown secured their first NSL championship.[1][2][3] Alan Hunter won the Joe Marston Medal.
| Event | 1996–97 National Soccer League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 25 May 1997 | ||||||
| Venue | Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Alan Hunter (Joe Marston Medal) | ||||||
| Referee | Simon Micallef | ||||||
| Attendance | 40,446 | ||||||
Route to the final edit
League Standings edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney United | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 67 | 33 | +34 | 56 | 1997 National Soccer League Finals |
| 2 | Brisbane Strikers (C) | 26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 55 | 40 | +15 | 47 | 1996-97 National Soccer League Champions |
| 3 | South Melbourne | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 39 | 25 | +14 | 46 | 1997 National Soccer League Finals |
| 4 | Adelaide City | 26 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 43 | |
| 5 | Marconi Stallions | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 40 | |
| 6 | Melbourne Knights | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 39 | |
| 7 | Perth Glory | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 38 | |
| 8 | West Adelaide | 26 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 33 | |
| 9 | UTS Olympic | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 41 | 46 | −5 | 32 | |
| 10 | Wollongong Wolves | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 32 | |
| 11 | Newcastle Breakers | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 40 | 46 | −6 | 30 | |
| 12 | Gippsland Falcons | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 30 | |
| 13 | Collingwood Warriors (R) | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 27 | Disbanded at end of season |
| 14 | Canberra Cosmos | 26 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 30 | 69 | −39 | 11 |
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Finals Bracket edit
| Elimination finals | Semifinals | Preliminary final | Grand final | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney United | 0 | 2 | (2) | Sydney United | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Brisbane Strikers (a) | 1 | 1 | (2) | Brisbane Strikers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sydney United | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | South Melbourne | 4 | 3 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||
| South Melbourne | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Melbourne Knights | 1 | 0 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
| South Melbourne | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Adelaide City | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Adelaide City | 0 | 4 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Marconi Fairfield | 3 | 0 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||
Match edit
Details edit
| Brisbane Strikers | 2 – 0 | Sydney United |
|---|---|---|
Farina  47' Brown 69' |
Reports[4] |
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Match rules
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References edit
- ^ "Australian National League" (PDF). Hyundai A-League season guide 2019–20: 322.
- ^ "1997 National Soccer League Playoff results". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ Lutton, Phil (10 March 2011). "Strikers miracle to spur on Roar". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "1997 NSL Final". Oz Football. Retrieved 30 December 2022.