Soccer: Smeltz holds key for Gold Coast's finals dream

Australian football commentator Andy Harper says Shane Smeltz is unlikely to be playing in the A-League next season. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - New Zealand hot shot Shane Smeltz is looming as a potentially decisive finals weapon for Gold Coast United at the end of a record-setting A-League soccer season.

The striker, who notched his second hat-trick of the season in Saturday's 5-1 thumping of Brisbane, has already scored three more goals in a season than anyone in A-League history with seven regular season games remaining.

And former national league striker Andy Harper says his rare finishing ability can prove United's trump card in cut-throat finals matches.

"One-off matches are won by match-winners," said Harper, now a football commentator and analyst.

"We saw Archie Thompson in the second season grand final just blitzing Adelaide with five goals and Shane Smeltz has that capacity.

"He has the capacity to be in a game and score three or four, which makes him just worth so much to any team. Not only in the home and away season but also in decisive games."

The former Sydney FC chief executive doesn't think however that Smeltz can necessarily lay claim to being the best striker the A-League has ever seen.

His strikes against the Roar took his tally for the season to 18 and on to the verge of becoming the first player to notch more than 20 goals in a season.

But Harper believes while Smeltz is a fantastic finisher, others such as Melbourne's Thompson provide a different kind of threat to the Gold Coast star.

Thompson set the previous A-League record of 15 goals in a season in 2006-07.

"It's hard to answer those questions because there are different styles of players and I think his goal to game ratio is clearly the best which makes him a highly sought after commodity," Harper said.

"He seems to have the best nose for goal, but when you expand the definition a little bit - you hesitate to say this because you don't want it to sound like a criticism because it's not - but Archie Thompson probably poses a threat in other areas.

"So that's when saying is he the best striker in the league is a difficult question to answer, but he's certainly the best goalscorer."

And with Smeltz almost certain to lead the line for the All Whites at next year's World Cup, Harper says it seems unlikely the 28-year-old will still be in the A-League next season.

"I certainly would like to think he's going to hang around because he's been such good value," Harper said.

"If he has a good World Cup, well then, I would imagine he would be off.

"If the A-League can deliver Shane Smeltz to the World Cup and wish him all the best and have a good World Cup, then he'll have a great chance maybe to achieve another career dream after that."

A-League's leading goalscorers

2009-10 season:
Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast) 18
Sergio van Dijk (Brisbane) 11
Robbie Fowler (North Queensland) 9
Archie Thompson (Melbourne) 8
Carlos Hernandez (Melbourne) 7
Alex Brosque (Sydney) 6
Mark Bridge (Sydney) 6
Matt Simon (Central Coast) 6
Paul Ifill (Wellington) 6
Steve Corica (Sydney) 6

Most goals in a season (all-time):
18* - Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast) 2009-10
15 - Archie Thompson (Melbourne) 2006-07
14 - Joel Griffiths (Newcastle) 2008-09
12 - Sergio Van Dijk (Brisbane) 2008-09
12 - Shane Smeltz (Wellington) 2008-09
12 - Danny Allsopp (Melbourne) 2006-07
11 - Matt Simon (Central Coast) 2008-09
10 - Eugene Dadi (Perth) 2008-09
10 - Nikita Rukavytsya 2008-09

(* denotes season in progress)

Most goals (all-time):
46 - Archie Thompson (Melbourne)
39 - Shane Smeltz (Wellington, Gold Coast)
35 - Danny Allsopp (Melbourne)
31 - Alex Brosque (Sydney)
30 - Sasho Petrovski (Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle)
28 - Joel Griffiths (Newcastle)
24 - Jamie Harnwell (Perth)
23 - Kevin Muscat (Melbourne)
23 - Mark Bridge (Newcastle, Sydney)
21 - Travis Dodd (Adelaide)

- AAP