Soccer: Discipline crumbles as battle for playoff berths intensifies

Ricki Herbert commented on the toll travel takes on the Phoenix team. Photo / Getty Images

Discipline - or rather a lack of it - is costing teams big time as the jockeying for places in the Hyundai A-League playoffs hots up.

Melbourne Victory, Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets, three of the teams in the five-into-two battle for fifth and sixth places, are going to have to do it without key players.

The Victory have lost captain Kevin Muscat for the rest of the season after he copped an eight-week ban for the sickening challenge on Melbourne Heart's Adrian Zahra. The Newcastle Jets will be without Ryan Griffiths for the next two of their remaining four matches after his sending-off in Sunday's loss to the Phoenix for his verbal volley at referee Chris Beath, while the Phoenix lose key players in Ben Sigmund and Manny Muscat.

The pair, who have played telling roles in keeping the Phoenix in the playoff race, cop automatic two-match bans after accumulating eight yellow cards. They will sit out next week's crucial trip when the Phoenix face Adelaide United and Sydney FC in a testing four-day sweep. This scramble, with the Heart and Sydney also in the mix but, like Newcastle, currently out of the six, is of no concern to leaders Brisbane Roar, who need only one point from their remaining games - both all-Queensland affairs against the Fury (away) and Gold Coast (home) - to wrap up the minor premiership.

A no-nonsense 2-1 home win over the Heart and a 2-0 away loss for second-placed Gold Coast at Melbourne Victory left the Roar nine points clear of the pack and poised to claim their first silverware.

Gold Coast fell to their sixth loss of the season and eight points out of second place. The Victory meet the Jets tomorrow night in a game which could end Newcastle hopes.

Despite the loss to the Phoenix and Griffiths' suspension, Newcastle coach Branko Culina remains upbeat.

"If we had got something out of the game it would have made it difficult for Wellington but I still think it will go down to the last game," Culina said. "I've said all along that 40 points will be enough to make the finals. We're about nine shy so we're a fair way off but mathematically it's still possible."

Of the red card shown to Griffiths, Culina said: "It's over and done with. It's disappointing because he was playing very, very well.

"It's not ideal when one of your players gets sent off, particularly for dissent. If he was going to get sent off, get sent off for a tackle, not for what you said to a referee. That's not ideal."

Neither was his refusal to shake Ricki Herbert's hand after the game.

No coach likes to lose but Herbert has had his share, especially away from home this season, but still has the decency to front after the game and acknowledge his opposite.

Herbert could also point to his team's tough schedule, saying many do not appear to appreciate just how much the travel and midweek games take out of the players.

"We all have to play midweek games, but I sit at home watching other matches and listen to the commentators saying how tough a team has had it through playing midweek," said Herbert. "I never hear them mention the Phoenix and we do a lot more travelling than anyone else.

"We haven't used it as an excuse for our poor away form because if you want to play in the league you just get on with it, but there were some pretty tired boys out there."

Phoenix captain Andrew Durante echoed his coach's feelings.

"Playing Sunday, travelling the next day and playing a team in red-hot form, in very warm, difficult conditions took a lot out of us and it showed," said Durante after Sunday's win. "But it speaks volumes for the character of the boys that we were able to battle and get the three points."