Final World Cup auditions loom in Big Blue elimination final, ALM playoffs
Jason Davidson and Brendan Hamill both feel the bright lights of the A-League Men’s finals offer a fine final proving ground for those desperately trying to earn a place the Socceroos' World Cup squad
Jason Davidson and Brendan Hamill have firsthand experiences of the expectations and demands that Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has. And as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, both feel the bright lights of the A-League Men’s finals offer a fine proving ground for those desperately trying to earn a place in his squad for the global showpiece.
Locking in a home-final with a 2-0 win over Western Sydney last Saturday, Victory will host their Big Blue rivals Sydney FC at AAMI Park in a crunch elimination final this weekend, with their crosstown foes Melbourne City travelling to face Auckland FC earlier in the day.
The lowest-seeded winner from those two games will move on to host premiers the Newcastle Jets in the first game of a two-legged semifinal the following week, while the highest-ranked winner will move on to face Adelaide United – who secured second-place and a week off with a dramatic late win over City last Sunday.
Beyond the do-or-die nature of the fixture, however, and the bragging rights that are always on the line whenever the two bitter foes meet, both Victory’s Nishan Velupillay and Sydney’s Paul Okon Jr will be doing all they can to impress Socceroo staff in their meeting – with the two players firmly in the mix to be part of the 26-player squad Popovic will name on June 1.
Across the Tasman, City skipper Aziz Behich is widely considered to be a likely selection for that squad, but goalkeeper Patrick Beach will be seeking a big end to the campaign to see off the threat from Joe Gauci and Harrison Devenish-Meares for the third goalkeeping role. The likes of Marcus Younis, Clayton Taylor, Nathaniel Atkinson and Max Burgess, meanwhile, will retain hope of staging a late push.
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“It’s huge, I think it’s a massive opportunity,” said Hamill. “Because there’s added pressure, there’s a lot more meaning to these games, in the sense that it’s win or go home this week.
“I’m sure Popa’s watching and analysing character, body language, along with all the other technical and tactical aspects.
“But I think it’s a huge occasion for these lads to push because come the World Cup, it’s even greater: the expectation and what’s required to succeed at the World Cup. So these games are perfect for players to put their case forward.”
Beyond the mental aspects, however, with leagues such as the Championship coming to an end this weekend, the prospect of getting at least an added fortnight of football after this week also brings tangible benefits.
“With the pressure side of it, in finals football, we’re looking to have a great crowd, so [it will be] in front of a huge number of fans,” said Jason Davidson, who played at the 2014 World Cup as well as previously playing under Popovic. “To see how you handle the pressure, I think Popa will definitely be looking at that.
“But you also have to take into consideration, the further you go in finals, the closer you get to a World Cup with match fitness as well. I think that’s another element that I’m sure he’ll be looking at. So the motivation is to make sure that you can get your team as far as possible, but there’s also a great opportunity to stay fit as close as possible.”
Adding further spice to Saturday’s meeting, it will also mark the first time that Victory has faced former-coach Patrick Kisnorbo since his shock exit from the club on the eve of the Christmas Derby in 2024 – departing seven league games into a three-year deal to take up am assistants role with J1 League side Yokohama F Marinos.
That role would become a head coaching one following the ouster of Steve Holland, but he himself would be axed after 55 days and two wins against eight defeats, making him available to take up the Sky Blues’ interim role following Ufuk Talay’s midseason resignation ahead of a move to the Wanderers.
Hamill, though, was of the view that the players wouldn’t take any added motivation from the reunion so much as caution, knowing what kind of teams the former title-winner at City was capable of producing.
“That was a while, quite a while ago. Now he was here once - that happens - you come across old coaches, old teammates, that happens in football,” Hamill said.
“I hope [media and fans] have fun with it. But for us, it’s kind of business as usual, and going about our business as we have done for the past 26 rounds.
“His teams in A-League history have been regularly at the top, championship-winning teams.
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“What we can take is that we know that he’s going to have a team that’s ready to fight with and without the ball.”
Victory’s fans, however, will likely have a less sanguine view of things. And Davidson, though also non-plussed about a Kisnorbo reunion given he wasn’t at the club last season, is hopeful that a packed-out AAMI Park proves a hostile 12th man on Saturday.
“I think our fans have shown that in the past; they’ve been unbelievable, especially on the big occasions,” he said. “I expect them to do the same thing this weekend. Our job is on the pitch, their job’s off the pitch, and hopefully, when you mirror that together, we can get a great result and go to the next round, keep going and be here at the end of May, hopefully with a trophy in hand.”