Odds shorten for A-League grand final in New Zealand

The extraordinary events of the last few weeks have raised the spectre of an A-League grand final outside Australia.

Wellington Phoenix players celebrate one of the team's 37 league goals (AAP) Source: AAP

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Wellington Phoenix is a credit to the competition and even those including myself, who might have questioned the logic behind the participation of a New Zealand club in an Australian competition, would not begrudge its place in the sun.

More concerning is Brisbane Roar's view, that is apparently supported by Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets, that the A-League would be better off if it opened its doors to clubs from south-east Asia.

But more on this pie-in-the-sky stuff from Roar's Indonesian owners another day.

Make no mistake, the rapid rise of Phoenix has made a championship decider at Westpac Stadium a distinct possibility.

Ernie Merrick's side is unbeaten in a month and is one point off top spot after a stirring 2-0 win over Adelaide United at the weekend.

Perth Glory leads the standings on 37 points but Phoenix is breathing heavily down its neck.

With four of its remaining seven matches to be played at Westpac, which will be available again after the cricket World Cup, Phoenix can justifiably claim to be in pole position to win the Premiers' Plate.

Not that its away form has been too much of a problem this season.

Phoenix is notorious for being a poor traveller but this season it has beaten Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory and Adelade away to dismiss any notion that the 'yellow and black' loses its bite when it is forced to abandon its home comforts.

It will be interesting to see how Phoenix fares when it visits Glory in a massive match on Saturday.

Victory and Sydney would probably disagree but Phoenix can claim to be the most direct and attack-minded team in the championship.

The former has the runs on the board in terms of goals scored while the latter has, in Austria striker Marc Janko, the competition's most lethal finisher.

Yet Phoenix's 37 goals this season have come from many sources.

Phoenix's positive culture is hardly surprising when it happens to have a coach like Merrick who believes in the mantra that it does not matter too much if you concede goals as long as you score more than the opposition.

Merrick was the architect behind Victory's two championships in 2007 and 2009 with a brand of attacking football that provided the new league with a platform from which to launch its charm offensive on Australia's sporting landscape.

Socceroos striker Nathan Burns is having a golden season and now that he is joined by Joel Griffiths, who knows where these two predators of the penalty area can take Phoenix.

Adelaide got a clear idea of Phoenix's rich potential at the weekend after the two forwards sank the fading Reds with two second-half goals.

Phoenix has already played in three finals series.

In fact, Ricki Herbert's side was one game away from a grand final appearance in 2010 when it lost 4-2 to Sydney in a preliminary final that will be remembered for the 'Hand of Payne' goal when striker Chris Payne scored with the use of his hand.

Because of its special participation agreement with the A-League, Phoenix would not be allowed to participate in the AFC Champions League if it finishes among the Asian spots.

The AFC also would not allow a club from outside its confederation to play in its blue riband event.

At the moment Australia has two-and-a-half spots available, which are usually taken by the champion, the premier and the team finishing second in the regular season.

The A-League would not miss out on any spots if Phoenix 'qualifies' for Asia. Its spot would go to the next eligible team.

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