Archie Thompson had promised a Grand Final hat-trick, but even he could scarcely have believed he'd wrap one up before half-time, and five before the end, as Melbourne Victory swept aside Adelaide United to win the A-League Championship in a six-goal whitewash and make it a season double.
United had made things difficult for itself by playing most of the game a player short - influential captain Ross Aloisi was twice cautioned by referee Mark Shield for late challenges and departed the field before the break when his side already trailed by two.
Thompson was the obvious choice for the Joe Marston medal such was his influence on the game. The medal was presented by the revered Socceroo himself who surely could not previously have attended such a one-sided Championship game.
Thompson opened the scoring midway through the first half after Fred collected a long ball from a Grant Brebner forward lob and laid it square for Thompson to side-foot just inside the far post from the edge of the penalty-area.
Within ten minutes, Victory made it two when Thompson again converted, this time from closer range after Danny Allsopp and Fred had combined in a surging run up the right with Fred again the supplier.
Aloisi was dismissed ten minutes before the break after picking up two yellow cards in short time, both times for late challenges, the first on Fred, the second on Brebner. As United was already two down by this stage, it was one deficit too many.
A rout was on when Thompson netted his third after being released by Kevin Muscat again in combination with Fred as the United defence melted away. It was confirmed in hotly debated circumstances when Thompson netted his fourth after breaking through the Adelaide defence seemingly from an offside position.
His fifth came up with twenty minutes still to play, and he could even claim the sixth as it was scored by Kristian Sarkies who came on as his replacement in the game's last minute.
The early moments were as much about football as physical positioning. Diego needed treatment after an early clash with Kevin Muscat, and Ange Costanzo after crashing into Simon Storey as he made a diving headed clearance. The fact that Muscat escaped caution for his challenge on Diego riled Kosmina and Carl Veart in the post-match media conference as they both drew comparisons with Aloisi's double yellow for offences both of which they believed were less objectionable.
But there were ample signs that this wasn't going to be solely a brutal battle - there were early indications the capacity attendance was going to see an expansive game.
Whereas in these two teams' last meeting a fortnight before, Merrick's formation had eschewed a right winger for all of the first half allowing the impetus to flow Adelaide's way. This time Fred operated wide. As Adelaide had Travis Dodd and Nathan Burns operating up the wings, and Victory had Adrian Caceres mirroring up the left what Fred was doing up the right, both teams brought width into the contest.
Chances were regularly created, the best of the early ones falling to Burns who could have given Adelaide the lead. Greg Owens took a free kick which was floated in and only part-cleared by Victory. The ball fell across goal to an unmarked Burns. His first touch was unconvincing and barely made contact with the ball, but he was quick on the follow-up, letting loose a shot which was gratefully blocked by a desperate Michael Theoklitos. The ball fell again Burns' way. His follow-up was beaten away this time by the combined efforts of Brebner and Roddy Vargas who both threw themselves at the ball but again it was not enough to clear the danger. Diego took possession and squared to Fernando and only when Fernando's shot was skied over the bar did Victory hearts beat again.
But the balance tipped Victory's way just moments later. Thompson and Fred had posed the Adelaide defence problems with their pace and movement and this time the combination unlocked the gate. Fred expertly brought down under control a long ball and spotting Thompson making ground speedily inside, laid off a ball which Thompson placed wide of Daniel Beltrame and into the net by the post.
It was a combination involving Allsopp, Fred, and Thompson which produced the second just nine minutes later. Allsopp had made a storming run up the right with Fred in support. Allsopp found Fred as Owens closed down, and Fred's ball square was perfectly into the path of Thompson. Thompson gleefully blasted home with Beltrame hopelessly exposed.
Aloisi's moment of madness came a little time later when he cannoned late into Brebner, reprising an earlier challenge on Fred. He trudged off the ground surely knowing there was little chance of his side coming back.
His mood must have darkened when shortly after Thompson put the game beyond reach with his third, this time after Kevin Muscat had sent a diagonal ball behind Owens and allowing the Socceroo striker a clear run in on goal.
Thompson could have had a fourth within seconds of the re-start. Muscat again sent him away but this time Thompson's shot crashed off the bar. And not long after a Thompson run up the right skinned Michael Valkanis and allowed Thompson to find Allsopp. Allsopp's shot was blocked by Beltrame and Fred's follow-up shot came back off the post.
Adelaide was teetering. It would soon collapse.
Thompson's fourth was much more controversial and looked to have been appreciably offside. Thompson was set free as four Melbourne players faced just three Adelaide defenders. The Adelaide rearguard appeared to have held its line well and caught Thompson, but the flag stayed down and Thompson had an unopposed run in on goal, rounding Beltrame on his way. Protests from Michael Valkanis and Ange Costanzo, who'd taken a look at the replay on the stadium's big screen resulted in their being cautioned.
There was little reason to protest Thompson's fifth, and by then little point. Fred again was instrumental, skipping away up the left and cutting his ball back to the penalty-spot where Thompson awaited, crashing his ball into the net to confirm the result.
Allsopp still had time to hit a shot off the post as Victory continued to cut swathes through the undermanned and beaten United midfield.
Olyroo Bruce Djite had come in for the ineffective Fernando on the hour and created two sharp chances in his short time on the field, providing United's only ray of hope throughout.
Djite's first was a smartly taken shot on the turn which required Michael Theoklitos's best reactions to tip over the bar. And once more it required quick hands from Theoklitos to divert Djite's close-range shot over the bar with five minutes to go.
Nathan Burns had netted after being set up by Travis Dodd but the assistant's flag had gone up in its build-up disallowing it. It was another decision which upset the Adelaide players and brought up Veart's caution. But by now, the Adelaide party will have reviewed the tape and seen the decision was correct although not obvious to anyone other than the officials at the time. Ritchie Alagich had taken a throw and played an exchange with Diego. Alagich then played the ball forward, but it was deflected on its way by Leigh Broxham into the path of Dodd who was returning from an offside position. There was nothing wrong with Dodd's ball to Burns but the offence had already been committed by Dodd's offside. Not many will realise Broxham's deflection couldn't play Dodd onside, and clearly neither Veart nor Kosmina were, but both the far side assistant and Shield did.
But even if all decisions went the way Kosmina sought it was never going to be for Adelaide, perhaps having played its Grand Final a week too early in the exhausting heat and extra-time of the Preliminary Final. In the game's last minutes, as both sides had run each other to a standstill, the appreciative Melbourne capacity attendance went into rapturous celebration of their side's truly marvellous season.
Merrick replaced Thompson in the game's final minute to allow the exhausted striker to receive the acclaim he fully merited. Unbelievably, his replacement, Olyroo Kristian Sarkies, who had only stepped off an international flight from Taipei a day before, netted a sixth after being set free by an Allsopp nod-on, cutting inside to score off the post, icing an already elaborately-decorated cake.