'Why not us?': Mariners on the hunt for AFC Cup glory
Mark Jackson will underline the enormity of what awaits the Central Coast Mariners as they seek to lift their second trophy in the space of seven days.
After finishing the A-League Men regular season with the premiership on Wednesday, the Mariners have the chance to lift the AFC Cup when they face Lebanese side Al Ahed in the final in Oman on Sunday (Monday 2am AEST).
The Mariners have been to the farthest flung corners of Asia en route to Muscat, where victory will net the club $2.3million in prize money.
A win would also ensure the Mariners become just the second Australian side to lift an Asian title after the Western Sydney Wanderers’ 2014 Champions League upset triumph.
Mariners coach Jackson said he was aware of the Wanderers’ achievements and would ask his side to follow in their footsteps, approaching the game without fear of failure.
Mariners coach Mark Jackson is telling his players to embrace the pressure of the AFC Cup final. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
“Whenever you go into things like this and you’re going for trophies in big games, I think the worst thing you can do is play it down,” Jackson told AAP.
“I think if you’re open and honest with the players you say, ‘This is a big game, we can make some history here, why not us?’
“Why not embrace that pressure? I think the pressure comes from the privileged position we’re in.
“That shows we’ve done some things right over a period of time so the boys have earned that pressure and we want to thrive under it.”
The Mariners only secured their place in the final a fortnight ago but Jackson’s staff have been busy cutting up tape on Al Ahed.
The reigning Lebanese champions won the AFC Cup, Asia’s secondary continental tournament, back in 2019 and will be in far more familiar surroundings after playing earlier round matches in the Omani capital.
“We’ve got everything ready to go, all the video is chopped on how they play in and out of possession,” Jackson said.
“We know how we’ll need to approach the game and then it’s about assessing our group and seeing if everyone has pulled through OK.
“Then it’s about putting together our game plan with how we want to approach the game.”