Not knowing the result when going to print means we can only hope that by the time you read this, the Jets will have secured a place in the finals.

Branko Culina has turned around some poor form earlier in the season to string a few wins together.

Wins against Brisbane and Melbourne continued to help them hold onto fourth spot but defeat to Gold Coast and Sydney held them back from securing a finals birth and even challenging for a top two spot.

Indeed it seems the Jets cannot go through a season without a drama or scandal of some sort.

With what seems like ongoing speculation of players about to leave or confirmation of players signing for other clubs there is a rotational feel about the squad that is not at all welcome.

Matt Thompson will go at the end of the season and will be joined by young striker Jason Hoffman.

Dutchman Donny De Groot returned to Europe after what can only be described as a disastrous spell that saw him fail to score or hold down a regular place.

Of course there was the soap opera surrounding Joel Griffiths.

Will he turn up for training, will he be happy to slot back into the side and will he be the missing link that the Jets need? No, No and maybe!

After a long drawn out dispute that eventually ended up in court, the striker has now left the club.

But for all the shenanigans the Jets seems to deal with it well and are very much in the running to make a place in the top six and have a bash at finals football.

What I would like to know is, if all of these dramas and scandals were removed and there was a consistent squad, how well could the team perform then?

I suspect players don’t really get that effected by what goes on off the pitch when they are actually playing.

However, it would be hard to argue that a smooth running operation with a happy group of players would harm their aspirations.

– RYAN WALLIS, A-League