Like his owner, coach Kenny Lowe loves to talk about a lack of recognition, and respect, but no one's buying it. The Glory are now among the title favourites, whether they like it or not. It's a fresh dynamic for a team, and a club, which for far too long has settled for excuses. How they handle the pressure over the remaining rounds will be fascinating.

There was a time when the Glory set the pace, and were comfortable in the role. That was in the NSL, when they won two championships, boasted the biggest crowds and recruited the best players. Nobody talked about eastern states bias in those days. Perth were the tall poppies, and loved every minute of it. The challenge has been to rediscover their mojo.

There is one big, black, cloud on the horizon, however. There have been allegations of salary cap breaches, ones the FFA is taking seriously. How this pans out remains to be seen – it could have a huge impact on the season, or it might not. It's a credit to the team that they haven't been derailed by the uncertainty. It will be an even bigger credit to Sage if he reacts calmly once the findings – whatever they are – are handed down.

In the meantime, we're all savouring the Glory renaissance. Not long ago, in his development role, Lowe was a disciple of curriculum football. Now, as a professional head coach for the first time, he's adopted a hard-headed approach. It's working a treat.

Out have gone the youngsters – many of them Western Australian juniors – and in have come the seasoned pros, including a couple of impressive foreigners. It's a squad built for this season, not the next season or beyond. A couple of years ago it was all about the project – to build a club with a powerful local identity. Now it's all about next week's result.