THE preliminary final is almost certainly dead, with Football Federation Australia likely to condense the finals series to a three-week window from next season, removing two fixtures in the process.

''We've made a commitment to review the finals series in order to make it more relevant to the consumer,'' said A-League boss Lyall Gorman. ''There are a couple of models we're looking at, but I guess the main point is that the preliminary final seems to be a blockage in terms of getting a crowd, and that's actually the case across all sports, not just ours.''

"We've made a commitment to review the finals series in order to make it more relevant to the consumer" ... A-League boss Lyall Gorman. Credit:Craig Golding

For the past two seasons, Central Coast Mariners have hosted the preliminary final, drawing poor crowds of about 7500 on both occasions. While previous preliminary finals in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney have fared better at the turnstiles, the preliminary final tends to draw the lowest crowd of the finals series. ''You've got two main issues - the fact that a team which has lost the previous week is hosting the game, and the downer which goes with the that, and the fact you're going back to the same market twice in the space of a week,'' Gorman said.

The two models being considered by the FFA for next season and beyond are a return to a top-five series, or a top-six series that makes every game a sudden-death eliminator. The second option is warmly favoured to get the nod from Whitlam Square, which would see the top two teams given a rest in week one while third played sixth and fourth played fifth, then the top two host the two winning teams in week two, with the winners of those two games then progressing to the grand final. That scenario would not only eradicate the preliminary final, but also the home-and-away series for the top two.

Asked whether reducing the finals series from seven games to five would affect the FFA's bottom line - the governing body collects gate takings from the play-offs - Gorman replied: ''Not at all, in fact we feel having every game as a sudden-death would increase the interest and things would, at the very least, balance out. We don't feel threatening by the changes at all.''

Meanwhile, this season's finals series will be lowest-attended on record after disappointing crowds in Gosford and Wellington. The absence of the league's biggest drawcard, Melbourne Victory, has been a major factor, but at least the FFA will get a fitting finale, with just a few thousand tickets left on sale for Sunday's grand final in Brisbane, and every indication pointing towards a sell-out.

Meanwhile, the continued uncertainty surrounding the future of Newcastle Jets could see promising young goalkeeper Mark Birighitti head elsewhere, with Sydney FC and Melbourne Heart likely to lead the chase for his signature. Birighitti had agreed to leave Adelaide United and join the Jets, but is now effectively back on the market. The recent sacking of Liam Reddy for misconduct has opened the door for a possible move to the Sky Blues, who are known to rate him highly.