If only the Newcastle Jets were as hot as this flare being carried through Gosford on Saturday before the loss to rivals Central Coast Mariners.
And how about those Knights, hey?
Both teams are about as hot as a leftover Sunday lunch but at least they were both trying on Saturday night.
Trying for fans of both teams, that is, with their matches scheduled at almost the same time - the Jets kicking off at 7.45pm and the Knights up in North Queensland at 7.35pm.
A couple of Topics spies drove down to Gosford for the game, hoping to see their up and down season end on a winning note, but felt they were cruelly denied by the hand of fate - in the form of an opponent they could not overcome.
As so often happened this season, the Jets were able to move the ball pretty efficiently from the rear up to their opponents' defensive area but, once they got there, were next to clueless.
If you think that's a bit harsh, Jets forward Beka Mikeltadze had a gilt-edged chance to level the score at 0-1 down but skied the ball over from spitting distance out.
It was the Jets fans, though, who were spitting chips afterwards.
Our Topics spies enjoyed the after-game fireworks - a Mariners speciality - and think the club does a great job fostering a family-friendly atmosphere that the Central Coast has clearly bought into.
Watching the NRL highlights on replay on Sunday morning, our spy saw a headline describing the Knights as "brave" in defeat, but reckons he saw a fair bit of ball-watching by some expensive cattle as they thudded to their seventh straight loss.
Tickets and Crickets
While we're on the Jets, what is happening with the club's ownership?
It was reported in February that two groups have been in talks with the Australian Professional Leagues about buying the club and a deal was set to be struck before season's end.
Negotiations with an American consortium were advanced at the time, but there was also interest from an Australian group.
Since then, all we've heard on the matter is .... crickets.
Meanwhile, the Central Coast Mariners announced on Saturday that Anytime Fitness Australia co-owner Richard Peil had joined the club as "a board member and is set to be appointed as chair", pending approval by football authorities.
"Richard will play a major role in the funding and strategic direction of the club," the Mariners said.
The press release bizarrely made no mention of the club being sold, but this is apparently what had happened.
Club insiders said Peil had acquired a 51 per cent stake in the club and intended to own the lot within a few years.
A bunch of fans ran into him after the game and he showed them his Leeds United tattoo. He's a football tragic through and through. Peil spoke about putting his own money into the club and encouraging "the whole Central Coast community to get right behind their team again".
Crowds have been woeful at the Mariners this season - an average of 4296 - despite them making the finals. The Jets average crowd this season (4843) is also poor. However, the Mariners-Jets game on Saturday attracted 11,703 people. The Mariners ran a promotion in which members could "bring as many mates as they want to the game" for free. Which begs the question, are tickets too expensive? Or are too many people cheapskates?
