Arnie: Break could hurt Wanderers Wanderers players celebrate their minor premiership win. Mariners coach Graham Arnold says their week break heading into the finals could be a disadvantage. IT'S meant to be an advantage in the revamped A-League finals series but Central Coast coach Graham Arnold feels the week's break for the top two sides could be the death of championship rivals Western Sydney. The Wanderers re-wrote history on Friday clinching the Premiers' Plate in their maiden season with a 3-0 thumping of Newcastle Jets. They won a remarkable 11 games out of the past 12 to secure the silverware, making them the first expansion club in Australian football history to win a trophy in their debut season. Now all they need to do is win two more games to be crowned overall champions. But first they'll sit out next week before hosting the first semi-final at Parramatta Stadium on April 12. The second-placed Mariners go into the finals on the back of a three-game winning streak after beating a 10-man Melbourne Heart 2-1 at Bluetongue Stadium on Saturday. Veteran striker Daniel McBreen, who netted the first-half penalty, secured the golden boot award with his 17th goal of the season. The Mariners will get the chance to keep their run going hosting an Asian Champions League clash against Guizhou Renhe next Tuesday before facing the Chinese club away on April 9 ahead of their home semi five days later. "Our goal is to win the championship and deliver something this club hasn't had before," Arnold said. We're fortunate that we've got the ACL to keep us ticking over in our week off because a week off at that time of the season can damage a team. You can lose your rhythm. But Wanderers coach Tony Popovic feels the break couldn't be better timed with key players Shinji Ono (groin), Aaron Mooy (knee) and defenders Adam D'Apuzzo (foot) and Jerome Polenz (quad) all racing the clock to be fit. "We'll freshen some players up, give some players that are injured the opportunity to be available," he said. Adelaide coach Michael Valkanis on the other hand says momentum counts for nothing in the new knock-out format. The Reds finished in fourth spot after a 1-1 draw with Perth on Saturday, the crucial point securing Glory the last playoff spot ahead of Sydney FC. Adelaide will now host fifth-placed Brisbane in their elimination final next Sunday with the Roar charging to a finals spot with a 3-1 win over the Sky Blues on Thursday night. "Everyone talks about this momentum," Valkanis said. But it's a finals game. It's one-off, and things can change. I've learnt over my playing career that once the finals start, it means nothing. Melbourne Victory meanwhile will host Perth on Friday. The Victory's 3-2 win over Wellington on Sunday ensured they finished in third spot and handed the Phoenix the dreaded wooden spoon. Arnold says any team that survives the first week of playoffs will be tough to face. "Perth are coming along now and Brisbane have hit form at the right time," he said. With Melbourne Victory, (coach) Ange (Postecoglou) has got a lot of experience in finals football and I think Adelaide have got the best squad in the league overall. So all of them are going to be really tough. ELIMINATION FINAL 2, SUNDAY APRIL 7: Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar, Hindmarsh Stadium 5:00pm AEST SEMI-FINAL 1, FRIDAY APRIL 12: Western Sydney Wanderers v Lowest-ranked elimination finals winner, Parramatta Stadium 7:30pm AEST SEMI-FINAL 2, SUNDAY APRIL 14: Central Coast Mariners v Highest-ranked elimination finals winner, Bluetongue Stadium 5:00pm AEST