 Following the 1988 triumph, the Soccer Federation strangely decided that from the 1989 season onwards, the championship would be decided by a top four finals playoff, discarding the 'first past the post' format after nearly a century of Association Football.This was to imitate the Australian Rules code (AFL).In the subsequent three years, 1989, 1990 and 1991, under coach Worden and then Alan Vest, Athena continually topped the State Premier League.