Carle Wisens Up

as seen on euroos.blogspot.com

Australian star Nick Carle has admitted his frustration at his continued Socceroos snub but believes his experience at Crystal Palace has matured him to his benefit.

Carle has been left out of Pim Verbeek's Australia squads for last three World Cup qualifiers (against Uzbekistan, Qatar and Bahrain) and the Socceroos boss has admitted the ex-Newcastle Jets man needs a change if he's to get back in the national team frame.

But Carle remains optimistic about his Socceroos chances and thinks his recent experiences in England with Championship club Crystal Palace have wisened him up.

In November, Carle lost his spot in the Palace side after some poor form but the former Johnny Warren Medallist explained to the London News Shopper that he had bounced back stronger from the experience.

"I think I’m old enough and wise enough to know that there are going to be ups and downs and not to let my head down when I get dropped, but work harder to get back in," Carle said.

Indeed, Carle has won back his spot at Palace and only last weekend scored a late equaliser in a crucial match against Sheffield United. And Carle would love to replicate his experiences with his club on the international scene.

“Unfortunately, there are some good players who play in my position who are doing the business in top leagues such as Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano - who plays in Serie A - and Harry Kewell.

“There are so many players who can play in my position and I’ve just mentioned a few, so I have to work as hard as I can.

"If I do get my chance, then I’ve got to be ready to take it because there’s no bigger honour than playing for your national team.”

Verbeek had explained Carle's absence from the national team as a result of playing in the wrong league. The Australia boss believes Carle would be better suited in a more technical league perhaps on the continent.

But Carle countered that argument saying, “I think the Championship is a very good level, but these boys (Cahill, Bresciano etc.) are doing it in the Premiership and Serie A.

“That’s no disrespect to the Championship because I feel it’s a great league.

“There are so many internationals playing in this league and it’s the best second league in the world, I don’t think anywhere else compares to it.

“I’m really happy to be playing here, but I’m one of those who are a bit unfortunate because our midfield is the strong point in our national team.”

Spiranovic Stays On Track

as seen on euroos.blogspot.com

Socceroo Matt Spiranovic is back in Australia for Christmas but he's working hard after suffering a bad ankle injury at training in November with his German club FC Nürnberg.

Spiranovic sustained the injury just days prior to Australia's recent Bahrain match, thus ruling out the young defender from Socceroos duty on that occasion. The injury was diagnosed as a ruptured ankle tendon and it is estimated he'll be out until mid-February.

But despite the setback, Spiranovic is determined to fight his way back into the Australia frame having made his debut for the Socceroos against Ghana in May this year.

And even though the 20-year-old has returned to home town Geelong to enjoy the festive season with family and friends, he's still working hard to get back onto the park and having rehabilitation at the local clinic in Corio Bay.

Speaking to the Geelong Advertiser recently, Spiranovic said, "I'm doing everything from massage to electro-therapy and a bit of aqua jogging in the pool."

Spiranovic's injury came at a bad time for the youngster, as he confirmed when he said, "I was actually selected for the team (Socceroos team against Bahrain) and pretty much had my bags packed when this happened. I had played the last nine games (with Nürnberg), everything was falling into place."

But Spiranovic has remained professional and is on track for a February recovery.

The injury meant Spiranovic had to have screws inserted in his ankle to hold the tendon together and he is scheduled to have surgery to remove the screws on January 5 back in Germany. From there, hopefully Spiranovic will be back at training two weeks after the surgery.

Nonetheless, Spiranovic admitted it was nice to be back in Australia adding, "I'm just enjoying being back home, it takes my mind off things a bit.

"When I'm over in Germany you feel pressure on yourself and it can be frustrating ... it's good to get away from it here."

Shanghai's Perennial Underachievers

as seen on www.insidefutbol.com

A fortnight ago, on the final day of the 2008 Chinese Super League season, Shandong Luneng were dramatically crowned the champions of China, but behind the winners it was a familiar story for serial-runners-up Shanghai Shenhua.

Shenhua, or the Blue Devils as they are known by fans, have a history of falling short and when you consider during the club’s brief 15 year history they have finished runners-up in the Chinese top flight eight times, you begin to realize it isn’t only a case of hard luck.

Heading into the final day of the 2008 season, Shenhua trailed Shandong by two points and could leapfrog their rivals and win the championship if they won and Shandong didn’t.

Both sides would be playing at home against midtable sides in their respective fixtures, with Shenhua facing Zhejiang Lucheng while Shandong hosted Guangzhou Yiyao.

Shandong with their two point advantage coming into the game were favourites to take out the title.

But it wouldn’t be easy going for the Jinan-based club as they were frustratingly held goalless by Guangzhou in the first-half of the contest.

Elsewhere, with the games played simultaneously, Shenhua had taken an early lead against Zhejiang only to surrender that advantage before scoring again minutes before the break to lead 2-1 at half-time.

If the results stayed the way they were, Shenhua would take out the title.

For the Blue Devils, a club who have come so close so many times, it was a great opportunity.

But as former Shenhua coach Wu Jingui explained, “The team tends to make mistakes at critical moments.”

Indeed, Shenhua would make those ‘mistakes’ during those ‘critical moments’.

With Shandong’s match remaining deadlocked, the pressure increased on Shenhua and they began to feel it in the second-half. Shanghai’s former English Premier League star Hamilton Ricard would miss a penalty before the Blue Devils wilted under the pressure to concede with around quarter of an hour to go, as Tang Yang equalized for Zhejiang.

Scores would end that way, as Shandong claimed the title despite being held to a goalless draw at home. For Shenhua, it was another disappointing runners-up finish for the club who hadn’t won the league title since 2003.

Unfortunately, Shenhua will know coming second is something which has occurred all too much in Shanghai. And it isn’t for a shortage of resources, as the club are a Chinese powerhouse with strong financial backing from owner Zhu Jun along with big companies like Shanghai SVA Group, SMEG and Huangpu Investment Ltd.

Indeed, the club’s financial power have afforded it several high profile players including internationals such as Costa Rica’s Erick Scott, Colombian Ricard and Honduran Emil Martínez along with Chinese national team members including Sun Xiang, Du Wei, Mao Jianqing and Xiao Zhanbo.

Wu Jingui, who coached the club recently before having to leave his post due to health problems, argues, “Shenhua takes the lead but doesn’t know how to keep it. It has been a problem for the team for years.”

Indeed, Shenhua’s problems have been occurring for years as their history suggests, with runners-up finishes in the old Jia-A League in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001. It should be noted, they did manage to win the title in 1995 and 2003 but the story doesn’t get any brighter in the new Chinese Super League, as the Blue Devils have fallen short again in 2005 and 2006 along with their latest failure in 2008.

So perhaps you could say it is endemic of the club to not be able to handle pressure.

Indeed, a fine indicator of that point is the club’s fortunes in the top level AFC Champions League.

Being a powerhouse club who continually finishes near the top of the Chinese top flight, Shenhua have qualified many times for the continental competition, but have struggled to handle the pressure of high-class football.

No more proof of that point is during the 2007 AFC Champions League when they were in a group along with Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds, Australian glamour club Sydney FC and Indonesian side Persik Kediri.

What seemed a difficult group on paper was too much for Shenhua who capitulated in the tournament losing their first three games.

But once they were out of the running in the tournament and with the pressure off, Shenhua’s fortunes turned around dramatically as they finished off the group stage with draws against eventual Asian champions Urawa and Sydney before a 6-0 rout of Persik.

Indeed, it is a peculiar club which is struggling to mature into the beast it could be.

Shenhua, which means ‘flower of Shanghai’ in Chinese, is a club wanting to spawn into something greater but it can not find a way to shake off its fragile past.

Following the 2008 season’s final day failure, Shenhua owner Zhu Jun philosophically commented, "Our players tried their best today and did well the whole season."

Perhaps Zhu Jun is in denial because for a club with so much financial might and muscle, their best shouldn’t be second best.

How China’s perennial underachievers should try to resolve their recurring problems is a difficult question to answer. It seems Wu Jingui is right that Shenhua tend to make mistakes at critical moments and have been doing so for years.

Maybe they need to acknowledge there is a problem first and foremost and in the modern sporting culture of club psychologists, therapists and psychiatrists who knows what lengths Shenhua’s big backers might go to in order to fix the club’s endemic mental fragility.

For now though, they’ll have several months to mull over it, before the 2009 Chinese Super League begins again in March.

Reading Boss Backs Federici

as seen on euroos.blogspot.com

Reading manager Steve Coppell has labelled Socceroos shot-stopper Adam Federici a 'terrific' goalkeeper and explained he has full confidence in the Australian international.

Coppell's comments come in the wake of a calf injury to Royals number one Marcus Hahnemann which has resulted in the 23-year-old Australian earning an opportunity in between the sticks in the American's absence.

Reading will host Norwich City at Madejski Stadium this weekend and Federici will make his first Championship start for the Royals in the fixture.

And Coppell declared, “We have an able deputy. Adam has been very patient. We all feel he’s ready for this challenge. It is a great opportunity for him."

The Royals boss went onto say, "Fedders is ready. He's been looking forward to it and this is a great opportunity. I've got no qualms about him, none. He's been out on loan and played well.

"Everybody has confidence in him, not just me. The players and staff do too and I'm sure in time the fans will see that."

Federici's has had to wait for an opportunity at Reading, with the consistent Hahnemann having played 100 consecutive league games for the Royals. Indeed, the Australian shot-stopper has a hard act to follow considering the 36-year-old American's performances over the last four years at Reading.

Coppell added, "Is he the same as Marcus? No, but what we might lose from Marcus we gain with Fedders. He's a different type of goalkeeper. He might not have the experience or may not possibly have the presence - as yet.

"Once he starts playing he'll quickly gain respect from everyone. In football it's easy to say 'have patience' but he's done that and bided his time because of Marcus' form.

"Now it's the chance for him to do that. We feel he's a terrific goalkeeper and I'm sure he will show that to everyone.

"He works tremendously hard, he's been supportive of Marcus, always backing him up in their banter and I'm sure he will return the favour now."

And when Coppell was pressed on whether Federici had a chance of retaining his spot in goals when Hahnemann eventually returned from injury, the Royals boss commented, “Everyone is judged on performance. If he does his stuff then possession is nine tenths of the law. It’s Marcus’ job to move him out of there, but let’s see how he does before we make decisions."

Third-placed Reading host 20th Norwich City in the English Championship on Saturday.

New Zealand Awaits

as seen on www.insidefutbol.com

Of all the nations in the world, it might come as a surprise to some, that other than the hosts it is New Zealand who are the closest team to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The New Zealand national football team, or the All Whites as they are affectionately known, are just 180 minutes away from a spot in the World Cup finals.

The All Whites as Oceania champions, will face the fifth best AFC nation over two legs in the inter-continental Playoff in November next year to decide who goes to South Africa.

And for New Zealand, who haven’t reached the World Cup finals since 1982, qualification for South Africa would be a welcome boost for football in the rugby-mad nation.

Indeed, in New Zealand football takes a backseat to other sports such as rugby union, cricket, rugby league and netball. Nonetheless, the nation’s governing body of football, New Zealand Football (NZF), is a modest yet ambitious organization and eager to promote its code in the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’.

And for NZF, they see qualification for 2010 as crucial to developing their code in New Zealand. Thus for the current campaign, NZF has channeled a lot of their humble resources into this task, making the success of the All Whites their main focus.

Unfortunately, in the current economic climate of New Zealand, it seems the success of the national team is essential for the code as the sport faces an increasingly uncertain future.

Just weeks prior to the beginning of the eight team domestic league, the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC), a crisis of funding emerged creating uncertainty about the league, resulting in NZF having to take drastic action to make changes to the competition.

As NZF CEO Michael Glading explained, “The current economic environment along with a reduction in trust funding has hit some franchises more than others, but all of them have worked together with NZF to find the best possible solution for this season.”

That solution was to reduce the regular league season from 21 to 14 matches and to extend the playoffs. Despite the immediate changes, Glading worryingly admitted a January review would take place to assess the future viability of the competition beyond this season.

To make matters worse for NZF, earlier this month AFC president Mohammed Bin Hammam spoke about removing New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix from the Australian A-League when their licence expires in 2011 because he couldn’t see why a club from the Oceania confederation should play in a league in the Asian confederation.

The Phoenix, who compete in Australia’s top flight, is home to many current All Whites including 2007 New Zealand Player of the Year Shane Smeltz. The Wellington-based club’s existence is crucial to the development of football in New Zealand but the AFC president’s comments have put that in doubt.

So with these problems in mind, getting the All Whites to South Africa in 2010 is NZF’s main focus.

The All Whites, coached by Ricki Herbert, a former New Zealand international who played in the nation’s only World Cup finals in 1982, have passed their first test on the road to qualification, having successfully passed Oceania’s challenges, disposing of the likes of Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

But November 2009 is when the All Whites will face their true test and they know it.

So preparation is the key for Herbert’s men who have surged from 111th to 54th in the FIFA rankings on the back of their performances in becoming champions of Oceania.

To ready themselves for November’s test, the All Whites are desperate to secure friendlies and March 28 and April 1 have been penciled in as dates for these matches. In the past though, New Zealand have struggled to attract quality opponents for friendly matches, but, buoyed by their improved FIFA ranking, NZF are optimistic they can organize some preparation matches for the All Whites.

The All Whites also, as Oceania champions, are guaranteed the exciting opportunity of competing in next June’s Confederations Cup in South Africa. The tournament will be a fantastic chance to prepare for their November World Cup qualifying playoff.

New Zealand have been drawn in the same group as European champions Spain, Asian champions Iraq and hosts South Africa for the tournament.

Herbert was excited by the draw saying, “To play the number one team in the world (Spain) is fantastic.”

The All Whites boss was also pleased with the draw pitting New Zealand against an Asian opponent, saying, “Obviously Iraq, coming out of Asia as champions, and leading through to a World Cup playoff out of that group in November, it gives us a great chance to benchmark ourselves and see what work is needed after that.”

“It’s the one team (Iraq) in the event that gives us something that’s needed, so it’s a perfect draw for us,” Herbert added.

The All Whites boss previously was desperate to play Middle East or Asian teams in friendlies prior to November’s inter-continental playoff, to ready themselves against potential opponents, but drawing Iraq in the Confederations Cup has eased his anxiety.

Herbert added on the topic of the March 28 and April 1 friendlies, “My preference was to head into the Middle East or Asia but given the context of the teams that we’ve drawn in the Confederations Cup, there may be some flexibility to track into a different area.”

“We want to pit ourselves against top quality opposition in 2009 because that will be that will be the only thing that stands us in good stead come November,” Herbert concluded.

It seems clear that the All Whites main concern is preparation, and considering they have at their disposal the likes of Blackburn Rovers skipper Ryan Nelsen, Celtic-based striker Chris Killen and New York Red Bulls defender Andrew Boyens along with their Wellington Phoenix brigade of stars, they do boast the quality to reach South Africa in 2010.

But for now, even though they might be just 180 minutes of football away from the World Cup, the All Whites have over 11 months to wait before they get their chance to prove their wares and win their place in the finals.

So for the time being, NZF and Herbert know they need to be planning meticulously to ensure the All Whites have the best chance to break their 28 year drought and give New Zealand football a lifeline when it needs it most.

Jet-Setter Coyne Focuses On Club

as seen on euroos.blogspot.com

Socceroos defender Chris Coyne is looking forward to the break from the national team to focus on reclaiming his spot in the Colchester United side.

The Colchester club skipper has played almost as many games for his country as he has his club lately, with his national team duties, and frequent flying, proving somewhat detrimental to his opportunities with the U's.

But the 29-year-old Pim Verbeek favourite is now looking forward to an opportunity to focus on his club form, with the Socceroos not involved in a World Cup qualifier until February.

“It's about three months before the next World Cup qualifier, so now I've got a chance to cement my position in the team,” Coyne told the Ipswich Evening Star.

Australia will be involved in Asian Cup qualifiers early in the new year, with a match against Indonesia in Jakarta in January, but Coyne and several other high-profile players are likely to be rested.

The Colchester defender explained the situation, “there are a few Asian Cup qualifiers on the horizon, but the manager (Verbeek) has already said that he will pick the home-grown players for these games, because he understands the burden placed on the players who have to travel so far away from their clubs,”

So the opportunity to focus solely on club matters is one which Coyne is excited by as he explained, “I want to start helping Colchester to climb the table. Playing for your country is a fantastic experience, but as I've said before, it's been detrimental to my form for the club.

“I've tended to play a couple of games, then go away for a couple of games, play once more and then miss three on the trot.

“You need to be playing continually so that it becomes second nature. You need to be in the team week in, week out."

The jet-setting defender also admitted all the international travel did take its toll, saying, "the national set-up does everything possible to get you back to your clubs as quickly as possible. That's what happened after the match in Bahrain. I was back on the plane at 1.30 local time, though I only managed three or four hours sleep.

Coyne added, “I couldn't play at Peterborough, because I couldn't even bend my leg after picking up a dead leg in Bahrain. But I rested over the weekend, and I was back in training with the lads today (Tuesday)."

“The bruising has come out and the leg is feeling fine. I'm ready and waiting, if selected. I'm champing at the bit," Coyne said.

Coyne's Colchester, 21st in League One at the moment, have the opportunity to jump out of relegation when they host 19th-placed Yeovil Town tonight.

The Holiday Is Over

I just wanted to inform everyone that my travelling has come to an end and I am back to work.

I've enjoyed my holidays through the United Kingdom over to Germany and into the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg but now it is time to return to the office.

Anyway, I've already launched a new blog (www.euroos.blogspot.com) which is all about Australians playing football in Europe. Currently I reside in Bonn in Germany, so I'm lucky enough to witness alot of football here, so I thought such a blog was a good idea. Already in it's first week I've had an average of 100 hits a day. It is a good start.

Beyond that though, having just got back into the swing of things I am searching for an opportunity to write and contribute to various websites. I will endeavour to find such opportunities over the next few weeks and hopefully their will be plenty more to read from me.

Thanks alot

The Nomad That Is Alex Duric

While a lot of football followers have their eyes firmly transfixed on the European Championships at the moment, a whole bunch of World Cup qualifiers are taking place throughout the rest of the globe, which are worth taking a closer look at.

Indeed, it is early stages for most confederations in their respective qualification processes, which earns most results just a passing glance from the average pundit.

But one result, which caught more than just the quick fleeting look earlier in the month, was the incredible match between Singapore and Uzbekistan, which ended 7-3 in favour of the Uzbekis.

And while that scoreline itself was quite remarkable, there was another incredible story inside the story here.

Casting your eye through the Singapore team sheet would simply make anyone curious. It seems the island nation has a lot of naturalised players amongst their ranks.

But one name which rings a bell for quite unbelievable reasons is Alex Duric.

Duric is someone who has come a long way to get to this point. Through wars, family crises, immigration issues and even the odd Olympic Games appearance.

Born in Bosnia at the beginning of the 70s, Duric grew up in a village by the Bosna River where he would kayak in the mornings, go to school during the day and play football in the afternoons. It was an active lifestyle for a youngster but as Duric explained later in life “in a communist country, if you are a top sportsman, your future is very bright… you can be a doctor in my country and still not get paid as much”.

And while at such a young age, he probably didn’t see his natural hobbies as future career aspirations, it was obvious sport and the outdoors was something he loved.

At the age of 15, Duric was in the national team for canoeing but he decided to focus on football and in 1990, he traveled to Sweden to try his hand at professional football.

But while he was in Sweden, his homeland fell into civil war as the conflict between Serbs and Bosnians intensified during the early 90s.

Duric attempted to return home to find his family during the war but he was prevented from re-entering the country. It was something which haunts him to this day. During the war his mother died. He never got to say goodbye to her. He too lost contact with his father and brother for 10 years.

This was one of many horrific hardships Duric would have to go through.

In the wake of the war in the early 90s, Duric settled in Hungary where he played professional football for FC Szeged. At the end of his first season with Szeged in 1992, Duric received a random phonecall from the Bosnian Olympic Committee asking him if he would like to represent his country in kayaking at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games.

Duric agreed. Only problem was the Bosnian Olympic Committee couldn’t pay for his passage to Barcelona. Duric was faced with a conundrum but as he explained “it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me and I couldn't give it up”.

At the age of just 21, Duric decided to hitch-hike from Hungary to Spain. He would have to go through four countries to get there and along the way he experienced many people cautious of travelling Bosnians due to the war-ravaged climate of his homeland.

“I was stopped at a few places because all I had was a Bosnian passport and a letter from the Spanish Olympic committee. They thought I was seeking refugee status," Duric recalled. "I would hitch rides and the people would stop and ask me: 'Where are you going?' I would say I'm going to Spain to represent Bosnia in the Olympic Games. Everybody looked strangely at me.”

Eventually though Duric would make it to Barcelona for the games where he managed to reach the quarter-finals of the 500m kayak event. Duric’s highlight though of the Olympics was walking out onto the stadium during the Opening Ceremony in front of 100,000 people with his fellow Bosnian athletes representing their war-ravaged nation. There were only 10 Bosnians participating at the Olympics, but for them just being there and having gone through similar hardships in to get there was a symbolic achievement and the crowd warmly cheered them on.

Duric looks back at his Olympics appearance with glee and laughter. It wasn’t too long after Barcelona he was travelling again and this time it was all the way to Australia.

All the way Down Under, Duric settled for a new life but again he wanted to play professional football and he joined Australian club South Melbourne. Duric enjoyed several good seasons with the Melbourne based side and he was also granted Australian citizenship. Football in Australia though was mostly semi-professional in those days and most players required second jobs. It was a total change of lifestyle.

Despite having somewhat settled down in Australia, Duric still longed for that professional football career he dreams of and in 1997 he had a brief stint in China with Super League club Locomotiv Beijing. He soon returned to Australia but it was a sign of things to come.

A couple more seasons in Australia’s top league followed before another brief stint abroad, this time in Singapore with Tanjong Pagar United where he had a fine campaign scoring 11 goals in one season.

Duric again returned to Australia until he finally decided to move to Singapore where he had been a big hit a few years ago. He signed his S.League club Home United in 2000 and officially made the move to the island nation.

The Bosnian-born forward would reclaim that excellent form of a couple of years ago in Singapore as he scored plenty of goals in the S.League leading to a move to Geylang United where he won the league in 2001.

After scoring plenty more goals with Geylang and becoming known as the ‘Goal Machine’, Duric decided to move to rival club Singapore Armed Forces in 2005, for what should have been the twilight years of his career. Instead Duric flourished in what has proved to be his career best form.

In 2007, Duric claimed almost every individual honour available in the S.League including Player of the Year and the Golden Boot after scoring 37 goals during the regular season as his side won the league and cup double. Duric himself also became the all-time leading goalscorer in the S.League having scored well over 200 goals.

Needless to say, he had impressed in Singapore. In fact he had impressed so much, the Singaporean FA desperately tried to get Duric to become a Singapore citizen so he could play for their national team.

The situation in Singapore at the moment is a peculiar one, with several members of their national team not being born or raised in the island nation. Players such as English expats Daniel Bennett and John Wilkinson or Chinese-born Shi Jiayi have become Singapore national team members, which has in turn created much debate about the issue of players swapping international allegiances.

Nonetheless after living in Singapore for over six years, Duric was willing to complete his citizenship. In September 2007, Duric officially became a Singaporean citizen and three days later he was called up to the national team for a World Cup qualifier with Tajikistan.

Incredibly, on his debut for the Singapore national team, Duric scored a brace as the Lions went on to qualify for the third round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever.

Thus a couple of weeks later Singapore were drawn in the World Cup qualifying group with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

Such was Duric’s popularity in Singapore, that in the preparation games for the third round World Cup qualifiers he got the opportunity to become the first ever non Singapore-born player to start for the national team wearing the captain’s armband. He also got an opportunity to play against his old nation Australia in March 2008 and he almost scored as his teammates rallied for an unlikely 0-0 friendly draw.

Finally though on the 2nd of June 2008, Singapore would face Uzbekistan in that incredible 7-3 match. As it would happen, Uzbekistan scored first before Duric levelled for Singapore early in the first half. At that stage, no one would have expected what happened next to happen next, but that seems to be the trend with anything Duric touches.

Duric’s story is an amazing one, from war-torn Bosnia, to the glory of the Olympic Games, to life in sunny Australia and onto fame in Singapore. And despite being some 38 years young, perhaps their’s a few more chapters too for Duric.

Glory Beaten In Warm-Up

A-League club Perth Glory have been beaten 3-2 in their pre-season match against the WA State Team at Litis Stadium on Wednesday night.

Glory came from behind twice before a late Andrija Jukic goal won the game for the impressive State Leaguers who dominated periods of the match on a cold night in front of around 2,000 fans.

Perth, who finished the last A-League season in seventh position, started with new signing Eugene Dadi in attack while defender David Tarka returned after a long-term injury.

Trialists Anthony Skorich and Brent Griffiths scored for the Glory but a brace from Scott Bulloch and the eventual winner from Jukic proved too much for the A-League side.

Maroons Reply In Style

Queensland has responded from their opening loss in the State Of Origin series, to record a 30-0 thumping of New South Wales in game two yesterday evening at Suncorp Stadium.

The Maroons proved way too good for the Blues who simply had no answers, in what Queensland coach Mal Meninga described as "near the perfect footy game".

Melbourne Storm centre Greg Inglis was the star for Queensland as he created the opening two tries for the hosts inside the first 20 minutes with debutant Darius Boyd the happy benificiary.

Five-eighth Johnathan Thurston added a trio of penalties before Ben Hannant and Israel Folau each scored a try in the second-half, to equal the Maroons best ever winning-margin over their southern rivals.

New South Wales simply had no answers as they were shut-out for just the second time in Origin history.

The Blues' halves Peter Wallace and Greg Bird proved ineffective while their pack was well beaten by the Maroons who were lead by returning front-rower Steve Price.

It was a stunning turnaround from Queensland after game one, as the Maroons played with increased purpose, enthusiasm and intensity.

Their were some post-match claims that referee Tony Archer favoured the hosts but New South Wales coach Craig Bellamy confirmed "Queensland were too good on the night".

The Maroons victory sends the series into a decider, as Queensland chase a rare Origin treble.

Swans Snatch Thriller

The incredible rivalry between West Coast and Sydney has continued, with the Swans winning a thriller by five points at Subiaco Oval last night.

Sydney came back from a six-goal half-time deficit to kick ten of the last thirteen goals of the match to win 12.11(83) to 11.12(78).

Jude Bolton kicked a goal which put the Swans ahead for the first time in the match with under two minutes remaining, after he won a free-kick from a high Adam Hunter tackle.

The Eagles didn't have enough time to recover and Sydney celebrated an unlikely comeback victory in front of almost 39,000 fans at Subiaco Oval.

All this after the hosts had a six goal to none first quarter with on-ballers Daniel Kerr and Dean Cox starting brightly for the Eagles, with the former booting two early goals.

Sydney fought back in the second term to stem the flow but failed to narrow the margin which had grown to 36 points at the main break.

But a goalless third quarter for the Eagles concerned the local fans and with good reason as the Swans rallied. Sydney booted four third-term goals to get themselves within striking distance of an unlikely victory, with the man with the most-famous knee in AFL, Nick Malceski, particularly impressive.

The Swans had narrowed the margin to just 14 points at the final break, but the Eagles struck first in the last term through David Wirrpanda.

Sydney midfielders Jarrad McVeigh and Adam Goodes were stand-outs as they again worked hard to close the gap between the sides as both teams traded goals.

The Swans finally broke the trend of goal-for-goal in the last, to get a run-on and when Goodes set up Malceski for a major, the visitors were within a kick.

The final moments of the match were incredibly tense highlighted by an edgy piece of play by the Eagles close to Sydney's goal as they tried desperately not to rush a point. It was typical of the rivalry which has built up between these clubs over the last few years.

In the end though, it would be the Swans today who would be victorious after Hunter's indiscretion and Bolton's calmness under pressure.

Sydney now maintain their press for a top four berth this season while for the Eagles, despite an improved performance this week, it seems this may be a dismal season for their fans.

Sydney 0.4 2.7 6.9 12.11.83
West Coast 6.1 8.7 8.11 11.12.78
Sydney goals; Kirk 2, McVeigh 2, Bevan 2, Malceski 2, Bolton 2
best; Malceski, Goodes, Kirk, McVeigh, Kennelly
West Coast goals; Staker 2, Kerr 2, Wirrpanda 2
best; Lynch, Kerr, Embley, Butler
Crowd; 38,802 at Subiaco Oval

Cats Back On Top

Geelong have returned to the top of the AFL ladder after a hard fought 13 point victory over the Kangaroos at Docklands tonight.

The Cats held off North Melbourne 19.13 (127) to 17.12 (114) in front over 38,000 fans.

The premiers maintained a two-to-three goal advantage for much of the evening and proved too good for the spirited Kangaroos, with Cameron Mooney booting 7 goals and Gary Ablett collecting a career-best 39 possessions.

Despite the heroics of the Cats' stars, North Melbourne didn't go down without a fight and began the game with two of the first three goals, in an entertaining opening quarter.

Geelong soon swung the momentum back in the first term with Ablett racking up over a dozen touches in the opening stanza as the Cats went to the break ahead by 22 points.

The Kangaroos though fought back in the second term with opportunistic goals coming from Leigh Harding along with North's livewire forwards Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell who proved difficult for the Cats' defence, as Geelong saw key defender Matthew Scarlett go down injured with a worrying hamstring strain.

North Melbourne's 7 goal second quarter brought the game to life and the Roos kept pressing in the third term to get within a goal but never headed the Cats.

Ablett proved to be elusive though despite the best efforts of Roos' coach Dean Laidley applying tags in Daniel Harris, Ed Lower and Brady Rawlings, as the Geelong 2007 Best and Fairest winner kicked a crucial late goal in the third quarter to give the Cats a two-goal lead at the final break.

The Kangaroos would never fully recover as Mooney went on to kick a career-best 7 goals while Steve Johnson was continually a handful for North.

In the end, the Cats ran out 13 point victors, which sends them back to top of the league ladder ahead of Hawthorn, who can return to the summit with a win over Essendon tomorrow night.

Nonetheless, the Cats can savour a hard fought four points whilst North Melbourne's finals aspirations remain dodgy despite a decent performance.

Geelong 7.0 11.6 17.7 19.13.127
North Melbourne 3.2 10.4 15.7 17.12.114
Geelong goals; Mooney 7, Johnson 3, Lonergan 2, Ablett 2, Varcoe 2
best; Ablett, Bartel, Mooney, Johnson, Prismall, Kelly
North Melbourne goals; Hale 4, Campbell 3, Harvey 2, Petrie 2, Thomas 2
best; Harris, Petrie, Hale, Harvey
Crowd; 38,373 at Telstra Dome

Kewell The Difference For Roos

Australia has extended its lead atop Group 1 in the World Cup qualifiers, thanks to a Harry Kewell goal, which saw the Socceroos defeat Iraq 1-0 in Brisbane on Sunday.

Kewell struck just moments after half-time when he headed an inswinging Brett Emerton cross past Iraq keeper Noor Sabri, for what turned out to be the winner.

Australia though rode their luck on their way to the three points with goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer having plenty to do.

Early in the game, Iraq almost stunned the Suncorp Stadium crowd when the Socceroos’ defence failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Emad Mohammed whose quick strike cannoned into the crossbar.

Australia did soon settle into the game and a neat passing move almost resulted in Mark Bresciano scoring for the hosts but Sabri saved the Palermo midfielder’s shot.

After 27 minutes, Emad again had a chance to put Iraq ahead in the first-half when he found space in the box but his shot was thwarted by Schwarzer’s legs.

Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud was then the next player to be guilty of missing a good opportunity, when he put a free header wide of the goals.

Iraq’s lack of composure in front of goal would cost them.

Just two minutes into the second-half, Kewell, who had caused the Iraqis some aerial trouble in the first-half, scored with his head to send the sold out Suncorp Stadium into raptures.

Kewell was time and time again at the centre of Australia’s attacking moves as he seemed the most creative outlet for the Socceroos, while forward partner Scott McDonald was disappointing as he proved ineffective.

When Kewell was substituted with quarter of an hour to go, Iraq began to dictate terms and on 82 minutes Iraq forward Hawar Mohammed had a great chance to level the match but Schwarzer was again too good.

Australia held on until the final whistle to move to seven points in the group, while Qatar and China drew in the other match, leaving the Socceroos three points clear of Qatar with the Chinese a further point behind and Asian Cup winners Iraq languishing at the bottom of the table with just one point.

The Socceroos travel to Dubai to play Iraq this Saturday with talk big Karlsruhe forward Josh Kennedy may come into the side. The Iraqi defence clearly struggled with Kewell’s aerial presence, so the inclusion of the 192 centimetre Kennedy could be a shrewd move.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek has also spoken of the need to improve his defence after a less-than-impressive display in Brisbane. As Kewell admitted at Suncorp “again we rode our luck”.

Nonetheless, Australia do have the chance to secure their passage into the next phase of the World Cup qualifiers with three points in Dubai.

Australia 1 (Kewell 47)
Iraq 0
Suncorp Stadium; 48678

A Ride On Solomon's Carpet

Some say the FA Cup is the ultimate football fantasy. A tiny club goes on a dream run, punches above their weight, beats a few teams and then comes up against a giant, in a David and Goliath battle.

Well, all the way over in the Pacific Ocean, on the small archipelago nation of Solomon Islands, there was a truly incredible football journey occurring over the past few months.

Tiny Kossa FC, based in the capital Honiara, with a side full of amateurs and beach soccer players, went on a dream run with the goal in sight of a spot in the World Club Cup in Tokyo this December alongside the likes of European champions Manchester United and South American powerhouse Boca Juniors.

It all began in 2007 when Kossa, despite never having won any silverware before, managed to win the National Club Championship in the Solomon Islands. It wasn’t easy for Kossa, having to scrape through the semi-final in extra-time and winning the final against Koloale FC by the odd goal in a seven-goal thriller.

But their unexpected domestic success entitled them to a place in the 2007-2008 O-League, which is effectively the Champions League of Oceania played out between the best teams of New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti and many other Pacific Islands’ countries. The winner of this competition would earn a lucrative position in the World Club Cup and an estimated US$500,000 for being part of the Tokyo-based tournament.

Kossa were drawn in a tough group with more seasoned and experienced clubs. In their group was Tafea FC of Vanuatu who hold the amazing record of 14 consecutive domestic titles along with Ba, or as they are affectionately known the ‘Men In Black’, who are a Fijian club who were the beaten finalists of the previous O-League.

Again despite being underdogs, Kossa fought above their weight. The opening two matches were played in Honiara and they managed a win and a draw before they ventured into international territory for the first time in the club’s history.

The Solomon Islanders memorably secured a draw in Vanuatu before they travelled to Fiji. In Ba, Kossa pulled off an unlikely yet comfortable 4-2 victory against a side, which had never been beaten on their home ground in the O-League before.

Kossa, who had attracted crowds of over 10,000 to their two O-League home matches at Lawson Tama Stadium, had won through to the final much to the delight of their patriotic fans.

In the final, Kossa would face another mighty challenge, coming up against reigning Oceania champions and New Zealand premiers Waitakere United who had players such as former All-Whites international captain Danny Hay and ex-Norwich City and Wolverhampton midfielder Neil Emblen.

For a group of amateurs from a small Pacific nation with a population of just over half a million people this would be a massive task.

Nonetheless, they certainly had one thing going for them as Kossa coach Jacob Moli explained “we will be carrying the pride of Solomon Island football with us onto the field”. Unlike most other Pacific countries, football is number one in the Solomons over rugby and such a club’s international success had been greeted with much pride and patriotism throughout the nation.

Indeed the final, which would be played over two-legs with the first in Honiara before the return a fortnight later in West Auckland, attracted a massive crowd to Lawson Tama Stadium.

Despite some 20,000 fans cramming into a stadium with a capacity of only around ten thousand on a hot and humid day, it would be a day of much pleasure for the locals.

After about 20 minutes the fans went into raptures, when Kossa’s James Naka launched a long-range shot which came off the crossbar into striker Joe Luwi’s path and he calmly tucked away the rebound to give the home side the lead.

Twenty minutes later, it was two and the stadium was truly alive. Luwi again was in the right spot at the right time when Kossa’s Papua New Guinean Reginald Dawani had a shot parried into Luwi’s feet and he again clinically took his chance. Soon the half-time whistle sounded and it was party time at Lawson Tama Stadium.

The New Zealanders, who had struggled with the heat in the first 45 minutes, regrouped during the break and got a goal back just after half-time but Naka sealed the deal late in the game with a third for Kossa. Naka dribbled past a host of Waitakere players before a lovely deft finish confirmed the 3-1 victory and a crucial two-goal advantage ahead of the second leg. It also brought about screams of joy from the local fans, who thought their side had one foot on the plane to Japan.

So too did some of the Kossa players, as Naka admitted after the game “when we went 2-0 up I was so happy and the thought went through my mind for the first time that we could be representing Oceania”. Coach Moli tried to calm things down ahead of the second leg as to ensure his side didn’t get ahead of themselves, because the Auckland trip would be their most difficult assignment yet.

Indeed two weeks later in West Auckland at Trusts Stadium it would be tough. When rain fell ten minutes prior to kick-off, the field became slippery thus making conditions unfamiliar for Kossa and only making there task the harder.

Things didn’t start well too for Kossa, as they tried to adapt to the conditions. Waitakere scored after just eight minutes, ironically through Solomon Islands’ international Benjamin Totori, when he slipped a low shot under Kossa’s goalkeeper Severino Aefi.

Then after 25 minutes, the Kiwis had a second through Welshman Chris Bale who guided home Emblen’s goalbound header. Waitakere had a slight advantage in the tie on away goals but one Kossa goal would turn that around.

That was the way the match would stay for the next three quarters of an hour as Kossa began to adjust to the conditions. Indeed, there were moments of individual flair from several Kossa players as they suggested they may be able to turn the tie on its head with a goal. Still though there was no breakthrough and the match was tensely poised with plenty at stake.

But Solomon Islands’ hearts were shattered with quarter of an hour to go when Waitakere’s top scorer Allen Pearce broke the deadlock with a third for the hosts. Pearce would add another minutes later as Kossa suddenly realised their dreams had come to an end. Waitakere would eventually run out 5-0 winners and broke out the bubbly to celebrate when the final whistle sounded.

Kossa on the other hand were left dejected. It had been an incredible journey but in West Auckland it had all come to a grinding halt. There was disappointment etched all over the Kossa players’ faces as it was a big chance missed.

In hindsight though, after all the initial disappointment has faded away, the Honiara club will remember this fondly. They had lost nothing and gained a wonderful experience. Moli again summed it up when he said “to our fans I would like to thank you for all your support, it was a great ride for Solomon Island football.”

Indeed, it was a great ride not just for Solomon Island football but for all fans of the underdog. Perhaps now we should all support Waitakere United, who’ll be the underdog in Tokyo this December. And you never know, football is a strange game.

Oops, Freo Have Done It Again

Fremantle's horror season has continued this afternoon after they lost to Carlton at Telstra Dome after leading again at three-quarter time.

The Blues overcame a 3 point three-quarter time deficit to defeat the Dockers 14.13 (97) to 14.4 (88).

The result means Carlton move to tenth on the ladder whilst Fremantle have now lost six matches consecutively and four of those have been on the trot after leading at the final break, a record which hasn't been seen since the St Kilda side of 1940.

Fremantle's loss will be all the more devastating after they had fought back from a three goal deficit in the third term to lead by ten points during the final quarter, only to be overrun again by their opposition.

Dockers' skipper Matthew Pavlich goaled early in the final term to give his side their ten point advantage, but Carlton replied through Andrew Carrazzo before Nick Stevens put the Blues ahead.

Pavlich, who during the week was vocal about the fact his side were not chokers, then had the chance to regain the lead for Fremantle with a simple set shot from 20 metres only for his kick to hit the post. Minutes later Pavlich again had a chance for the Dockers when he attempted a tough snap on goal when perhaps he had better options in field.

Carlton soon made the Dockers pay when Darren Pfeiffer sealed the victory whe he goaled miraculously from the pocket late in the match.

The match see-sawed throughout although it could be argued Carlton deserved the four points as their midfield were the more impressive despite Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands' dominance of the hit-outs. The Blues lead at the first two breaks of the game with Nick Stevens everywhere and Adam Bentick on top of Dockers' youngster Rhys Palmer.

Fremantle though, were dangerous in attack with Pavlich (4 goals) and Chris Tarrant (3 goals) proving too difficult for the Blues makeshift key defenders, who were without fullback Bret Thornton after he was a late withdrawal for the eventual match-winner Pfeiffer.

The Dockers stormed back into the contest in the third term with four consecutive goals as they took the lead for the first time since the 22-minute mark of the opening quarter.

Unfortunately for the visitors though, their poor final quarter record proved their undoing again as Carlton kicked three goals to one in the last to win a thriller.

Carlton 4.3 7.7 11.10 14.13.97
Fremantle 3.1 7.11 13.1 14.4.88
Carlton goals; Fisher 2, Betts 2, Scotland 2
best; Stevens, Bentick, Carrazzo, Gibbs, Fisher
Fremantle goals; Pavlich 4, Tarrant 3, Farmer 2
best; Pavlich, Ibbotson, Grover, Palmer
at Telstra Dome

Reds Qualify

Adelaide United has created history by becoming the first Hyundai A-League side to make the Asian Champions League quarter-finals.

United reached the final eight after a tense 0-0 draw away at Changchun Yatai was enough to see them top Group E ahead of the Chinese side.

The Reds, knowing all they needed from the match was a draw, did it the hard way, as they absorbed barrage after barrage from Changchun in the first-half.

Changchun should have been ahead after just four minutes when Cao Tianbao failed to make the most of a three-on-two situation after he had rounded Reds’ goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.

Galekovic was unconvincing in the opening twenty minutes and with left-sided midfielder Du Zhenyu causing problems, it was an uneasy opening stanza for the visitors.

Changchun could have gone ahead again, when they took a quick free kick which allowed big Ivory Coast forward Guillaume Dah Zadi enough time to lash a bending shot in on goal, but despite beating Galekovic, the ball hit the woodwork.

Adelaide’s best chance of the half came through centre back Sasa Ognenovski who got on the end of a Kristian Sarkies corner but couldn’t direct his header on goal.

The hosts had dominated possession in the first-half but failed to make the most of it and it seemed to frustrate them after the break. Changchun’s best player Du Zhenyu tired and without him they ran out of ideas.

The Reds rode Changchun’s best efforts comfortably and Galekovic’s goal was rarely threatened. United were happy to hold on for a point which would see them through to the quarter-finals.

The tense contest almost came to a head when Du Zhenyu launched a crude challenge on Angelo Costanzo late in the match. While Costanzo was calm about the tackle, fellow defender Ognenovski took offence, and wanted to get involved with the Chinese midfielder. The frustrated Du Zhenyu was soon substituted.

The crowd too got frustrated and disappointingly threw several bottles at United’s Lucas Pantelis when the midfielder went to take a corner. It was fast becoming a grim night for the hosts.

Changchun though, simply ran out of ideas in a lacklustre second-half with long ball after long ball failing to worry the Reds’ defence. Their was a late chance for the hosts from a corner but Ognenovski easily cleared the danger off the line.

In the end, Adelaide celebrated a memorable night having created history. It was also the ideal way to send off retiring veteran Richie Alagich in his last game with the club.

The Reds will find out their next opponents this weekend when the draw for the quarter-finals is announced in Kuala Lumpur. For now though, they will enjoy the moment.

Changchung Yatai 0
Adelaide United 0
Changchun City Stadium

Blues Take Origin Lead

New South Wales have begun this year's State Of Origin series with a strong 18-10 victory over Queensland at ANZ Stadium tonight.

The Blues, who lost the 2007 series 2-1, began the match in style with a try inside the first five minutes before they scored another 2 to have the first three tries of the match.

Queensland hit back with a late first-half try to make the score 14-4 at the break, but the Blues' impressive opening stanza proved too big a mountain to climb for the Maroons.

It was debutant Anthony Quinn who got the Blues going with the first try of the match. Good lead-up work from Greg Bird and Ryan Hoffman got the ball wide on the left to Brett Stewart, although he needed a great take, before he committed Maroons' full-back Billy Slater and fired the ball to Quinn who had time and space for the opener.

New South Wales had most of the attacking possession in the first-half and halfback Peter Wallace was looking good on debut with several dangerous kicks. Queensland tried to fight back in defence especially with Karmichael Hunt landing some big hits on Hoffman.

But the pressure eventually weighed on the Maroons and a Wallace kick was perfectly positioned for Quinn to grab his second try of the night after he out jumped Queensland centre Brent Tate. The conversion was missed but the Blues had a ten nil lead after just twenty minutes. It was the ideal start in front of the home fans.

The next fifteen minutes saw Queensland fight back into the game with Johnathan Thurston getting more involved and the Maroons created a few half opportunities.

The Blues though, went out to a 14-point lead with five minutes to go in the half when forward Anthony Laffranchi offloaded to Stewart who set Mark Gasnier off on a break before the centre returned the ball inside for Stewart to score the try.

New South Wales had their tails wagging going into half-time before the Maroons stunned them with a late try on the siren. Thurston's low kick went in behind the Blues defence and Tate got a hand on the ball to score four points, as was rightly awarded by the video referee. Queensland had something to build on for the second-half.

The early part of the second-half though was riddled with errors. New South Wales's Ben Cross and Queensland's Michael Crocker exchanged mistakes in the middle of the park on early tackles in a matter of seconds. It was clear both sides were getting tired from the fierce contest.

In the 52nd minute, Queensland almost received a lifeline when a deep kick from Wallace put Maroons fullback Billy Slater in trouble but the Melbourne Storm player incredibly dodged the Blues' tackles and almost took the ball the length of the field with help from Greg Inglis. Justin Hodges eventually went close from the play but the Blues managed to ultimately hold Queensland at bay.

Then with fifteen minutes to go, Anthony Quinn's dream debut got better when he forced a mistake from Thurston. From the resulting set, the Blues went over through another debutant Laffranchi. Bird delivered a swift cut-out pass to Gasnier who again used his pace before passing inside for Laffranchi to finish off the Maroons.

Queensland were beaten, but almost got a stunning reply from the next play after a short kick-off. In the last ten minutes, Hodges was held up over the line by Willie Mason and Tate had a video referee decision go against him.

In the dying moments of the second-half, like the first, Queensland managed to score. Israel Folau took his chance when the Maroons found numbers on the left to gain some pride with a late converted try.

It was all too late though for the visitors, as the 67,620 fans went home happy after seeing Craig Bellamy's Blues outplay the Maroons 18-10, to set up another classic series.

NSW 18 (Tries; Quinn 2, Stewart, Laffranchi, Conversions; Fitzgibbon) def Queensland 10 (Tries; Tate, Folau, Conversions; Thurston) Crowd: 67,620

Victory Finish Second

Melbourne Victory have restored some pride from its disappointing Asian Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Chonburi tonight taking them to second in Group G.

The Victory finish second in the group on seven points one point ahead of Chunnam Dragons, who drew with Gamba Osaka 1-1 this evening. Gamba finished on 14 points and go through comfortably as the group’s best team.

Melbourne though had their work cut out for them at Telstra Dome tonight against a Chonburi side who took the lead early in the second-half.

Before that, Melbourne had dominated the first-half but wasted several opportunities to open the scoring in a match which lacked intensity.

Rodrigo Vargas and Nick Ward both had chances to score inside the first fifteen minutes of the match but couldn’t convert.

In the 17th minute, Danny Allsopp whipped in an innocuous low cross which was almost deflected into goal by Chonburi defender Nattapong Samana only for goalkeeper Kosin Hathairattanakool to pull off a relieving save.

Chonburi’s best chance of the first half came from a dead-ball situation. Arthit Sunthornpit fired in an inswinging shot towards Melbourne keeper Mitch Langerak’s top corner but the youngster was ready for the danger and pushed the ball away for a corner.

After that Carlos Hernandez saw a free-kick go wide, Allsopp had a stinging shot palmed away by Hathairattanakool and Tom Pondeljak had an opportunistic flick saved again by the goalkeeper before the break.

When the second-half began the intensity didn’t come with it. That came just before the hour mark, after an awful mix-up in Melbourne’s defence. Steven Pace played a ball which put Kevin Muscat under pressure in his own box and Ney Fabiano pounced before he lashed a thunderbolt past Langerak to give the visitors an unlikely lead.

Melbourne responded immediately when Carlos Hernandez whipped in a corner which caused trouble at the near post as Samana blocked the ball on the line only for his clearance to go straight into the goalfront and the path of Muscat who easily slotted the goal to make up for his defensive blunder earlier.

The small crowd of about 10,000 fans began to get excited when Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick brought on Socceroo Archie Thompson after eight weeks out with a knee injury.

Much to the crowd’s delight, Thompson had an immediate impact. Allsopp played a lovely square through-ball past the Chonburi defence as Thompson ran onto it and rounded the goalkeeper before slotting it into the back of the net. In a matter of minutes, the Victory had overcome a one-goal deficit to be in front.

Chonburi responded by bringing on Cameroonian forward Stephane Baga, who memorably scored a cracking goal against Melbourne earlier in the competition, and again caused the Victory’s uncertain defence problems.

Finally though, Melbourne sealed the win when a fast break created a three-on-three situation. Hernandez played Thompson into space on the left side of the box, as Allsopp attracted the attention of two defenders on the right, before Thompson cut the ball back for Hernandez who placed the ball emphatically into the top corner.

There were opportunities for both Baga and Thompson late in the game but neither could take them. Nonetheless, the lively substitutes had given the game something it badly needed.

In the end, despite the match being a dead rubber, Merrick got what he wanted as his side finished second in the group and the fans went home happy on a cold night in Melbourne.

Melbourne Victory 3 (Muscat 56, Thompson 66, Hernandez 76)
Chonburi FC 1 (Ney Fabiano 54)
Crowd: 9958 at Telstra Dome

Profile: Joel Griffiths

With Australia set to face Ghana in a friendly this Friday as preparation for four crucial World Cup qualifiers in June, several fringe Socceroos are readying themselves up for what could be a career-defining month.

One of those players is Joel Griffiths, whose career has taken an unusual path.

Griffiths, 28, is now primed to make his biggest impact on international football following a season of great success in the Hyundai A-League with the Newcastle Jets having won not only the league championship with his club but also personally he claimed the Johnny Warren Medal (for the league’s best player) and the Golden Boot award (for most goals).

For the Sydney-born forward, it has been a difficult journey after such a promising start to his career when he burst onto the scene in the old National Soccer League with Sydney United as an 18 year-old.

At 19 years of age at Sydney United, Griffiths partnered current Socceroo and Derby County forward Mile Sterjovski in a young attack which took the club to a minor premiership and Grand Final in 1999.The pair went onto to be part of the Australian under-20 team later that year in the FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, along with others such as current Serie A players Marco Bresciano and Vince Grella. Needless to say, it was a big year for Griffiths.

But while his under-20s team mates moved onto careers in Europe, Griffiths endured a tough spell following a move to new NSL franchise Parramatta Power. Unfortunately for Griffiths, things didn’t work out as well as hoped and the next few years he struggled to live up to expectations.

So in 2001 he decided to make the move north from Sydney to Newcastle. It proved a good decision, as he scored 25 goals in 46 appearances in a successful stint with the Jets before thoughts finally moved to a career in Europe.

His European destination would be Neuchâtel, home of Xamax, a tiny club from the Swiss Super League. While it wasn’t a move to a major club, it was a move to Europe, where Griffiths hoped to catch the eye of Socceroo selectors.

Griffiths’ spell in Switzerland was one of transformation for the blonde surfer-turned-striker. The Australian was played as a wide midfielder for Xamax and while he didn’t find the back of the net as much anymore, he certainly made an impact for a side trying to find their feet in the top flight.

It led to interest from English Championship side Leicester City but also interest from the national team. Finally and coincidentally with the appointment of Guus Hiddink as coach of the Socceroos, Griffiths was set for a dream call-up.

At the time Griffiths was candid about his international career, "to be honest, I'd sort of given up on the idea."

Finally on October 9 2005, Griffiths made his full national team debut as Australia trounced Jamaica 5-0 in London. Griffiths memorably came off the bench to score a goal on debut and followed it up by celebrating like a hopping kangaroo. It was a great moment for Griffiths and all this was in the lead up to the 2006 World Cup.

Griffiths was in his final year of his contract with Neuchâtel Xamax at this time and thoughts had drifted to life at a bigger club. The Xamax player said at the time, “I'm out of contract at the end of the season and I'll be ready to go. England is where I'd like to be.”

For whatever reason this mindset seemed to haunt Griffiths as he attempted to make the move from Switzerland. His form dropped with Xamax as the side languished towards the bottom of the Swiss table.

Then when Hiddink named the Australian team to play Uruguay in the crucial two-legged World Cup qualifiers, Griffiths missed the cut.

But that wasn’t close to the worst of it. In January 2006, Griffiths thought he had found his dream deal when he signed an 18-month contract with English Championship side Leeds United but it all went a little crazy.

First of all his move to Leeds was delayed after Xamax failed to issue international clearance for the transfer. Leeds reported Xamax to FIFA and the saga dragged on for several weeks.

When Griffiths finally received his clearance to play his struggled to make the first team. Their were rumours he didn’t get on with coach Kevin Blackwell but for whatever reason he only made two substitute appearances before the season ended and so did his time with Leeds. The two parted ways after an unhappy marriage with Griffiths returning to Australia.

All this occurred in the crucial build-up to the 2006 World Cup. Griffiths’ hopes of being part of Hiddink’s 23-man squad in Germany rapidly faded as he was frozen out at Leeds. In the end, Griffiths was barely even considered by Hiddink. Indeed, it was a grim time for Griffiths.

So Griffiths returned to Newcastle to play in the A-League as he reached his late twenties. It was a big gamble for his career, but perhaps one he had to take.

At the Jets he played alongside attacking players such as Socceroo Nick Carle and former Colombian international Milton Rodriguez. It worked well though, as Newcastle climbed to third in the league and Griffiths scored 6 goals for the season to win the club’s Member’s Player of the Year.

When Carle and Rodriguez both departed before the 2007-2008 season, many doubted whether Newcastle could continue to be a top-side but Griffiths filled the void and led the way incredibly.

And while the season went well, it wasn’t without typical Griffiths controversy, when he seemed to punch a referee in an A-League match in November and then somehow escaped punishment.

But the performances on the field were the main talking point about Griffiths, as he produced a season not seen before by an individual in the A-League.

Griffiths fired home 12 goals during the 21-game regular-season before scoring another two goals during the finals series as Newcastle claimed its first national title. Griffiths too, would later claim the league’s, as well as his club’s, best and fairest award to cap a stellar season.

Since returning to Australia following his unsuccessful spell with Leeds, Griffiths has regularly been part of national team squads comprised of A-League players. It has been a feature of Australian football since the move into Asia that national team camps are held regularly and often those camps are made up of only A-league players. So opportunities with the national team have opened up for homegrown players like Griffiths.

But with the next month of football coming up for the Socceroos being so important with regard to World Cup qualification, Australia are calling on all the European big guns. Nonetheless, Griffiths name is more often being bandied around as a key Socceroo these days even though he’s not based in Europe. Now it seems he is set to get his opportunity, the question remains, can he finally take it?

Roos Sneak Past Eagles

North Melbourne have run out six point winners in a hard fought contest against West Coast at Gold Coast Stadium tonight.

The Kangaroos were victorious 13.11 (89) to 12.11 (83), to cement themselves in the top eight whilst consigning the Eagles to seven straight losses.

The match was in the balance for much of the final term, and the reasonable crowd of 6,354 fans would’ve enjoyed the struggle, but with six minutes to go Kangaroos small forward Matt Campbell kicked what turned out to be the match-winning goal.

West Coast tried to reply in the dying minutes but they couldn’t find the breakthrough in a game which seesawed all night on what was a stormy evening.

The Eagles began the match the livelier, with Brent Staker kicking the opening goal. North Melbourne strangely started the match with key senior players Shannon Grant, Adam Simpson and Nathan Thompson on the bench but when they came on the field they made an impact as the Kangaroos kicked the next four goals of the opening term.

West Coast though, were able to get the margin back to within five points by quarter time with a highlight being debutant Ryan Davis’ first kick in the AFL being a goal.

The Eagles impressed in the second term when they scored five goals to two as they opened up a 15-point half-time lead. West Coast were opportunistic in the second quarter capitalising on Kangaroos’ turnovers with Tyson Stenglein, Josh Kennedy, Quinten Lynch and David Wirrpanda all snapping goals to give the side hope of ending their awful losing streak.

North Melbourne though slowly whittled away the deficit in the third term. Goals to Corey Jones, Thompson and David Hale pulled the margin back before North went ahead with two minutes left in the quarter with Adam Simpson kicking a late major.

The final term was an immense struggle with both sides having chances to win the match. A running Daniel Wells’ goal seemed to have put North home but impressive Eagle Kennedy replied to make the margin 4 points and not long later scores were level at 82 all when Ben McKinley kicked a long goal from a needless 50 metre penalty.

Kangaroos’ ruckman David Hale put his side ahead with a behind from the boundary late in the match before Campbell’s goal made the margin two kicks. The Eagles had a late chance when Andrew Embley’s long shot went close, but it was rushed through for a behind and two minutes later the siren sounded to end the thrilling encounter.

For the winners, Hale kicked three goals while captain Simpson won 26 disposals as the Kangaroos moved to fifth on the ladder. West Coast meanwhile are just one loss away from their worst run of results in the club’s history and can pretty much kiss away any hopes of making the finals in 2008. The Eagles can take some heart at the performances of youngsters Chris Masten and Kennedy who impressed.

Next week, North face a big test when they play the undefeated Bulldogs at Telstra Dome while West Coast return to Subiaco for a difficult assignment against fourth-placed Adelaide.

And This Is How It Ends...

Sunday was the day of the English Premier League decider as the season came to a close.

Neutral football fans had their eyes on five matches, as Manchester United, Chelsea, Fulham, Reading and Birmingham City all played in fixtures which would decide where the premiership would go and who would survive and who would be relegated from the league.

Ultimately though, only two matches mattered but coming into the weekend we weren’t to know that. Indeed, all fantasies of a dramatic final day where amplified when prior to Sunday’s kick-off FoxSports showed highlights of the final day of the 1994-1995 Premier League when Blackburn won the title despite losing after Manchester United could only draw at West Ham.

Excitement levels were up and expectations were for a spectacular finish.

And only a quarter of an hour in, we had our first goal. Reading went ahead against Derby County, which meant if that result stayed the same, Fulham would have to win their difficult fixture at Portsmouth. It was the news Fulham fans had been dreading.

On the half hour, Birmingham too had themselves ahead in their fixture when David Murphy scored against Blackburn. Fulham knew now they really would need to win to stay up.

But the big news wasn’t far away. The most important fixture of them all, Manchester United at Wigan, had a penalty. And it was for the Red Devils after Emmerson Boyce had hauled down Wayne Rooney inside the box. Up stepped that man Cristiano Ronaldo, and he coolly sent Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland the wrong way as United headed to a 1-0 lead. United were on their way to the title.

The sides went into half-time poised like this, with Fulham still 0-0 at Portsmouth but becoming desperate for a goal as Reading and Birmingham both were ready to pounce for survival while Chelsea could see their title hopes fading fast as the Red Devils had the half-time lead they wanted.

Just minutes into the second-half though, Fulham’s fears eased somewhat when Blackburn equalised at Birmingham through Morten Gamst Pedersen. Ten minutes later though, Reading made it 2-0 against Derby, a side confirmed as the worst in Premier League and one hardly capable of coming back from such a deficit. Thus Fulham definitely would have to win at Portsmouth to survive, which heightened the tension.

And while all this was happening, all of a sudden Chelsea had hit the lead against Bolton with Andriy Shevchenko scoring for the Blues. The title race was back on. One goal from Wigan would have Chelsea on top. And Emile Heskey went close for Wigan, it was getting tight.

In the next few minutes though attention swayed back to the relegation fight. All ears were to radio transmitters as the news came through Reading had a third and Birmingham were back in front against Blackburn. For Fulham fans, with fifteen minutes to go, it was getting all too much.

But then up popped a hero. Jimmy Bullard fired in a free-kick for Fulham and Danny Murphy was left virtually unchallenged. The former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder did the rest, heading the ball past Portsmouth goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown to score a priceless goal for the Londoners. The Fulham fans went crazy. Reading and Birmingham heads dropped, it was the news they didn’t want to hear.

Now we were getting to the very end of the Premier League. The very desperate end. But also the very glorious end.

Indeed, with ten minutes to go in Manchester United’s Premier League season, the glory showered upon them, as substitute Ryan Giggs fired home the Red Devils’ second to have them ahead two up against Wigan. It was time for celebration, there was no way back for Wigan, it was all but official, Manchester United were champions of England.

And Wigan didn’t fight back, nor did Portsmouth. Manchester United became champions of England on referee Steve Bennett’s full-time whistle, while Danny Murphy’s header was enough for Fulham to live another day in the top flight. Reading and Birmingham were relegated. Chelsea were runners-up.

For the record, Chelsea ended up drawing 1-1 with Bolton while the two clubs who were relegated on the final day, Reading and Birmingham, both recorded victories 4-0 and 4-1 respectively.

But it didn’t matter. As the records will show after all the trials and tribulations, and all the drama, Manchester United won it and Fulham survived it. What a day! And what a season we have to look forward to next time round!