Nearpost Football: September 2011

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Nearpost Poddie: Name any winner of the PFA Harry Kewell award since it's inception?

Aaron Walker, Nick Cumpston, Nick Amies and Paddy Bordier talk Aussie football

It's brilliant the lads have got us through the whole of the off-season and now they are starting to fire. Harry, Holger, Socceroos, Olyroos, they are all over it - and the W-League as well.

We've got Aussie football covered. All the news. Socceroos and A-League, yes we have a league and all the footy news and talk. How many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Download.
or play right from your computer....

Vitaslev on his last warning - fans want excitement.

Takes a special coach to turn people away from watching Sydney FC.

John Kosmina tried, Terry Butcher was very successful and now Championship winner Vitaslev Lavicka has topped the lot.

Crowds last year were way down - and no football follower I know was surprised.

How could a Championship winning side so dramatically reduce their crowds.

Ask the Coach.

Hailed by Fozzie for his first season effort. Great play out from the back - beautiful passing at times around the midfield only to bore the pants off us in attack.

Sure John Aloisi, Mark Bridge and co tried. And won the Championship it should be noted - but they never excited did they?

And last year they were worse, much worse.

The passing game can be beautiful, a la Barca, and it should always be played a la Spain. But give me Barca over Spain any day. In Messi, Barca are exciting in the final third. Spain although Cup Winners can bore you to death with their beautifully crafted 1-0 win. Their possession always deserves so much more.

And so it is with boring boring Sydney FC.

Pass, pass, lose, pass, pass tackle.

Vitaslev has had two seasons to mould a team. Now in his third it better be better. And with signs of real growth.

In Terry Antonis and Demi Petratos he may have two, just two, junior from the whole of Sydney; after 7 years of trying these guys could be strong performers. Exciting.

In Brett Emerton and Nicky Carle there is class.

But too many of the rest are squad men, not star men.

Still little pace around the attack and a defence, a new defence needs to be proven. After two or more seasons you'd think the Coach would have solved the defence, the need for speed and of course don't mention the keeper.

For a team from Australia's biggest city leaving the job in the hands of Vistaslev is a big big risk.

Sydney don't just need a winning team - a la Melbourne down the years - no Sydney need an exciting team a la Adelaide

Imagine the SFS with an Adelaide inspired Flores, or Melbourne inspired Archie leading a Sydney team. How much easier to fill the stands if you attack a la Adelaide each home game, or have pace down the years in the form of Archie or Fred from Season 3.

It's not always about the star or pace but it helps.

Vitaslev better entertain in the final third this season - and I'd don't think he has the pace to - or else he's the first coach gone.

Yes, even before Fergie!

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Nearpost Poddie: Name any winner of the PFA Harry Kewell award since it's inception?

Aaron Walker, Nick Cumpston, Nick Amies and Paddy Bordier talk Aussie football

It's brilliant the lads have got us through the whole of the off-season and now they are starting to fire. Harry, Holger, Socceroos, Olyroos, they are all over it - and the W-League as well.

We've got Aussie football covered. All the news. Socceroos and A-League, yes we have a league and all the footy news and talk. How many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Download.
or play right from your computer....

Friday, 23 September 2011

Canberra FC - need to lead football towards real goals

Canberra FC are in a bit of strife. Crowd violence, now fines, bonds and possible fan bans - and they are our Premier Club on the field - and supposed to be off it. Hardly! See the latest from the Canberra Times

While no-one could dispute the quality of footballer that this proud club has produced - Ned Zelic, Joe Simunic, Andrew Baresic, Steven Lustica and many many others are testamount to that - one could be forgiven for thinking the club is living in the past.

Volunteer, community football is a tough gig and Canberra FC has proudly changed their name, built a great stadium and dressed it in Croatian colours - in the dressing room, around the ground and of course all over the shirt.

Now here's the rub.

Anyone following football in Australia over the last 20 years, and in particularly over the last 7, see clubs with ethnic flavour are out of favour, massively.

Why else are there no A-League clubs allowed to have an ethnic name, ethnic colours or their fans carry ethnic flags. There is no progress possible for clubs covered in ethnicity. Not my rules, just how it is these days.

And no club, not South Melbourne, or Sydney United, both of whom have a fair bit more clout than Canberra FC, will change that.

South Melbourne FC (Greek) didn't get it when they tried to apply for the second Melbourne licence, Canberra FC don't get it when they have to cover all their Croatian colours for Canberra United games on the ABC.

Canberra FC has got it wrong - will they be allowed into the NSWPL - they might - but they'll never represent the whole Canberra community because despite their name, their colours and their fans shouting Croatia loudly and proudly the club will never appeal to the broader Canberra football market.

Don't believe me - go and do a random poll of any 20 people at any junior football club around Canberra and then go and ask another 20 people who have no involvement in local football. If you get more than 2 positive responses I'd be very surprised.

And to grow the game you need mass support - Raiders or Brumbies style.

The ALeague4Canberra market research showed a large support/interest for a football team in Canberra. There was no question of Canberrans interest and support in the Brumbies, Raiders and a football team.

Of course nothing remotely ethnic was mentioned - not Croatia, Olympic or Irish - just football, just a Canberra team. This is the only way forward, the only way to grow a brand, a business.

Canberra FC are our Premier Club - but we, the football commmunity need them to lead off the field, as well as on it.

No dressing room Croatia badges, no national colours around the ground, no national colours on your shirt, no brainer.

Then Canberra FC might be able to lead the football community into NSW and beyond - bringing the whole community with you. We know you can lead the football - let's see the club grab this opportunity to be the football leaders.

Why you could even become Canberra United - and have all W-League games out of Deakin Stadium - take the Canberra United brand into the NSW PL and see all Canberrans join in support.

And people could filter in the Croatian Club after the game. Always a friendly welcome their. Just need to transfer it to football.

No need for flares despised by the media, the anti-football mob, and I might add the local football family.

Time to put some real thought into what you want Canberra FC to be - and this is a great opportunity.

Stay as you are - and well you'll never grow the football club, or the game in Canberra.

Some supporters may abuse Capital Football - and they didn't cover themselves in glory with the handling of their Grand Final - but that isn't the real issue here. Not for our Premier Club with aspirations to take football and Canberra higher.

How does the name Canberra FC - reflected in the Croatian colours and badges - reflect the whole of the city. Beats me.

Canberra FC players deserve the opportunity to play on a bigger stage - Canberra FC needs to provide them with the leadership to do it.

Study what the FFA want, where they have taken football and who they have allowed into the new football.

Does Canberra FC just want to remain, a local champion?

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

If Canberra is smart we could grab an A-League vacancy - soon.

The Capital doesn't have an A-League team, the FFA don't want the Capital, it can't be maintained with the Brumbies and Raiders and now GWS in the city.

You've heard it all before.

But when you step back from the emotion it's Canberra's intelligence that can and needs to get it over the line.

Since FFA met with A-League4Canberra bid after the last Socceroos game (attended I might add by 20,032 people, a record for men's football in Canberra) the bid was slowly but finally sunk by said FFA. Certainly in terms of immediate entry.

Despite Ben Buckley describing the bid as "the best the FFA had ever seen" the FFA allowed the community support to question, gasp for air, before finally exhaling with anger, confusion or disinterest. An unbelievable error for a peak body but they've made a few others since then!

No time to whinge about the FFA - who cares.

If Canberra really want(ed) a team they must be ready. The Bid needs to be so good - the dear old double FA will take us.

Actually as long as we had a few dollars the FFA might have to take us at the moments as clubs continue to go belly-up. Who's next to vacate?

If Canberra could have been financial enough with a real, secure business plan then we could have really given the people of the region, the fan and investor some real confidence of the way ahead.

And of course had we been ready we could have nicked North Queensland's shirts, the odd player and of course their licence and saved the FFA Blushes.

The Wellington Phoenix and Mariners are in tough times, there may be others.

If Western Sydney ever come in - no-one wants 11 teams - Canberra now has an opportunity.

But we need something deeper more solid than the previous bid we produced. Sure it had lots of community support - worryingly the FFA thought it was the best ever bid - and yet it was, in my view, a long long way from securing our financial future over the coming years.

A big cheque would help, of course, but with or without it, Canberra has to find a solution.

A two-tiered approach much like the GWS team is possible. We could join with Wollongong - reducing the home games and pressure to get big crowds to every one of the 14 home games - and in years to come both cities could establish their own teams maybe.

Or plead for a reduced salary cap to match crowds and revenue - allowing us to build from within a budget rather than chucking money at players and trying desperately to recoup revenues from elsewhere, anywhere. We tried that model. It was called the NSL.

The opportunities are there for a Canberra A-League team, particularly given the precarious state of various licences, but have we the nous to do it differently, to do it better.

Canberra prides itself on intelligence - forward thinking - wouldn't it be great to see an improved community bid burst forth from the current bid which made great strides itself - but we need to go further, be more urgent.

We have the Socceroos game coming, the Asian Cup 2015 but where is the legacy for football. What are we doing to hitch our bid to the big guns this time, any time.

We need a plan to move the bid forward, effectively. Can we do it?

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

A:League: The ten (actually more) I want to see play

Now the A-league has just two players this year, Harry and Emmo, so it should be more interesting everyone tells me.

Well with Matthew Leckie, Marcus Flores and others having left who are the fellas who the Nearpost is particularly looking forward to seeing take to the field in Season 7:

Melbourne Victory - Of course Harry Kewell, but I'm as interested to see how the young Kiwi Marco Rojas goes. Looked very special against Australia in June - can't wait to see him progress in a strong team.

Sydney FC - Terry Antonis and Demi Petratos look a bit tasty. Again Brett Emerton adds interest, Nicky Carle is always worth the money but the two young guns should have a great season. Let's hope there are 25,000 fans each week, before we send them off to Europe in a year or two.

Melbourne Heart - A lot to like in the new team. Always playing good football. Brendan Hamill should take a step in defence and Aziz Behich is, once again, showing a young winger struggling to turn it on, can soon become a lightning quick attacking defender. Think Ashley Cole or Michael Zullo. Two young guns worth watching. And the return of Fred. Think the Heart might have one or two young Aussies step forward this season.

Perth Glory - I'm a Celtic fan from wayback so particularly interested to see Liam Miller in the playmaker role in the West. And not sure if this guy will get any game time but having watched him in the U17 World Cup I'm interested to see how Jesse Makarounas. He might be getting on but I enjoy following Travis Dodd up and down the line.

Wellington Phoenix - Will they have a team - I think not. And I can't think of one player I want to watch. Okay I'm interested in Mirjan Pavlovic and possibly Jimmy Downey but I'm not interested in Tony Lochhead.

Adelaide United - the flair under Flores may have left but I'm expecting Dario Vidosic to take the league by storm - also Iain Ramsey is always worth watching. Let's hope he takes the next step over the Dutch import Slorey. Adelaide are always great value at home on a Friday night. Can't wait!

Newcastle Jets - Well if Ben Kantarovski is going to be the player we all predict then this year he has to have a bloody big one. I'm not so sure he's going to progress to the level we thought. And really not a lot of excitement in this team with Jason Culina injured and if your idea of excitement is Labinot Haliti well good luck to yer - I'm pinning my hopes on Marco Jesic and James Virgili to get me interested.

Central Coast Mariners - surprised SBS last year but Bernie Ibini-Isei and Musti Amini should have impressive seasons. Oliver Bozanic continues to improve. At least there are a few footballers in the club these days - you know what I mean!

Brisbane Roar - Always great to watch - so the team is probably greater than any individual. A defender, Ivan Franjic I am enjoying watching. And am fascinated to see if Kofi Danning can take a leap back to professional football - and maybe spark the flame again under Ange. Big season for Kofi. Mitch Nicholl, Thomas Broich - what's not to like?

Gold Coast United - Yes they are still with us! James Brown and Adama Traore are my players to watch. Aussie Brown should have a strong year and if I'm a good judge should cement his place in the team. Miron will probably have other thoughts.

Saturday, 17 September 2011

Waiting for Harry? Interesting times in football

Waiting for Harry - not even a game on!

Harry also got 10 minutes or so on the Melbourne AFL TV footy show during the week in the middle of the AFL Finals series - despite the (usual) odd comment from the commentator who said he didn't really like or watch soccer - tv audience, clearly mad AFL fans were really pleased to see Harry.

Because most fans of sport can enjoy other codes, skilful players and characters. No brainer.

Sam Stoser, Cadel Evans, Sally Pearson, Quade Cooper, Buddy Franklin, Darren Lockyer, Harry Kewell, Lisa De Vanna, Tim Cahill - we appreciate skill in all codes, all sports.

Now if the gooses from Aussie media who still denigrate football over and over could just get over their wee bias. Imagine if when they spoke about the game they produced 4/5 interesting and/or possibly occasionally positive football article for every completely negative stereotyped ladened trash/rant they give us - football as a professional league would clearly over time have significantly less problems I suspect - and certainly more money.

After all if you can make the AFL into "the best in the world" and/or the NRL I can't see why you can't positively promote the A-League, particularly as the standard is so professional these days - much the way Fox Sports do. Critical, of course, when they have to be - just without all the fear of the game.

Murdoch hold 70% of Aussie Media - yet I reckon the journos who rant do not reflect the views of the community.

Monday, 12 September 2011

Brett Emerton? FFA to dud Canberra......AGAIN?

Local Aussie journos are wetting themselves over the upcoming Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC clash and are starting to twitter themselves into a frenzy.

They want Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell to play for their respective clubs rather than for Australia, in Canberra, against Malaysia.

Of course the Malaysia game is a walk in the park and a friendly at that - but it is four days before the World Cup clash with Oman.

Harry wouldn't be selected for Australia - in my view - Emerton is a cert; given the players' levels of match fitness come October.

So let Holger pick his best available squad - Harry will fill the stadium in Melbourne on his own.

Sure it weakens Sydney FC if Emmo doesn't show, but so what!

The Melbourne Sydney clash should sell itself. Has done in the past. Will do in the future. An Emerton v Kewell clash would be nice, but the national team is well.....the national team.

Last time the FFA sent Canberra a dud team for the game against Kuwait - surely we won't be robbed again.

Canberrans clash in Euro cracker - Lustica takes centre stage (Miron)

Two Canberrans Josip Simunic (Dinamo Zagreb) and Steven Lustica (Hadjuk Split) took to the European football stage on the weekend. First v Second - massive crowd, massive atmosphere.

Interesting Lustica was rejected by Gold Coast United at the end of last season. He's now played against Barcelona, started 3 league games for Hadjuk, including this top of the table clash..... and all in centre midfield.

Passion - check out the highlights here and what a crowd for young Aussie Lustica to get game time in.

Very early days: But Lustica in centre midfield for the Socceroos in 3 or 4 years time?

Friday, 9 September 2011

Holger over Pim? No he just has pace - more weapons.

Football fans label Coaches crap or brilliant.

Jose Mourinho used to be brilliant, now he's second he's well...less so.
Alex Ferguson is always brilliant - he always wins, whereas Neil Lennon is crap - he comes second - add in Vitaslev Lavicka - season 1 brilliant, season 2 crap.

Ange Postecoglou is now brilliant and despite losing heaps of players in Season 1 and beginning of Season 2 if he's not top of the league after three games he'll be...crap.

So Holger is brilliant and Pim was crap.

In defence of Pim -

He had no pace - I mean his team and he inherited an ageing squad with only Carl Valeri and Brett Holman (how the fans hated him) coming through.

He got us to the World Cup without Mark Viduka replacing him with Josh Kennedy while Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell, Marco Bresciano and Brett Emerton got us the goals.

And all of those guys were and are ageing - but only after the last World Cup could we focus on Youth. Why? Because we didn't have one, not one player other than Brett Holman starting to play consistently at a level worthy of matching above stars at their best.

So Holger had to change.

And he now has pace.

Take the last two games - both victories.

Brett Holman has continued his rise - he has pace. Michael Zullo broke at key points in the game against Saudi Arabia with pace from full-back and of course Matty McKay has been buzzing for a year or so now.

Robbie Kruse comes on with pace - similarly Alex Brosque.

Teams, good teams and great international teams have pace. A dying element in Pim's regime and few if any of the above mentioned players were ready to play for the Socceroos.

A little older a little wiser they now have what it takes. Or so it seems at this early stage.

When the Young guns plying their trade in Europe in increasing numbers at "higher" clubs than the previous generation start to come through we'll see the final change - maybe just in time for 2014.

Matthew Leckie, Tommy Oar, Adam Sarota all playing in good leagues - all have pace. Surely all will play regularly for Australia.

Holger will be delighted and can now mould a team around the older players in a way Pim never good - they were all old.

Pim never could - it wasn't his fault - perhaps a hangover from the crash of the old NSL. The rebirth has come, and the A-League via Europe is now producing more Socceroos - more athletes, with more skill, more pace.

We are football - Enjoy Peter FitzSimons, Beck Wilson, John Birmingham, Patrick Smith

http://youtu.be/kVo4UiEmet0

Looks good to me - but then I don't slag try to belittle the game the way the paranoid "sports" "journalists" seem to need to do.

Anyway Roy Masters, Peter FitzSimons, Rebecca Wilson, John Birmingham, Patrick Smith and tedious others (notice how old and anglo these professional critics of sport and football are - true blue - or just a co-incidence?)

When was the last time they ever wrote an opinion piece on the football, analysis of the game - without the usual footyphobic nonsense.

Or as my mate Peter FizSimons says - just a bit of fun isn't it, ha ha ha.

Same here guys, just a bit of fun enjoy the weekend.

ABC: Four Corner's Monday night

Own Goal

By Quentin McDermott and Producer Louise Negline

Updated September 8, 2011 15:43:00
"Own Goal", presented by Kerry O'Brien, goes to air on Monday 12th September at 8.30pm on ABC1. It is replayed on Tuesday 13th September at 11.35pm. It can also be seen on ABC News 24 each Saturday at 8.00pm, on ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Malaysia solution? So is Brett now free to face Harry?

Could be?

We should beat Oman with or without the star duo - so they could be given a leave pass for the Malaysia game, given us a blockbuster opener to the A-League and then still join up for the Oman game.

Socceroos always come first - but for the good of the league - with the World Cup results and the quality of the squad the way it is, maybe Australia has a Malaysia solution after all.

We can't drop Timmy Cahill - can we?

We'll need a squad to see us through to Brazil, a big squad. So no problems for all you Tim Cahill fans, he'll be there to the end.

But is Tim a certain starter in the Australian football team?

Not in my book - not anymore. Now before I get smashed by all you Timmaay fans let's take a look at my reasoning.

Josh Kennedy and Tim Cahill are not the greatest pairing in International football are they? The Thai game showed this - the two stars going for the same ball and while Cahill is great in the air it's his work outside that box that lacks the Aussie style.

Top notch skill and great passing. That's where we're heading. In Brett Holman we have something Timmy doesn't give us. Ditto Matt MacKay. And who could leave Carl Valeri or powerhouse Brett Emerton on the side as a like for like swap for Timmy?

Not me, not Holger.

Big Josh is leading the score charts in Japan and he's just got 3 in 2 for Australia and played a massive part in the other two.

And when Harry Kewell is back - who would you rather supporting the Big Josh?

Cahill is fine for Everton and a certain starter for the Socceroos when Big Josh isn't around, but even Timmy would admit he's not an out and out striker - but with Big Josh around we don't need two players who like to attack the headers, do we?

We need players who give and go with accuracy. Dart and move between the lines. Timmy can do this, but I'd argue the pace of Holman gives him the edge. The engine of McKay and Emerton secures the flanks.

Timmy will never take a holding role so where does that leave the star man?

His position in doubt?

Certainly for away games.

At home, against weaker opposition would you drop Kennedy to play Timmy? Or would you like to see them both play together again?

You might, but Holger won't.

We're more nimble, more skilled under Holger. That's when we are at our best.

Robbie Kruse is pushing for a place - he's another, fast, darting with heaps of skill. Harry over Timmy for me, especially with fast players all around.

Cahill will continue to play for Australia - many many times, but when Josh is around I just wonder if the new style of Holger will see the self-appointed Roo spokesboy left aside more often.

And he's 31 now. Not quite so fluent in the final third - other than arriving late around the goal. A great sub?

Sssssh, don't mention it to anyone just yet.

Harry arrives on Monday 6am - Just calm down!

Harry's coming home, have you heard?

And he'll be here on Monday morning around 6am. Calm down.

Why I loved the Thailand game

All the so-called experts and many fans on football forums denigrated Australia for their recent World Cup Qualifier against Thailand.

Why?

Because we allowed Thailand to score first, we didn't pass with fluency, we launched the ball high into the box too many times, or maybe because we didn't win 6-0. Maybe all four.

But as a football fan I loved that game. Loved it!

Here we are watching the Socceroos in a World Cup Qualifier three years before the real deal. I still remember the Socceroos playing two games every four years!

And suddenly I'm tense.

The Thai's have scored - the script is ruined after just 14 minutes.

For me I loved seeing my prediction on Neil Kilkenny come true - again - got that one over Fozzie, a Kilkenny supporter. I hated hearing Robbie Slater back on air for the season - depressing but the emotions stirred again. That's good.

And Brett Holman - I supported him long before the bandwagon had stopped whining about this guy - I also called Bruce Djite the new Viduka so I'm know Holger yet!

And watching A-League star Matt McKay storm into the box - I felt good.

Tense we needed goals - and not to concede again.

Cheered? I went thru the roof when Big Josh slammed it home and when the left side of the Killer B's ( I hate that Cockerill label) scored the winner I could have kissed Cockerill never mind Alex Brosque.

You see that's football, passion and fandom.

When two goals against Thailand are treated like World Cup Final winners you know you're hooked on football.

And now we've beaten Saudi Arabia - doesn't the Thai result look even better. Enjoy your day!

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Nearpost Poddie talks Socceroos, previews the Newcastle Jets and more.

Nick Cumpston, Nick Amies and Paddy Bordier talk Soccer whoo hoo Roos

And answer to the quiz question: How many Roar players or former Roar players in the Socceroos squad - it's right in the poddie just three minutes in so go for it!

We've got Aussie football covered. All the news. Socceroos and A-League, yes we have a league and all the footy news and talk. How many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Download.
or play right from your computer....

Sally Pearson inspires Primary School Soccer

"It's been great. Just seeing Sally Pearson win her Gold Medal race at the World Championships has really inspired everyone involved in Primary School Soccer this week," said young Athletics Coach Tiny Passmore.

The Primary School Soccer Tournament is on in Canberra all week and despite all the talk of FFA's revolution of Small Sided Games the girls are playing on the biggest pitch at the recently and more appropriately renamed Hawker Junior Athletics Centre.

"It's fantastic," said a local football administrator, "it's another first for Canberra, combining the Athletics trials with the PSSA Soccer tournament. To have it at the Hawker Centre...well we couldn't ask for more."

Coach Passmore has his girls working well.

"In the first half we work on sprinting. Lots of short sprinting. The other kids are normally pretty keen so we find short sprints are the go.

"In the second half we look for the cross-country runners. The gaps appear on the field and the distance runners come into their own. The Hawker Athletics Centre is fantastic, nice and smooth, a great surface and lots of huge open spaces to run into."

What about Football Federation Australia's Small Sided Games focus?

"Oh who gives a stuff about that. That's for the young soccer kids aged 6-10. We're the older end of the Primary School and we're focused on Athletics through Soccer. Look at Sally Pearson she won without going near a ball - just running and jumping in a straight line.

"The Parents want it, and the players love running so we get them on Hawker and we can really assess their pace and ability to stay the distance.

"I mean take the game we just saw. The young girl upfront for South Australia, tiny isnt she, I think she's 11. She showed a fantastic Soccer skill to turn away and beat her defender at half-way but despite getting a 5 yard sprint in and leading towards goal - the real joy for me was seeing our defender just run her down. Our girl was bigger and we've taught them how to run in straight lines and the little girls skill counts for nothing. Fantastic. That's what we want to see. Pure athleticism running down these players over 40 or 50 metres."

His observations were correct.

"They were all looking tired in the second half - but the long distance runners came into their own. I took the sprinters off in the first half. And what's really good is that we get another game today on the same pitch. Just awesome. They'll be knackered but we'll see who can run now!

"We've got the Head honcho's from the National Athletics Board in the stand and they are getting a pretty good idea who the next Cathy Freeman or Sally Pearson will be. You really couldn't ask for more from a Primary School Soccer tournament."

"Every ground in Canberra is vacant all week - big grounds, little grounds, you name it but this is the stage the men play on so for 11 and 12 year old kids to get the chance to replicate that - how good is that!"

Note: All names, characters mentioned above are pure make-believe. No human or player was hurt in the telling or enacting of this blog.

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