Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i Inside Sport

Imminent expansion of the A-League will also make headlines … the fact that 18 different bid teams expressed interest highlights how many people want a slice of the action. Legendary football broadcaster Martin Tyler said recently about Riley McGree’s incredible scorpion-kick goal in last season’s A-League finals: “I hope both the goal and the broadcast enhances the perception of the A-League around the world – both were top drawer!” I couldn’t agree more. The Hyundai A-League is a fantastic competition and the way Fox Sports broadcasts football is truly world-class. I’m proud to be part of the team; the prospects for the 14th season have us all tremendously excited! The champions, Melbourne Victory, have added Japanese superstar Keisuke Honda to their squad, and the attacking midfielder is sure to entertain…

“You get there and sometimes it’s: wow, we made the grand final. So you might relax just that little bit. And that’s all you need to get beaten.” Is there a more romantic, fairy taleesque ending to a rugby league player’s career than Royce Simmons’s exit? Will there ever be? An unfashionable but loyal and reliable workhorse over the course of his 12-seasons of service between 1980-91, the Penrith Panthers’ veteran hooker had crossed for just 13 tries in 237 first grade appearances. But in his last-ever premiership game, the 1991 Winfield Cup Grand Final against the Canberra Raiders, he crossed for two. One was a bullocking effort from first-receiver, knocking over The Brick With Eyes, prop Glenn Lazarus, on the way to the tryline. For the other, he stormed…

Sydney FC unravel They’ve lost their coach Graham Arnold, their record goalscorer Bobo, their sensational playmaker Adrian Mierzejewski and even their home stadium while the SFS is razed and rebuilt. With assistant coach Steve Corica taking the hot seat and no marquee signing in sight yet, the club has it all to do to keep hold of last season’s FFA Cup and Premiership silverware. Newcastle Jets back up The Jets were the blue-collar, feel-good story of 2017-18, overcoming doubts about veteran coach Ernie Merrick, injuries to key players, limited budget and the previous season’s wooden spoon. And yet there they were, the only serious challengers to runaway Premiers Sydney, and booking a spot in the Grand Final, only to be undone by a technology fail. Can they improve on that…

You’re a 31-year-old from Denmark who has spent the past four years in Asia. Why have you decided to come to play in the A-League with Adelaide? Australia has always been a place that I’d like to live in. I have a lot of Aussie friends. For a Danish person it’s very far, so it’s not a place you just go to. Playing in Asia, I’ve watched more and more of the A-League and it’s quite strong out here. It’s a mixture of wanting to go up a higher level and also going to a new place to live. You left Europe in 2014 for Asia, playing in China, Singapore and Malaysia ... which is a bit different. Why that path? I had a moment in my life where I…

You were disappointed when the club released you in 2015. It must be huge to be back in your hometown with a two-year contract ... Yes! I said back then it would have been nice to finish my career as a one-club player in Australia. I was lucky enough that Sydney FC took me on and I had three wonderful seasons there – very successful years. It worked out quite well. In saying that, it’s great to have this opportunity to represent my home town again. Has a lot changed while you’ve been away? There’s no one really left apart from Nick Montgomery who’s on the coaching staff now. Mikey (McGlinchey) was there with me so it’s nice to have him back on board as well. All the backroom staff…

OCTOBER 20 Melbourne City (H) 28 Perth Glory (H) NOVEMBER 3 Newcastle Jets (A) 11 Central Coast (H) 25 Sydney FC (A) DECEMBER 1 Western Sydney (H) 8 Adelaide United (H) 14 Brisbane Roar (A) 22 Melbourne City (A) 28 Wellington Phoenix (H) JANUARY 5 Western Sydney (A) 9 Adelaide United (A) 12 Newcastle Jets (H) 15 Brisbane Roar (A) 20 Wellington Phoenix (H) 26 Sydney FC (H) FEBRUARY 2 Central Coast (A) 10 Perth Glory (H) 16 Wellington Phoenix (A) 23 Melbourne City (H) MARCH 2 Newcastle Jets (H) 16 Brisbane Roar (H) 30 Perth Glory (A) APRIL 6 Sydney FC (A) 14 Central Coast (H) 19 Adelaide United (A) 27 Western Sydney (A)…

Newcastle became the must-watch side of 2017-18. Shrugging off their wooden spoon blues from the year before, they transformed into the league’s second-most lethal outfit, thrilling fans with their exuberant, free-flowing attack. They’ll want to go one better this season after missing out on silverware to Sydney FC (premiership) and Melbourne Victory (Grand Final). And with a shot at the Asian Champions League in the mix, there’s even greater pressure on Merrick’s men. Game Plan Lift silverware. Expect lightning-fast counters and exciting wing play from the attack-addicted Jets. Merrick has shown flexibility when faced by injuries and suspensions and a 4-2-3-1 plays to the Hunter outfit’s strengths. A resurgent Jason Hoffman looks to have nailed down the right wing after a standout 2017-18, while young Matthew Ridenton, 22, has been…

There’s fresh optimism in Perth ahead of the new season under new coach Tony Popovic and with new CEO Tony Pignata on board too. The perennial underachievers’ failure to reach last season’s A-League finals led to Kenny Lowe’s demotion after four-and-a-half years in charge. Lowe was never able to lift the club into being genuine contenders, but Popovic brings high standards and the winning mentality that the club hasn’t had since their glory days in the National Soccer League. Popovic has also brought with him some impressive signings including Socceroos hopefuls Jason Davidson and Matt Spiranovic, and Spanish import Juande, giving Glory’s long-suffering fans reason for hope. Game Plan Popovic’s plans are not yet clear but Glory adopted a five-man backline in their pre-season friendly against Chelsea and for their…

Phoenix head into the new season with a new coach, Mark Rudan, hoping to end their miserable run of missing the finals over the past three seasons amid uncertainty over the franchise’s future with the clock on their licence counting down. Darije Kalezic’s reign, after his appointment in June last year, was disastrous, lasting barely nine months with the side only managing one win in the first 13 rounds in 2017-18, although they did manage to finish ninth after his premature exit. Following Kalezic out the door were numerous players, including top scorer Andrija Kaludjerovic along with Goran Paracki, Marco Rossi and Matija Ljujic plus All Whites midfielder Michael McGlinchey. Rudan’s wholesale changes have brought fresh optimism, though, with Steven Taylor leading the list of signings along with Polish pair…

Western Sydney had a season that went from bad to worse to nightmarish, churning through four coaches in less than a year. Tony Popovic quit on the eve of the 2017-18 campaign, caretaker Hayden Foxe didn’t have long and then new boss Josep Gombau had the most disastrous reign of all. The only way is up surely for the Wanderers. Game plan Given the widespread changes that have occureed at Wanderland and considering that Babbel has had only one proper game in charge – a disastrous 4-3 win in the FFA Cup round of 32 over the amateurs at Hellenic Athletic – it’s hard to know exactly what game-plan the former Liverpool defender will employ. In Darwin, he favoured a 4-3-3 formation, with Oriol Riera leading the line and Bruce…

1 Golf’s PGA Championship turns into a veritable testimonial for Jarrod Lyle, who died at age 36 after a long-running battle with cancer. Adam Scott almost authored one of the best stories in sport this year – one to rival Tiger Woods’ comeback – by coming close to winning it for his mate. But Brooks Koepka ruined both narratives by claiming his second major this year. 2 Glitzy Melbourne Victory signing Keisuke Honda figures he can manage Cambodia as well as play in the A-League. Honda will serve as general manager of the Cambodian national team, which is ranked 166th out of the total 211 in FIFA’s rankings. 3 From the life-isn’t-fair department: the Sydney Swans’ Alex Johnson made an inspirational return to the AFL in round 20 this season,…

For a top-order batter in first-class cricket, there would be no better opportunity to play for Australia. Fifteen years ago, you couldn’t get in. With Steve Smith, David Warner and Cam Bancroft unavailable – and playing against a rising, confident Pakistan on spin-friendly wickets at what’s effectively their “home” ground in the United Arab Emirates – Australia will be right under the pump in the upcoming two-Test series. For a start, we have no idea of our top-six. Could be anyone. Usman Khawaja? He’s never played spin well. Joe Burns? Matt Renshaw? Who knows? They could throw in a lot of guys. They could shuffle the order, get blokes that normally bat no.4 or no.5 – say, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, even Mitch Marsh – and open the…

Joel Selwood, the active leader in career votes without a medal (181), would have scored a medal here alongside his once-and-again team-mate Gary Ablett. Some revision needed here – this was the medal stripped from Jobe Watson. And while Trent Cotchin would still have won his Brownlow this year, he wouldn’t have shared it with Sam Mitchell – rather, Ablett and another polling machine, Dane Swan. However, Mitchell, who looked like he was going to end up with the most career votes without a Brownlow, would have beat Swan to the prize in 2011. The trainwreck: imagine a seven-way tie for the Chas! Ben Cousins won with only 20 votes, the lowest winning total since 1993, one ahead of Daniel Kerr. The classy, dual Norm Smith medallist had a knack…

Adelaide coach Marco Kurz heads into his second season in charge with increased expectations after last term’s fifth-place finish and following a positive off-season of recruitment. The Reds have bolstered their ranks with fringe Socceroos Craig Goodwin and Ben Halloran, as well as imports Mirko Boland, Michael Jakobsen and Ken Ilso. They have lost some talent the other way, with the de partures of central defender Ersan Gulum, midfielder Daniel Adlung, winger Johan Absalonsen and left-back Ben Garuccio leaving some big shoes to fill. Adelaide United was cursed by injuries last season, and January’s AFC Under-23s Championships hardly helped, leaving the side depleted at times, further ensuring they were one of the more inconsistent performers in 2017-18. Kurz will look to steady the ship this term and progress his men…

John Aloisi’s Roar overcame a woeful start to their 2017-18 campaign to scrape into last season’s finals, but plenty more is expected this season at Brisbane, where success is ingrained. There’s been plenty of turnover following criticism about an ageing squad, with 38-year-old marquee Massimo Maccarone leading the departures despite finishing top scorer last term with nine strikes. Veterans Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Michael Theo and Jade North have also exited. Roar have recruited well, adding the talented Stefan Mauk, Stefan Nigro and Adam Taggart from rival A-League clubs, as well as Danish midfielder Tobias Mikkelsen, while they’ll hope to shake last season’s injury woes too. Game Plan Aloisi regularly utilised a 4-2-3-1 last term, but may shift to a 4-3-3 with more speed on offer in attack, led by Taggart,…

Usain Bolt dominated Mariners talk in pre-season. The eight-time Olympic Gold-medallist has put last season’s cellar-dwellers on the global football map by agreeing to an indefinite training deal There’s no guarantee the sprint legend will even make an A-League appearance, but sponsorships alone should at least give the success-starved Mariners something to smile about. New coach Mike Mulvey no doubt has more lofty aspirations and faces a big task reversing fortunes on the park. Game Plan Stop the rot. A lot is resting on the shoulders of the coach to help the once mighty Mariners climb their way up from the bottom of the pile. But don’t expect backs-to-the-wall grunt. Mulvey coaches what he likes to watch and demands possession-based, high-tempo football. A 4-4-1-1 formation was adopted in August when…

After starting like a house on fire last season, Melbourne City suffered a dip and couldn’t find much consistency over the course of the 2017-18 season. Wunderkind Daniel Arzani gave the club some much-needed spark, but his prodigous talent has seen him advance up and overseas, as expected. Still, as ever, Melbourne City remains on the verge of fulfilling its title-winning potential. Game Plan Melbourne City coach Warren Joyce favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation for most of the year, but was unafraid to tinker where necessary, using a 5-4-1 and a 4-3-3 at times. City was extremely tough to break down, with the second-best defence in the competition, and the team also scored the fourth-most goals. But with rising superstar Arzani departing, they will need someone else to provide the X-factor…

How has the 2018-19 pre-season been for you personally? I don’t know how many I’ve done now, but it doesn’t get any shorter, no matter how many times you do it. It definitely helps when you play in the FFA Cup and you win because it gives you that short-term kind of motivation of: there’s a game with important meaningfulness to it coming up. That’s the short-term thing, it’s always a positive thing. We are travelling alright; we have a healthy squad at the moment and we’ve still got a few more spots for players to come in. It’s going alright so far. What’s the goal for City this season? You finished third and were a game from the grand final last campaign ... Our goal is to go two…

What emerged from the heartbreak of losing the 2018 decider at home to an offside goal? It’s an extreme cause for motivation. And the way we lost it at home has only rubbed salt into the wound. But we don’t want to let it overshadow how we’ve turned the club around and that we made the Grand Final. For us it’s pretty simple – we know we’ve laid the foundations to be a successful team and now we need to turn that into trophies. We moved on fairly quickly from the heartbreak of last year’s Grand Final, to be honest, and we’re ready to rock on this year and go one better. Has the coach pinpointed where you might find that extra edge? We had a great (pre-season) trip to…

You’ve returned to Australia after eight years in Europe. You’re a Melbourne boy, so why Perth? I was contemplating whether to come back to Australia or not and while the European season was finishing, I spoke to Popa (Tony Popovic) and Jacob Burns (Glory football operations manager). What they wanted to achieve this year was something that was appealing. As well, I wanted to give myself an opportunity to get back into the Socceroos. Being honest, the last two years have been up and down. I thought coming back to Australia might give me the consistency I’m looking for. The next decision was where in Australia and who wanted a left-back. I spoke to other clubs as well, but after speaking to Popa and Jacob Burns about their intentions it…

You’ve played the bulk of your career in England. Why Wellington? It was a big decision. I spoke to a lot of players who’d played out here. I came out here with Newcastle in 2014, which played a big part as well. I knew a few of the players who we played against. We saw the stadium and spent some time in Wellington. I’ve come out here with no wife or kids, so I had no baggage. It’s about concentrating on playing football. It’s a massive challenge but it’s something that whet my lips. Who did you actually speak with? I spoke to Michael Bridges, who has obviously played in the A-League. He knew the manager and the team. I had to do my homework. It was something I wanted…

OCTOBER 21 Perth Glory (A) 27 Sydney FC (A) NOVEMBER 3 Wellington Phoenix (A) 10 Brisbane Roar (H) 23 Newcastle Jets (H) DECEMBER 1 Melbourne Victory (A) 7 Central Coast (H) 15 Sydney FC (H) 26 Adelaide United (A) JANUARY 1 Melbourne City (A) 5 Melbourne Victory (H) 8 Wellington Phoenix (H) 13 Perth Glory (A) 18 Adelaide United (H) 22 Melbourne City (A) 25 Brisbane Roar (A) FEBRUARY 1 Newcastle Jets (H) TBC Central Coast (H) 16 Adelaide United (A) TBC Perth Glory (H) MARCH 8 Brisbane Roar (A) 17 Wellington Phoenix (A) 30 Melbourne City (H) APRIL 6 Newcastle Jets (A) 12 Sydney FC (H) 20 Central Coast (A) 27 Melbourne Victory (H)…

When I watch McLaughlin and van Gisbergen, I see them grabbing the cars by the scruff of the neck and chucking them around the circuit. Aside from rugby union, of course, motorsport would be next in line in New Zealand in terms of fan appeal and passion. Guys like Possum Bourne were very influential in terms of the way New Zealanders embraced car racing. As was Jim Richards, one of the best drivers of all time in this part of the world. Robbie Francevic won the touring car championship for Volvo. Greg Murphy, Paul Radisich, Craig Baird. The list goes on. Modern stars like Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin, who are currently dominating the 2018 Supercars series, began their racing days in go karts. Make no mistake, that interest…

You’re a Perth boy, 25 years old, so why leave Glory for Brisbane Roar? I wanted to work under John Aloisi. He’s one of the best strikers that Australia has had. I want to be playing regularly at a club that wants to play good football and who shares the same ideas and aspirations that I do for the upcoming season and the seasons ahead. They showed faith in me early on by trying to sign me for a long time. It was a no-brainer to join. How’s John Aloisi been to work with? He’s been unreal. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some really good coaches throughout my youth and John is one of the best. The detail he goes into with our structures and his man-management is unreal.…

OCTOBER 20 Melbourne Victory (A) 27 Central Coast (A) NOVEMBER 2 Sydney FC (H) 9 Wellington hoenix (H) 24 Brisbane Roar (A) DECEMBER 2 Newcastle Jets (H) 8 Perth Glory (A) 16 Adelaide United (A) 22 Melbourne Victory (H) JANUARY 1 Western Sydney (A) 6 Newcastle Jets (H) 11 Brisbane Roar (H) 16 Central Coast (A) 19 Perth Glory (H) 22 Western Sydney (H) 26 Wellington Phoenix (A) FEBRUARY 3 Sydney FC (A) 9 Adelaide United (H) 15 Newcastle Jets (A) 23 Melbourne Victory (A) MARCH 3 Perth Glory (H) 16 Sydney FC (A) 30 Western Sydney (A) APRIL 5 Brisbane Roar (A) 13 Adelaide United (H) 21 Wellington (A) 26 Central Coast (H)…

This season marks a sea change for Melbourne Victory. For the first time in their 13-year history, they have gone for a big-name international marquee signing in three-times World Cup Japan legend Keisuke Honda ... and their whole season could revolve around him. They’ll need the Samurai Blue to be in peak form. Having lost Besart Berisha to the J-League, Honda and veteran German defender Georg Niedermeier are the only two significant signings in a squad that looks light on depth as we go to press. Game Plan Muscat has always stuck to the tried and tested 4-2-3-1 line-up that he used 33 out of 36 times last season. He likes to play an attacking brand of football, using wingers and a number 10 that feed the central striker and…

How is the 2018-19 pre-season going for you so far? So far so good. We’ve been working hard, very hard, which is good obviously. We had a tough game in the FFA Cup round of 32, we picked up a few injuries as well. But the boys did extremely well. Perth had been back at training for two months, so it was a good result. Keeping us in the Cup means more games before the start of the season. Last season was a bit of a rollercoaster at times, but it had the perfect ending ... It couldn’t have got any better could it? Yeah and that’s football. It’s never perfect, although we would like it to be. It was definitely a very tough season. There were a million different…

New coach, new players – how have you weathered the upheaval? Look we’ve lost some very important players but we’ve signed some very good youngsters. Nothing changes for us for this season. At Sydney FC, everyone expects that you need to win trophies. That’s still our goal. You signed a new two-year deal after Steve Corica took over from Graham Arnold. You obviously have a lot of faith in him. We have an unbelievable relationship. First of all I like him as a person and I also think he’s a very good coach. Of course, we won everything with Graham Arnold and Clarkie (Andrew Clark) – they were unbelievable for us. But Stevie was five or six years assistant coach and he knows the system. Were you surprised that Adrian…

You’re in your second season in the A-League, how did you find your first season last year? What were your impressions of the competition and the club? It was good. My family is very happy to be here in Australia. I’m at a big club in Australia, it’s the only club in Australia to have won the Asian Champions League. So I’m proud to be at this club. Last season was very diÿcult for many reasons. We have the chance again to try to be better collectively and that’s football. Sometimes the season is good, sometimes it is not. But we have the chance to prove and to beat our season before. How diÿcult was it having three different head coaches during the season and adapting to all that change?…

ONE would assume that being born into football’s dynastic Rioli family would carry a significant burden for each new generation. But for Cyril Rioli, following the path previously travelled by his Norm Smith Medal-winning uncles, Maurice Rioli (for Richmond in 1982) and Michael Long (Essendon in 1993), was a journey to be embraced. Indeed, upon his recent and sudden retirement, the four-time-premiership winner with Hawthorn ended his playing days with more bragging rights than anyone in his famous family. In a new book, The Norm Smith Medallists, the man known simply as Cyril opens up about his grand final experiences, including that moment in 2015 when he became the third member of his family to be judged best afield in the decider. “Despite carrying the Rioli name, I didn’t have…