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Sporting Mind - August 2006

Well it’s now official, after 24 hours of speculation and here say, Dwight Yorke is in fact on the move from Sydney FC.

After talks with Coca-Cola Championship club Sunderland, Yorke was transferred for an undisclosed fee during the final stages of the transfer window. Moving to the Black Cats immediately, Yorke will be under the management of Roy Keane, a former team mate from Manchester United.

With Yorke gone, a gap has appeared in not only the Sydney FC’s squad, but also the entire A-League. Despite your thoughts on the Sydney squad, no one could deny that Yorke brought some style and flair into the competition from the start, and with such a star in the midst of it all, he certainly made the first season on the updated season a lot more interesting.


But despite what he has done for the league, obviously Sydney FC will immediately feel the pinch of his absence immediately. Regardless of the match and the stakes, Yorke always gave 110%, left everything on the field, and pretty much was a walking sporting cliché.

But with his name no longer on the line-up, Sydney might struggle for a little while before they can fill the spot. This is not to say that Sydney does not have an in-depth squad, because they do have a few of the best players in the league (just look at how many played in the recent Asian Cup qualifier for Australia), but its just that such a huge player like Yorke will ultimately upset the side.

This is something that all codes have to deal with, in the NRL, Andrew Johns cannot play due to injury or suspension, and the Newcastle team can fall apart. Take Judd or Ricciuto out of their squads in the AFL, and nine times out of ten they will fail expectations. It’s not due to the side being weak, its just that they are such stellar players that any team would not perform at their best with such players missing.


And of course the pressure would already be mounting for Sydney FC. Not only did they win the championship last season, but ever since the league started in 2005, they were always considered one of the frontrunners of the competition. Now with Yorke out of the picture, the club will definitely have to push forward to prove to all their critics that they were not a one man club.

But now Sydney must start looking for their next marquee player, and in all honesty I don’t believe they will be able to find someone with as much talent as Yorke who will be willing to play down here. Dwight Yorke was essentially a diamond in the rough, and the playing conditions down here were perfectly tailored for his form. It is a huge disappointment that a player of that calibre has to leave our uprising league, but it’s the way of the game, and if any teams call for your services back in the heart of soccer (England), you would have to be a fool to not answer. I think Yorke was extremely smart to take up the role, and I think that whilst he will be missed in the A-League, he can return to the motherland with a sense of confidence, all geared up to set fire to the competition.

Until next time, sports minds.
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The Road To The Finals - AFL

August 30th 2006 12:46
Yesterday we looked at how the NRL finals will pan out, and even though the competition is shaping up to be a fierce contest, it is absolutely nothing to what the AFL is gearing up for come September.

Last year I commented that the 2005 season was one of the closest the AFL has seen in its history, but somehow in 2006 they were able turn it up even more. With only eight games left in the regular season, the turns and twists that are occurring over the competition leaves us with no real clue who is the forerunner of the contest


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The Road To The Finals - NRL

August 29th 2006 14:08
Well with only one round to go in the NRL and AFL regular seasons, we are about to embark on the best part of all the calendar year, the finals.

I think we can freely admit that 2006 has been one of the most exciting seasons in both codes. Former champions went down, new teams made their mark, and most importantly the competition was fair enough that it made tipping for the most part a nightmare!

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Sporting Mind Weekend Wrap

August 27th 2006 13:24
For everyone who did not, or could not see all the sporting action this weekend, let sporting mind guide you through.

In the NRL, the competition has fired up not for the finals (as all eight teams are clearly in), but rather who of four teams get two of the coveted Top Four positions. Manly, Newcastle, St. George and Brisbane all won on the weekend to stay in contention, and will be watching the results of Round 26 for the final ladder change.

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Hair Definitely Out Of Place

August 27th 2006 08:06
Well, now we have gotten the obvious cliché’ headline out of the way, let’s talk about how cricket umpire Darrell Hair has presented himself over the past week.

First things first, I believe that he was completely in the right when it came to the scandal during the fourth test. With his experience and knowledge of the game, he thought that the Pakistan team were in fact ball-tampering. Whether they in fact were or were not cheating is irrelevant. Hair still consulted in point with fellow umpire Doctrove, and offered the English batsman a new ball if needed before deciding that Pakistan should be penalised five runs.

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A League, Version 2?

August 25th 2006 11:25
Well the Hyundai A-League is upon us again. After how it was received with open arms last season, it could not have received a better start for the season. During their break, not only did Australia get into the biggest stage of soccer, the World Cup, after 32 years of trying, they were also able to make a huge impact on the global stage, and bar from a whistle and penalty shot, could have made it further against the best of the world.

However, that was then and this is now. The domestic league is starting up again, and already the marketing campaign has gone into full swing. The big names are back, and this time this will definitely have a bigger audience base to impress, not to mention a whole nation just waiting to be brought around fully on this notion of soccer (the use of the term of ‘football’ that everyone is using is to be debated another time).

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Davis To Fly Free With Swans

August 24th 2006 12:29
It was announced today that Nick Davis, after so many weeks on the outer, was placed back into the Sydney’s Swans side when they face up against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night. It has been a wise move on Roos’ behalf, and personally I think that it is not a moment too soon that Davis is able to join the fold that he was an integral part of in 2005.

No one can deny that Nick Davis was a key cog in the Swan’s premiership. With only moment remaining on the clock in the semi final against Geelong, Davis rose head and shoulders above the competition and in the space of mere minutes, he was able to lead his team towards the rest of the finals, and ultimately towards the Premiership Cup.

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Tip For The NRL, Back The Eels

August 21st 2006 12:55
When a rags to riches story comes up like this, it is not hard to take notice. The Parramatta Eels, who many considered not even to make the finals ten rounds ago, are now in the top four.

Playing against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday, the Eels slipped into fourth place on the ladder after they blasted the Roosters away, winning 40-26. This makes Parramatta now a strong contender in the finals (which bar any major upsets in the next two rounds, they are now certain to make), and in fact gives them nine successive wins in the row.

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What Is A Sporting Mind?

August 21st 2006 12:46
Two weeks ago I was flicking through the channels, when I landed on ESPN. Instead of a baseball, football or one of the usual sports they cover, they were showing a match from the American league of lacrosse. Now lacrosse is a game I have never seen, but in the end I was amazed that I watched the entire match.

It was a great game, with the lead changing between the two sides constantly, and the action on the field aplenty. After watching the game and scanning through the guide to see if there was another programmed to be on, I realised that I suffer from a ‘sporting mind’.

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