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Saturday, June 24, 2006
Pages: Graeme the Socceroo
By John Pages
Matchpoint
Mix the words “football” and “Australia” then ask any sports aficionado “who” and you’ll receive the same response.
Graeme Mackinnon.
Now back in Australia after 14 years here, Graeme e-mailed his thoughts on the WC: “It is the childhood dream of every footballer to raise the World Cup over his head at the end of a final. I don’t know how many Filpinos have had the opportunity to get their hands on the trophy but Cebu’s Mario Ceniza is one. He and I were given that unique experience in 1996 during a coaching seminar in Brazil. What a feeling to touch the trophy.
“Previously, in Australia we were reduced to mere spectators, having to cheer our own favorites. World Cup after World Cup, we failed at the qualifying hurdle. Even when we qualified in 1974 for the first time, the belief was that the team was just there to make up the numbers. And so it turned out that way: We were eliminated after the first round without scoring a goal in three games.”
This year, Graeme says, is far different.
“The Socceroos qualified and the whole country has World Cup fever. It’s a great feeling. The media hype is fantastic and the sales of Socceroo gear is enormous.
“But with every up, there is a downside: Sleep deprivation. Here, the games are played either at 11 p.m., 3 a.m. or 5 a.m., so it means you go to work with little or no sleep or just take the day off.
“I start work at 5 a.m. so I was unable to watch the game against Croatia. Our next game against Italy is Tuesday 1 a.m...so, no problem. I will go to bed early and wake to watch before going to work.”
Who’s going to win?
“Of course, my favorite is Australia. There have been many fairytales in sport in the past years (including Greece in Euro 2004), so why can’t we be another dream-come-true?
“Brazil is not playing well at the moment but they are never out of contention. Argentina is in sparkling form and Portugal is touted as the dark horse. Only once in World Cup history has a South American team won in Europe. If the World Cup is in Europe, a European team wins and the reverse is true in South America.
“England cannot win. I doubt that Germany can either, although under coach Klinsman they are playing differently compared to the normal stereotyped German way.”
Thus far, how is the World Cup?
“Sad to say the referees are getting more publicity than they should – and for the wrong reasons. There have been many inconsistent performances by the man in the middle and, in some cases, this has had an adverse effect on the result. On the brighter side, we’ve seen some fantastic goals. Argentina has been the master so far with many quality strikes.”
I asked Graeme about Australia’s stunning win (down 1-0 after 82 minutes, Australia scored thrice) against Japan.
“The victory was a result planned by the coaching staff four weeks before the start. When the players assembled in Australia before their warm-up game against Greece, coach Guus Hiddink told them to expect a regimen of physical conditioning unlike anything before. He put them through three-hour training sessions, twice a day, to take them to a new fitness level.
“That was the X- factor. They were able to finish much stronger than Japan in the 35-degree heat. The next day, he had them back on the park for a light two-hour session. The extra conditioning is paying dividends. In their three games, the Socceroos have finished stronger and this extra work may just be what’s needed to keep the dream alive.”
Dreams.
Graeme Mackinnon is a dreamer.
When he arrived here in 1988, he dreamt that football would topple basketball as the No.1 sport. Crazy! People screamed.
Today, if you visit many of Cebu’s top private high schools, his dream has become true: Children dribble the ball not with their hands but their feet.
But Australia? World Cup champs? An impossible dream?
I wouldn’t bet against a kangaroo who plays soccer.
(john@brightacademy.edu.ph)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 24, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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