Australia 0 - Italy 1

In a mere 24 hours from now I'll be heading across the park and into the MCG - well - into the queues outside the MCG awaiting entry through the likely exhaustive security checks. Understandable in the light of the number of nutters around, but still regrettable never-the-less.

I can see into the 'G from my workplace, and it's just sitting there quietly at the moment, ready to welcome the capacity crowd to the most important football game at that venue since the Iran match.

I can see into the Great Southern Stand - which itself holds about 40,000 - where I'll be sitting this time tomorrow. There's no sign of life in there at the moment, but the lights have been on these past few evenings since the Awful Grand Final a couple of weekends ago as the curators and ground-staff get the surface ready for the international, rather than merely the city-wide, spotlight.

Melbourne's been a bit wintry these last couple of weeks - unusually so despite the incredulity of those whose perceptions of Melbourne revolve around cold and wet conditions. This time of year we'd commonly expect dry bright days, but it's been a bit greyer than that for about a fortnight. It wouldn't have made things very easy for the ground-staff, but they're a very canny bunch of horticulturalists.

Tomorrow is expected to be a bit more like the norm with a dry and sunny day forecast. With the cool evening, it'd be perfect night for football.

There's to be a full moon as well, and the ground should be a picture. Over 90,000 in attendance, with us Oz-supporters in the loud majority, all looking for an Olyroo win. If that doesn't spur on our team, very little will - ever.

[and after the game....]


Written by Alan Clark