Bedlam on Baltic Avenue

BoBA 2013 ISML Predictions: Topaz Match Day 1

Odds for this match day will be flat.

ARENA 01: Konoe Subaru [Yui] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 02: Kirigaya Suguha [Kuroyukihime] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 03: [Momo Belia Deviluke] Kanzaki H. Aria by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 04: Araragi Tsukihi [Nyarlathotep] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 05: [Aoyama Nanami] Natsume Rin by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 06: [Shiina Mashiro] Yuzuriha Inori by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 07: [Kotegawa Yui] Sanka Rea by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 08: [Takanashi Rikka] Kashiwazaki Sena by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 09: Nōmi Kudryavka [Yūki Mikan] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 10: Kurasaki Fūko (Sky Raker) [Akemi Homura] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 11: [Honma Meiko] Misaki Mei by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 12: [Nibutani Shinka] Oshino Shinobu by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 13: [Makise Kurisu] Takanashi Tōka by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 14: Kirishima Shōko [Shirakiin Ririchiyo] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 15: [Yūki Asuna] Chitanda Eru by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 16: Ayano Keiko (Silica) [Tōwa Erio] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 17: [Hasegawa Kobato] Mikazuki Yozora by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 18: Araragi Karen [Roromiya Karuta] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 19: Shimizu Raimei, Olivier Mira Armstrong [Shiro, Kurama Mariko] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Under

ARENA 20: Hirasawa Ui [Yui-nyan] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 21: Shana [Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko)] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 22: [Louise Vallière] C.C. by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 23: [Fujibayashi Kyō] Iwasawa Masami by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 24: Suzumiya Haruhi [Nagato Yuki] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 25: [Aisaka Taiga] Kōsaka Kirino by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 26: [Aragaki Ayase] Nymph by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 27: [Eucliwood Hellscythe] Akiyama Mio by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 28: Sengoku Nadeko [Katsura Hinagiku] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 29: [Holo] Izumi Konata by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 30: [Last Order] Tōsaka Rin by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 31: [Saber] Kuroi Mato by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 32: Senjōgahara Hitagi [Konjiki no Yami] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 33: Illyasviel von Einzbern [Charlotte Dunois] by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 34: [Tachibana Kanade] Misaka Mikoto by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 35: [Hirasawa Yui] Sakagami Tomoyo by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 36: [Nakano Azusa] Nakamura Yuri by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

ARENA 37: [Victorique de Blois] Furukawa Nagisa by >=500
Over/Under: 9000
Over

Finally!

The overjoyed GWS Giants celebrate their win over lowly Melbourne at Skoda Stadium. Photo: Getty Images

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 5.1 9.3 12.7 19.10 (124)
MELBOURNE 4.3 5.8 9.12 12.15 (87)

GOALS Greater Western Sydney: C Ward 4 J Cameron 4 D Smith 3 J Giles 2 L Whitfield 2 A Tomlinson D Shiel T Adams T Bugg. Melbourne: D Kent 2 J Fitzpatrick 2 J Watts 2 C Pedersen J Howe J Spencer J Trengove M Clisby S Byrnes.
UMPIRES: Stuart Wenn, Ben Ryan, Jordan Bannister.
OFFICIAL CROWD: 8,308 at Skoda Stadium.

They did it. Finally.

Master coach Kevin Sheedy won seven premierships as a player and coach but, after putting his heart and soul into the expansion project into western Sydney over the past four years, the Giants' 37-point win over Melbourne on Saturday might have been as emotional as any of his title wins with Richmond and Essendon.

This was, in many respects, the Giants' 2013 grand final.

After 22 straight losses – some by crushing margins – 364 days since their last win, and looking to avoid becoming the first team since Fitzroy in 1964 to go winless for an entire season, the Giants tasted victory for just the third time since their birth.

They led by four points at the first break, before adding four goals – including a buzzer-beater by ruckman Jonathan Giles – to the Demons' one in the second quarter, to hold a 19-point half-time lead.

Melbourne won the third term, leaving the gap at 13 points and the game seemed set to be a cliffhanger. However, the Giants, determined not to allow these opponents repeat their 12-goal final-term barrage last time they met, sealed the historic win with a stirring seven-goal final quarter.

In front of 8308 fans at Skoda Stadium, star forward Jeremy Cameron kicked four goals to take him within sight of the Coleman Medal and co-captain Callan Ward also kicked four in a best-on-ground performance. Devon Smith kicked three goals, all in the crucial final quarter. No.1 draft pick Lachie Whitfield was outstanding in midfield, and Adam Treloar and Tom Scully were among the highest possession getters. When the final siren went, hands were raised in triumph and a rarely heard team song was played.

The big picture view is that this was a glimpse into a bright future.

On the day, however, it was about the culmination of hundreds of hours of hard work with so little to celebrate.

Melbourne were thumped by 122 points last round and lost key forward Chris Dawes and defender James Frawley to injury, with the gain of defender Colin Garland.

GWS had won three of their past four opening terms and, with three snapped goals at the end of a tight first quarter, led by four.

Jack Fitzpatrick had opened Melbourne's account before midfield pressure earned GWS's responses, through Adam Tomlinson and Cameron.

Jack Watts scored twice midway through the term and Jeremy Howe showed why he is Melbourne's leading goal scorer, slotting one through from the right wing to put the Demons ahead by 13.

But the Giants launched an assault with Taylor Adams, Ward and Giles potting three straight in the final five minutes. Melbourne tried to slow the Giants in the second term but it didn't stem the flow. Curtly Hampton sold a dummy to Jack Trengove and dished off to Whitfield for their first. Ward finished off another length-of-the-field move, before Cameron converted a free kick to make it six in a row for the home side.

Jake Spencer's free kick allowed Melbourne to stop the rot, though it had been an alarming 27 minutes between majors for the Dees. The Giants dealt another late blow when Giles heaved a successful 50-metre slug on the siren.

A three-goal effort to Smith, on top of Cameron's third and fourth – a step, swivel and snap from 55 metres – put the Giants ahead by five goals, before Ward added two late ones to extend the winning margin to 37 points.

GWS Giants First Win of Season Round 19 2013

#CosmosReboot

The New York Cosmos are making a welcome return to the soccer scene as they take their place in the North American Soccer League for the 2013 fall season.

Giovanni Savarese, who had a brief spell with Swansea City, is head coach of a youthful squad which will be led on the field by former Villarreal and Spain international, Marcos Senna.

Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto were linchpins in that successful era and to continue the tradition, Pele is now honorary president and Carlos Alberto, along with the larger than life goalkeeper of that team Shep Messing, have roles as international ambassadors.The 37-year-old will bring a wealth of experience to a side which is looking to recapture the glory days of the late 70’s and early 80’s - when the Cosmos dominated the original NASL.

EricCantona is director of soccer, and together with former United States international Cobi Jones as his deputy, the backroom and off field staff are well positioned for a sustained challenge for the foreseeable future.

Obviously, the New York soccer scene has changed considerably since 1985 when the Cosmos last competed competitively.

The MLS was founded in 1993 as part of the successful 1994 world cup bid, and kicked off in 1996 riding on the back of that very world cup, with 10 teams involved.

Today, as soccer continually tries to increase its popularity across the US, New York City FC will become the leagues 20th team when they take up their franchise in the 2015 season. This will mean three professional soccer sides in the New York area, with the two new franchises joining MLS founder club the New York Red Bulls.

The Cosmos decision to not go for the 20th spot in the MLS is an interesting one. It may be claimed that New York City FC, with the backing of the New York Yankees and Manchester City was the only option for that last franchise place, but the structure of the MLS with its salary cap and all teams centrally owned by the league is a far more restrictive model than theNASL.

Of course, there is no promotion between the MSL and the NASL, so it is because of playing standards, budgets and television rights that the NASL is seen as the second tier competition.

The Cosmos could threaten that. They can again bring in marquee signings, not just under the Designated Player Rule, but as marquee signings in their own right, and as many as they want.

The blueprint is there from the way they operated pre-1985 and if they compete for the same signings which other well funded clubs across the globe are going for, there is no reason why they can not pull off a coup and sign some major stars

After all, Radamel Falcao has signed for Monaco in what is essentially seen as a weak league, so if the Cosmos can sell players of his ilk the vision for the club and the game in the States as Monaco have done to Falcao, who is to say which players could be plying their trade in the NASL in the years to come.

A knock on effect is also that the clubs in the NASL at the moment will have to invest to compete. If The Cosmos run away with the league as they did in the 80’s, where their talent and financial clout was too much for the other teams, and the league folded, what then? A repeat scenario would be in no ones interests so other clubs would be forced to compete with the Cosmos to give the NASL credibility

Whatever the end game, the Cosmos once again being part of the soccer landscape in America can only be a good thing. They are a club which has that glamour and star quality about them, and a business model to not only survive but thrive. When the season kicks off next weekend, we will see if they have what it takes to succeed on the pitch too.