As intense a game as you can get – Sydney’s Colosimo

The 2009/10 A-League Grand Final was as intense as you can get according to Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo.

The defender, who took out the Joe Marston Medal for best afield, rated the clash with the Melbourne Victory up with the final match of the regular season at Sydney Football Stadium in front of 25,000 people that the Sky Blues won 2-0.

“That was as intense as the 14th February (final game of regular season),” Colosimo said after the match. “It had absolutely everything. There was respect for each other, there was hard tackling, there was a couple of jokes here and there on the pitch because that’s the way football is, there were guys kicking the ball out when someone was going down with cramp , there was absolutely everything out there as there was at the SFS that day.

“It’s testament to Melbourne and ourselves. We’ve both been the best two teams in the league this year.”

And Colosimo said it was no different playing the Grand Final in Melbourne as you are not going to play any softer due to the fact that you are away from home.

“I don’t think it makes any difference in Grand Finals, I really don’t,” he added. “We had great support and if you look at other Grand Finals in Australia, no matter what, there is one played up the road (AFL) and it doesn’t matter who’s playing in it, they can be from anywhere. You don’t see them going half-hearted or saying it was away or anything.

“Grand Finals….it’s the one. You saw after the game the Melbourne player’s faces, they put everything in into it.”

Colosimo flew to Korea the following yesterday take up a short-term deal with FC Seoul with the hope that he can push for selection for the Australian World Cup squad and although he admitted it would be hard to leave Sydney, he was comfortable with the fact he had achieved the goals he set.

"I have spoken at length about my desire to give myself every chance to make the World Cup squad and I am doing that,” Colosimo said.

“The players and coaching staff at Sydney FC have been amazing to me. We are a very close bunch and although the A-League season is now over, leaving them was extremely difficult.

“I have given everything I have for Sydney FC this season. What a year it has been. I have been injury free, we won the domestic double and I am in the Socceroos squad.

"I'm leaving on a very, very big high. I've achieved what I wanted to at Sydney FC and now it's the next chapter of my career.

“So far everything's ticked off. Minor premiership, playing every game injury-free, now a grand final. Now I've got that next dream of a World Cup."