The biggest game of the A-league first round kicked off in Sydney with a crowd of 25,000. The league song, by Scribe, resonated around Aussie Stadium and made this kiwi's heart swell. League star Dwight Yorke looked a bit listless, but then he's no spring chicken. Then he pulled off Sydney's first goal, a great header from 20 metres.

"Come on Suhdney! Come on Suhdney!" the kiwis chanted.

Unfortunately Melbourne equalised (truth to tell they could easily have won), with another brilliant header and their tiny gang of supporters went wild.

It was a great start to the new league, unfortunately Queensland roared and the New Zealand Knights didn't, debuting for a 2-0 loss. At least it was an improvement on the two teams' last meeting. (Picture by Malcolm Hutchinson)