2006 and 2010 send-offs were vastly different but 2014 should be another wonderful occasion

WHAT’S a goodbye worth? The send-off game should be a celebration but as the vastly different 2006 and 2010 games showed, it can sow seeds of doubt.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 25: Australian players warm up during an Australian Socceroos training session at ANZ Stadium on May 25, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

SOME goodbyes will always be easier than others. In 2006 the nation sent its pioneering Socceroos off with as effusive a farewell as anyone could hope for, a team that had - for the first time in 30 years - come of age. Greece, the European champions, obligingly played second fiddle.

Four years later, it was all a bit more convoluted - doubts and recriminations before the plane for South Africa had even taken off. New Zealand were the guests but the only hammering they took was to their legs thanks to several rather choice tackles that left Pim Verbeek fuming.

“But you know what, it was still a special night,” remembers Craig Moore who played in both send-off fixtures. “The performance wasn’t one of our finest, but the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd, ahead of a challenging time, is the biggest angle.

Josip Skoko scored a stunning goal in the farewell against Greece.

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Things got tasty against the All White.

“That game against New Zealand weas a bit like a derby and predictably spicy, but it didn’t do them any harm - they were undefeated at the World Cup. I also think in 2006 the whole country was at fever pitch, the excitement factor was through the roof but there was no expectancy.”

For Tim Cahill, a third send-off game - though the first entailed only a watching brief - has a valuable purpose for the squad members still finding their way.

“It’s special to be part of a third World Cup campaign, and nice to embrace the fans for all their support,” he said. “But everything’s about education for the youngsters, letting them know that we’re heading to the World cup to make a great account of ourselves.

“It’s exciting for me, probably the most revitalisng part of my career. The best thing is the young players want to impress, and do everything possible. [The senior players] are reminding them to treat every day like it’s their last, if we are they should too.

“This is the start of their careers, start of some big things, and being consistent and professional will take them a long way.”

Those players should carry the memory of the support they get, adds Moore, who will be in the Socceroos’ party as team mentor. “You get a chance to see what the support back here will be like while we’re away. It’s a celebration.”

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Originally published as 2006 and 2010 send-offs were vastly different but 2014 should be another wonderful occasion