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Is Tim Cahill second to Don Bradman?

10th November, 2015
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What is Australia's football identity? (Image: AP)
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10th November, 2015
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As the Socceroos prepare for their crucial World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, Tim Cahill is set to play an important role in Ange Postecoglou’s plans for victory.

Even at 35, Cahill remains Australia’s most potent attacking threat having scored 13 of Australia’s 31 goals from open play in the Postecoglou era, despite the enhanced attention he receives from opponents.

Cahill is undoubtedly the greatest Socceroo of all time. His contribution to Australian football is unmatched by any other. The likes of Mark Viduka, Mark Schwarzer, Robbie Slater and Lucas Neill, all Socceroos legends in their own right, simply can’t compete with Cahill’s skill, consistency or sheer numbers.

But where does Cahill rank among Australia’s sporting greats?

Among Australian sporting royalty, there is no doubt that Don Bradman sits above the rest as Australia’s greatest sportsperson. With a batting average double his nearest competitor, Bradman has a dominance over the cricket record books unlike any sportsperson in their field.

His dominance is such that the top Australian sporting achievement of the year receives The Don Award.

But is Tim Cahill second?

With 41 international goals and counting, Cahill is Australia’s highest goalscorer, more than 10 clear of his closest rival. This is despite playing the majority of his career as an attacking midfielder rather than a striker and never being a first-choice penalty taker, a phenomenal achievement.

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The Australian sporting landscape on which Cahill has made such a strong impression is dominated by the two big boys, AFL and NRL. But the fact is, no AFL player or NRL player can lay claim to the greatest in their sport’s history the way Cahill can.

The debate rages in pubs across Australia as to who the greatest Aussie rules footballer of all time is. Whether it be the skill of Leigh Matthews or the flair of Gary Ablett Sr, or the modern champions Wayne Carey and Gary Ablett Jr, it is difficult to separate.

It’s a similar story when it comes to the NRL. Johnathan Thurston’s stellar 2015 season has brought him into consideration as the greatest of all time. While he sits comfortably alongside the Immortals of the game in Wally Lewis, Clive Churchill and Andrew Johns among others, it is impossible to elevate one above the rest.

With rugby union in a similar state of congestion at the top, Cahill’s emphatic performances for Australia as a Socceroo cement him as the greatest footballer of any code in Australia.

Many would argue Cahill’s performances were not truly world class, for he cannot compete with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But make no mistake, had it been Messi who scored Cahill’s stunning left-footed volley against the Dutch, it would have undoubtedly won the FIFA Puskas Award for goal of the year and would have been lauded as one of the most spectacular World Cup goals of all time.

That superb strike against the Dutch was Cahill’s fifth in World Cup football with Brett Holman the only other Socceroo to have scored multiple World Cup goals with his two in the 2010 tournament.

Cahill’s goals came at three separate tournaments, a feat only achieved by eight other men in the tournament’s 85-year history, who all played for strong sides that went far deeper into the tournament than the Socceroos ever have. If that isn’t a world-class performance I don’t know what is.

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The fact that football is one of the few sports that Australia is yet to truly be competitive in, make Cahill’s achievements even more astounding.

While Rod Laver’s career was outstanding, worthy of high acclaim, his success came in tennis, a sport in which Australia has traditionally been a world power having won five Davis Cups, the third-most of any nation (despite a recent lack of success).

Cahill scored in six major tournaments, beginning with Australia’s first ever World Cup goal against Japan in 2006 and ending with a trademark header in the Socceroos’ triumphant 2015 Asian Cup campaign, a remarkable consistency.

When the big moment arrived, Cahill stepped up, a temperament the forever choking Greg Norman would have loved.

Cathy Freeman and Cadel Evans reached the pinnacle, both in ‘unaustralian’ sports, and when the time come to perform they excelled in a Cahill-like manner. These two legends reached the top just once, however. While an exceptional achievement in itself, Cahill’s continual excellence, seemingly improving with age, sees him exceed the gold medallist and the Tour de France champion.

Finally, Cahill is a top bloke, king of the kids. Ruthlessly competitive on the field and an incredible role model off it, perhaps the best in Australian sport.

Gracious in defeat and modest in victory, Cahill is a humble champion. Something the smoking, gambling, stump-waving, illegal-substance taking Shane Warne could never accomplish, despite being the greatest leg spinner of all time.

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Tim Cahill is a true legend of Australian sport, and the greatest Socceroo of all time. But is he the greatest after The Don?

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