Any British and Irish Lions and Australia players in need of inspiration in the final moments before kick off in Saturday’s second Test need only glance up at the wall in front of them. While the dressing rooms of one of the world’s great sporting colosseums will be bedecked in the iconography of both sides as they make the Melbourne Cricket Ground their temporary home, still adorning each will be the carved wooden honours boards that list the immortal achievements of the many cricketing greats who have captured this cathedral and made it their own.
From Grimmett and O’Reilly through the Chappell brothers to Warne and McGrath, the greats have made an indelible mark on this sacred temple of Australian sport. For the Wallabies, they will hope to make their own imprint with victory a must. At 1-0 down, it is do or die for the home side as they bid to avoid being the first of the three southern hemisphere nations to be conquered in successive series by the touring Lions.
