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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Joey Lynch

Sydney rivalry shows why derbies are the lifeblood of Australian football

Aiden Simmons of the Wanderers competes for a header with Paulo Retre of Sydney FC during the A-League Men's Elimination Final
Sydney FC and the Wanderers’ fiery rivalry highlights why confecting and nurturing these derby games remains integral to the A-Leagues. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Forget for a moment about what Sydney FC’s victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in Saturday’s elimination final means for the rivalry. First, let’s postulate on why Wanderers midfielder Miloš Ninković was frogmarched out of the Sky Blue’s dressing room by two Sydney attendants in its aftermath, hurling remonstrations as he went. The silent footage released by the A-Leagues’ media arm Keepup offers few hints, which is perfect because speculation is much more fun.

Did Sydney boss Steve Corica see his former player waltzing into his inner sanctum as an act of disrespect after their year-long war of words? Was Ninković congratulating his former teammates fine until a spiteful ex-coach needlessly escalated things? Maybe Ninković wanted to go out for a chicken parma but Corica fancied a parmi?

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