Today we move onto a sporting theme, enraged by the failure of Viduka and Kewell to show up for the Australia v Venezuala friendly soccer match. Both play in the English premier league, and are considered two of the top Australian players.

Australia is a small country in terms of population, and boxes way above its weight in terms of how our country competes in the sporting world. Part of the reason for this is the passion Australian people have for sport. A club game in the AFL between traditional rivals can draw crowds of 90,000 people (though it is in Melbourne and there is sod all else to do down ther). And there is no greater sporting honour than playing for your country.

To be selected to play for your nation is a big event. The press over here has been full of stories for the last few weeks about who will replace Steve Waugh in the test cricket side. Waugh was the third test captain in a row to win the Australian of the Year Award upon retirement. A rookie rugby league player, upon finding out that the tour of England may be cancelled after 9-11, said he would "bloody well play in Afghanistan" if it meant he could play for Australia.

So it is hard for most Australian sportsfans to understand why Kewell and Viduka failed to turn up. Kewell claims he has an ankle injury, not that it stopped him from playing 83 mins for Liverpool on the weekend. Viduka is uninjured, but wants to remain with Leeds, who did just give him time off for personal issues.

At the end of the day, the club pays the player's wages. Performances for a country may get you a job at a club, but to keep getting the big dollars, you have to perform for your club. If you play for your country and get injured, the club suffers as you are not available to play. Financially, there is very little reason for established star players to play for their country in preference to their club.

When you play for your country, you are playing for pride. You are playing to give the kids at school bragging rights. Just imagine the crap we gave the Kiwis after the upset in the World Cup semi-final. Imagine how much worse it was a week later to rock up to work and have a bunch of Brits give us crap when they won the final. Imagine how quickly we reminded them of the 3-1 loss in soccer not so long ago.

Playing for a club is a job. You do it because they pay you. If they don't pay you enough, you quit and go elsewhere. If someone wants to pay you more, you quit and go play for them. But to play for your country is not about getting paid. It is about the recognition that your years of hard work and training, your sacrifices and your skill are so appreciated by your country that they would like you to represent them, to represent all those people too lazy, too lacking in skill or too unfocused.

For my mind, it's not contest. I have seen the mighty Roosters go through losing streaks while our best players are playing representative footy. I watched last year as two of our best players were so badly injured that their seasons ended 6 months early. But at the end of the day, you can't buy representative honours, and while no injury is ever 'worth it', I'd be happy to see the best Rooster's players in the green and gold rather than the red, white and blue.