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The Sydney Swans clung on to win their first Australian Football League title in 72 years with a gripping four point victory over the West Coast Eagles in the grand final today. Sydney won the season-decider 8.10 (58) to 7.12 (54), breaking the longest premiership drought in the league’s history.

Sydney dominate the first half but seemed to fade in the third quarter as West Coast lifted with three goals to set up the outstanding last quarter.

In the last quarter, Sydney kicked four successive behinds to keep West Coast in the match, but defender Leo Barry took a match saving mark in the frenetic last few seconds and his team mates mobbed him when the final siren sounded

With Essendon finishing 13th this season (8 wins, 14 losses) not alot went right for the Bombers however with a few good draft selections and/or maybe a trade or two the Dons should be premiership contenders again next season.

Kimi “Iceman” Raikkonen won a tense, rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix to keep his world title hopes alive and denying Alonso a first chance to become F1’s youngest champion. With the next round in Brazil in two weeks Alonso can clinch the title there by finishing in the top three.

Jenson Button was third followed by an outstanding performance by F1 Williams to finish our own Mark Webber in fourth (5 points) “It’s long overdue for me to have, let’s say a ‘normal’ race, and I want to give this result to the team”.

It was also a Grand Prix of team announcements: &#176 Michelin threatening to quit Formula One if teams have to use a single tire producer after 2008 more &#176 WilliamsF1 team switching from Michelin to Bridgestone commencing 2006. &#176 Toyota will also join the Bridgestone family. &#176 An agreement has been reached whereby Red Bull (not Red Bull Racing)will acquire 100 per cent of the shares in the Minardi Team by no later than November 1, 2005. The Minardi F1 Team will continue to operate with the same drivers, sponsor and personnel arrangements, for the remaining rounds.

Fernando Alonso could be crowned Formula One’s youngest champion next weekend after finishing second to Juan Pablo Montoya of McLaren in the Italian Grand Prix overnight.

Alonso, 24, stretched his championship lead over Montoya’s unlucky team mate Kimi Raikkonen, now his sole rival and fourth last night, to 27 points with four races remaining.

Renault’s Italian Giancarlo Fisichella took third place and his team are eight points clear of McLaren in the constructors standings.

Ferrari’s seven times world champion Michael Schumacher finished 10th and failed to score a point for the second race in a row.

Colombia’s Montoya, who started from pole, had to nurse his car home when one of his back tyres appeared to be wearing badly. He finished, 2.479 seconds ahead of Alonso.

Thanks to a strong drive and a good strategy, Antonio Pizzonia scored two points for the BMW Willaims Team, by finishing seventh, having started 16th on the grid. Pizzonia stood in for Nick Heidfeld, who withdrew yesterday after a crash in testing. Mark Webber was caught in an accident at the first corner, which forced him to pit for a new nose and front wing which compromised his race, finishing 14th.

Turkey, which had also hosted the Champions League Final last May, has successfully carried out another huge international sporting event, the Formula 1 seasons 14th race, the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix held at Istanbul Park. Formula One head Bernie Ecclestone….. asked how long Formula One will be in Turkey, he said: “We’re going to be here forever, don’t worry.”

Once more the Finnish national anthem rang out as Kimi Raikkonen stood on the top step of the podium after taking victory with another great performance but Alonso steals second to dampen McLaren’s day. There was good and bad news for McLaren in Istanbul

Montoya, set the fastest lap of the race but that was the only satisfaction the Colombian could draw as his team mate covered him in a head-to-head battle, and he then lost an easy second place with an error just two laps from home.

Michael Schumacher was accused of “un-sportsmanlike behaviour” by Mark Webber after they clashed during the race, and both drivers retired shortly after the incident. Webber admitted he could understand what had gone through the German’s head and said: “Sometimes even when he is in the s@#$ he doesn’t like to give or take. But that is probably why he is a good champion!” (love it!)