I CAN give you seven thousand, six hundred and seventy-seven reasons why the Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC rivalry has lost its lustre.

This once treasured tussle, borne of a feud that has lasted damn-near 150 years, has begun to fade like so many AC/DC t-shirts pegged to the Hills Hoists of this great brown land.

Even the oft-cited though woefully unqualified Blind Freddy can see that Gold Coast United have replaced Sydney FC as our main rival in the A-League - the crowd figures this season prove it.

Nineteen thousand football-loving Queenslanders were present for that historic first match against Gold Coast in Round 1 compared with the 7,677 that made the trip to Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon. In the A-League's first year, an early season home match against Sydney FC managed to attract 23,000 fans.

In two weeks Gold Coast United will return to Brisbane for another battle in the South-East Queensland derby and I would feel entirely confident betting the proverbial sheep station that the crowd at least doubles the one Sydney drew. (Just to be clear, I am not actually making any wager and the sheep station in question is purely hypothetical anyway as are any sheep and/or sheep by-products held within its confines.)

Since I am not one to piss against the prevailing wind, I think it is time to reminisce on a rivalry that no longer rivals that which we have with Gold Coast United. So cue your favourite stereotypical, way-we-were music - I suggest ‘Turn Turn Turn' by The Birds, ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' by Green Day or ‘The Way We Were' by Barbara Streisand - and enjoy a trip down memory lane.

Best Roar Goal v Sydney FC

If you weren't one of the 37,000 at the stadium that night, then you surely saw it replayed a million times afterward. I am talking of Reinaldo's splendid third season semi-final goal. You know the one, where he takes the ball on his chest at half way then scoots down the left-wing and pops it in from the most acute of angles. Feel free to relive the elation as you read aloud the commentary while performing a terrible Simon Hill impersonation.

"Now Reinaldo. If he can keep it in play then he could be away here. Angle's a bit narrow. He's passed one challenge. Great play by Reinaldo - What a goal!!! Oh, that's magnificent! The Brazilian strikes for Queensland. Magnifico, especial, maravilloso - Reinaldo!"

The Turncoats

Football transfers, much like Gloria Estafan's love, are like a knife and hence, can cut both ways. Queensland Roar lost Alex Brosque to the blue harbour city at the end of season one and, in a separate deal, lured Andrew Packer back to our fine, river-is-brown town.

While I am a huge fan of the man known to the lads at the new Frank Burke Stand on Caxton Street as "Packer's Privilege", undoubtedly Roar's attacking malaise of the second and third seasons could have been solved by simply having retained Alex Brosque. On the up-side, if I blame the whole affair on Miron Bleiberg then it adds fire to the rivalry with Gold Coast United.

It's Now More A Fervent Dislike

He saved Sydney's skin more than once against Queensland Roar - I speak of course of "Salt-n-Pepper" Steve Corica. Immediately Roar supporters will think of the goals he scored against our beloved orange and maroon, but he created many more. I still dislike him for his above average form against my team, much like I dislike Archie "I Always Score in Brisbane" Thompson.

However my real ire is now reserved for Gold Coast United's stable of show-ponies - especially that one guy who I am quite certain is a replicant which makes me wonder whether he is still dreaming about my hypothetical sheep reference earlier.

Funniest Chant

While I obviously can't claim to have heard them all there was one that sticks in my mind from the first season. Perhaps I liked it because I am a fan of John Birmingham's cult classic He Died With A Felafel In His Hands or, perhaps it was because I have a twisted sense of humour and need immediate sensitivity training. Anyway, the winner is - "Everyone from Sydney is gay or on the hammer" to the tune of The Old Gray Mare.

I would also like to provide an honourable mention to, "Only pigs support Sydney", which was directed at our fine men and women in the police service who's uniform just so happens to be the same as that worn by Sydney FC.

And The Counter Argument

I must acknowledge for the sake of fairness, and to prove that I am a real person with real feelings just like you, that Sydney FC fans give as good as they get. The most recent and quite stinging rebuke to what Barney Stinson would call my Roarsomeness came from a good friend and Sydney FC fan. He casually dropped the following remark into an everyday and prior to that benign conversation, "You know what caused those dust storms, don't you? Brisbane Roar opened their trophy cabinet." Ouch.

So there you have it. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, doesn't it? But my memories are not all there is to the Roar versus Sydney lore. That isn't an invitation to commence a philosophical argument on the nature of memory and being, but it is an invitation to contribute your own Roar versus Sydney memories. The prize for the best story is an elated sense of self-satisfaction - so what are you waiting for?