Let’s own pool

TRACEY Wickham has roused the hit-or-miss Aussie swimmers to “own our pool” by dominating England from opening night as the trigger for a home grown gold rush at the Commonwealth Games.

As ever, the straight-talking swimming great wasn’t interested in the official stance that all rivals are equal for tonight’s pulsating lift-off at the pool on the Gold Coast where Australia could start with a three-gold bang.

“Of course, the Poms are our main competition,” said Wickham, who relegated English girls to minor medals in her 400m and 800m freestyle triumphs at the 1982 edition in Brisbane. “It was less PC from the coaches in my day when all our Aussie swimmers knew we had to beat the English.

“It’s the attitude you want to see ... I own this pool, it’s our water.

“Harness that and we’ll see up-and-comers like Ariarne Titmus enjoying the pinnacle because there’s nothing like the buzz of having family and friends in the stands cheering you on at a home Games.”

Olympic champion Mack Horton (400m freestyle), the Aussie duel between teenager Titmus and Emma McKeon (200m freestyle) and Cate Campbell’s regular freestyle relay saviours are all hotly favoured to deliver gold tonight.

For Horton, it is a statement race.

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Take out the two golds of Paralympian Matt Cowdrey and no Aussie male won an in- dividual gold from 16 events in Melbourne. So much for home water ... England 6, Australia 0. Owned.

It was a chastening moment and one of the first gaping holes to appear after Australia’s world-beating swimming era of the ‘90s and early 2000s rode on the mighty strokes of Ian Thorpe and co.

Swim team head coach Jacco Verhaeren is Dutch yet he understands the arch-rival mentality from his own upbringing with Germany in that role.

“You always have an archrival and for Australians it happens to be England which to me means healthy competition to drive better performances,” Verhaeren said.

“It’s got Australia to where it is in many sports.”