Neil Robertson’s victory over Graeme Dott to become the 2010 Betfred.com World Champion has made all of Aussie Snooker Loopy.
The final was broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports Australia for the first time and dozens of press articles in all the major papers are feeding the sport mad Aussies with what they see as their own “Fairy Tale Champion”.
Snooker is widely seen as an amateur game over in Australia “played by colourful characters in smokey snooker halls”. But the effect of Neil’s victory on snooker’s reputation is being compared with Shane Warne’s revival of leg-spin in cricket.
"If this doesn't do anything (for snooker in Australia) then I probably won't call myself Australian anymore," Neil joked.
"Australians love world champions and Olympic champions and stuff like that and it would have been a big blow if I'd have lost in the final."
But Robertson never forgot his roots. With his dressing room decked out in Aussie flags and stocked with “Tim Tams” (Australian Sweets) Neil may have been a long way from home but knew all of Australia was behind him.
See the links below from some of the Australian Press.
