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Bridge saga comes to an end

28 February 2008 | 11:56 - SBS EXCLUSIVE: Philip Micallef

Hero ... Mark Bridge hits the winning goal in the grand final (Getty)

Newcastle Jets’ Grand Final hero Mark Bridge will put his future above sentiment and become a Sydney FC player on Monday.

Bridge, 22, should be named as Sydney’s second major signing for next season after that of Perth Glory midfielder Simon Colosimo.

The deal could be finalised on Friday after a meeting between his agent Leo Karis and Sydney.

“I’ve just won the championship with Newcastle which means Champions League football next season but Sydney is a massive club so I’m happy either way,” Bridge said.

“I have not signed anything yet but personally I think I know where I’ll be playing next season.”

“It would to hard to leave Newcastle. My time at the club has been excellent and the fans have been great and I’ve played with a terrific bunch of guys, not only as people but as talented footballers.”

“Winning the grand final, scoring the winning goal and seeing our fans go crazy was wonderful but you cannot base a decision on your future on that one day.”

Bridge said he was quite happy to stay with Newcastle but said Sydney were prepared to offer him a contract whereby he could leave the club if an offer from overseas materialised, which is something the Jets were not prepared to do.

Bridge said the goal he scored at the Cove end of the Sydney Football Stadium at the weekend was the 'highlight of my career' so far.

Even though he strained his right hamstring when he hit the winning shot and when he got muscle cramps in his calves a few minutes later he had to be replaced.

“The goal was a massive memory which I will take with me for a long time,” he said.

“It’s funny but I have not seen the replay yet. I remember picking the ball up off Tony Vidmar near the halfway mark. Alex Wilkinson was the last defender.”

“I was running at him and he put himself between goalkeeper Danny Vukovic and myself.”

“So I thought if I could curl it to the far post he would not be able to see it till the last moment.”

“ I had tried something similar in the first half. It missed the post but it came off my foot better. This time however it went in.”

Bridge said he would love to renew an old partnership with striker Alex Brosque in Sydney’s colours.

“Alex and I went to the same school at Westfields and I know him well,” Bridge said.

“Alex is a very talented player and I’ve always looked up to him. Who knows, we could score a few goals for Sydney next season.”

But before the A-League’s version four comes about Bridge has more pressing commitments for his country.

As one of coach Graham Arnold’s key players in the Olyroos side that will participate in the forthcoming Beijing Olympics, Bridge knows that there is more hard work in store in the coming months.

“I’m hoping the Olympics will be a stepping stone in my career but it’s going to be tough staying in the squad,” Bridge said.

“Arnold’s taking only 18 players and three of them will be over-age stars.”

“So it’s 15 players who are going to make it when we’ve used about 40 players in qualifying.”

“But there are lot of camps coming up and everybody will have a chance to prove they are good enough to get in.”

“There is not much club training from now on so we will have to be professional enough to do the right thing and retain our fitness.”

Bridge and his 'supersonic Jets' squad were feted by their growing legion of passionate fans in a victory parade in Newcastle on Thursday.

The irony is that some of the players who brought the first ever national football title to the Hunter may not be there next season when coach Gary van Egmond’s heroes start their defence of the title.

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