Behind the battles on the track, in the pool and in the sports halls of Melbourne there is another scrap being secretly fought - the one for the Australian soul.

Sounds serious doesn't it? It is if you're a sports-mad Aussie overdosing on your drug of choice.

The authorities in the self-styled sporting capital of the world have called in the help of professional psychologists to beat off the impending cloud of depression they fear will fall on the city in the wake of the Games' mega-high.

Post-Olympic blues struck Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000.

There was an economic downturn as hotels emptied out, and the mental hangover as the drip of 24/7 sport dried up and the mundanity of the day-to-day drag returns.

It's cold turkey with a vengeance (though not to be confused with one with avian 'flu).

But as well as the morning-after the very brightly coloured night before, there's also the numb-tingling shock at the (comparative) lack of medals that's praying on sportsed-out Aussie minds.

The Commonwealth Games is a brilliant party for all of the former Empire nations - except no-one else was supposed to show up. After the major success of the Sydney Olympics six years ago, Australia were expecting something close to a clean sweep.

Unfortunately, the Home Nations forgot to read the bit about wearing kits that could be easily accessorised by silver and bronze.

And then they audaciously ripped the heart out of the Aussie swimming squad. Yes, we all know the one about Ian Thorpe having a chest infection and Grant Hackett not being around other than to feed Welsh wonder David Davies in his Gold Coast mansion and offer tips on how best to stand on top of the podium.

But do two men really make a team? Nope. Not even in synchronised swimming it seems, with the introduction of a solo event this time round.

Irony is such a delicious thing when it's thrown on to the barbie to sizzle alongside the shrimps and the snags.

Big bad Bill Sweetenham, the man accused - and cleared - of bullying the British squad into 'take it or go join someone else's country' ultimata, this time turned his palms out and offered his charges a more maternal kind of authority. Individual coaches took more responsibility, swimmers were given more of a say.

The mood relaxed, there was no more over-training-induced fatigue and no pressure. And there were plenty of Home Nations anthems to upset the Aussies.

The first step to battling those Down Under blues has already begun with talks in place to bring Sweetenham back as soon as possible.

Then it's only nine months to the Boxing Day Ashes showdown at the MCG... and counting.