Saturday, 20 January 2018:
There's no magic number of medals, just one clear goal for Australia's athletes at next year's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games - beat England.
At the Glasgow Games in 2014, Australia failed to finish on top of the medal tally for the first time since 1986 - a result that was then compounded by Australia's underwhelming effort at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
With this year's Commonwealth Games back on home soil and Australia preparing to field its biggest ever team, Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips knows the pressure is on to regain the top spot.
"It's going to be very tight against the English," Mr Phillips told AAP.
"We're doing what we can do to make it happen."
The Gold Coast Games will be Mr Phillips' first as CGA CEO after Perry Crosswhite's retirement from the position in 2015.
He says while it is impossible to go dollar-for-dollar with England in terms of investment in athletes, the key is being smart with the funds that are available.
Hosting events at Games venues to give Australian athletes experience on the Gold Coast is vital, he believes, as is an increased focus on giving the support networks and families of athletes access during the event.
More than 470 athletes will be selected for Australia over the coming months, with six triathletes the first to be confirmed back in November.
The leading name will be hometown hero Sally Pearson - who is gunning for a third consecutive 100m hurdles Commonwealth Games title - while the Olympic champion women's sevens rugby team, world champion netballers and marathoner Michael Shelley are also expected to push for gold.
Mr Phillips says the preparedness of the Gold Coast - the first regional city to host a Commonwealth Games - has also made a difference.
"For us, starting from a very stable platform ... (with) venues that have been well and truly in place for a long time and are tried and tested before we get to the Games, a village that looks fantastic ... if we have all those things in place it allows us to take care of those one-percenters to help the athletes perform," he said.
Next year's Games are not just about restoring national pride but mark a key point for both the Commonwealth Games concept and the Gold Coast itself.
A host is yet to be announced for the 2022 Games after Durban was stripped of the rights earlier this year, increasing the pressure for the Gold Coast event to be a success for the Commonwealth.
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Peter Beattie acknowledges the role the city has to play in the future of the event.
"There were a lot of cynics who said these Games don't work in regional cities," Mr Beattie said.
"The fact we've been able to sell a million tickets is absolutely extraordinary.
"We're pleased with where the Games are ... if you look back over the year you can see the massive amount of work that's been done and will continue to be done."
