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Is Australia's 28-year domination about to end?

Australia's status as Commonwealth Games bully boy is facing its biggest threat since the last time the Games were in Scotland.

The evidence is irrefutable.

The British nations' momentum from the London Olympics, coupled with Australia's slide, make the Glasgow Commonwealth Games England's best chance to reclaim top spot on the medals table since Edinburgh, 1986.

Of the 44 athletes who won Britain's 29 gold medals in London two years ago, 12 Olympic champions will wear England's red and white in Glasgow.

Australia has Sally Pearson, Anna Meares and the four swimmers who won the women's 4x200m freestyle final in London.

It's "almost" a home Games for England and its near full strength team is far more polished than the inexperienced outfit it took to Delhi four years ago.

"I'm not panicking, but the Australian public needs to be realistic and understand this will be a very challenging Games to have the success they take for granted and expect at a Commonwealth Games," Australian team chef de mission Steve Moneghetti said.

"We went unbelievably well in Delhi. I'm not expecting that in Scotland."

Australia has topped the medal table in all six Games since 1986, emphatically claiming 74 gold medals in Delhi, where England came third on the table with 37 gold, one behind host India.

Even in Manchester in 2002, Australia won 82 gold, 28 more than the home team.

But much has changed since then.

Even though Britain's Olympic champions have been split among their home countries and many of their medals were won in non-Commonwealth Games sports like rowing and equestrian, Moneghetti expects England to be the biggest beneficiaries of the post-London momentum.

"No one in their wildest dreams could think there won't be an ongoing success that would flow out of London for them. It's just a matter of how much," he said.

But there's a positive in Australia's hangover from its worst Olympics since 1992.

"I think it's almost the pressure's been slightly removed, now we're in a position to prove our worth again," said Moneghetti.

"I sense there's a real excitement among our athletes about what we can do. There was real disappointment out of London, but isn't it great that we're back there two years later and we have a chance to bounce back."

Australia is taking the opportunity to find some redemption seriously - sending its biggest travelling Commonwealth Games team of around 420.

Led by James Magnussen, Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell and a new generation, swimming is again likely to be Australia's biggest source of success but the two other prestige sports - athletics and cycling - will present a difficult challenge.

Australia's stated aim to top the athletics medal count will be sorely tested by England's 129-strong track and field team headed by dual Olympic champion Mo Farah and long jump gold medallist Greg Rutherford.

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Pearson is the obvious Australian standout, while the field events traditionally offer strong medal chances, but the removal of the walks from the Games program will cost Australia several medals.

Australia dominated cycling in Delhi when many of England's best stayed home, but with eight Olympic champions in Glasgow, the English will be hard to top.

Meares will again lead Australia's cyclists who include defending sprint champion Shane Perkins against England's Olympic champion Jason Kenny and the men's team pursuiters against an English team containing half the British unit which snatched gold off them in London.

And traditionally strong Australian sports like triathlon and squash are now dominated by the English.

"The more you look at it, gee, it's going to be tough," Moneghetti said.

"But don't worry, our athletes will perform."

The men's and women's hockey teams should be among the best performers and there's a host of medals to be won in gymnastics, diving, shooting and lawn bowls.

But brace yourself for a shock to the status quo.

- Australian athletes today sported the strips many of them will be wearing in Glasgow at the Diadora store in Melbourne.