Crossword Genius

Suffer after knockout in the manner of iconic Australian? (5,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

koala bear

'iconic australian?' is the definition.
(iconic Australian animal)

'suffer after knockout in the manner of' is the wordplay.
'suffer' becomes 'bear' (synonyms).
'after' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'knockout' becomes 'KO' (abbreviation).
'in the manner of' becomes 'a la' ('a la' means 'in the manner of', as in 'a la mode').
'ko'+'ala'='koala'
'bear' after 'koala' is 'KOALA BEAR'.

(Other definitions for koala bear that I've seen before include "Australian resident" , "Australian arboreal marsupial" , "Eucalyptus eater" , "Aussie tree-hugger" , "Creature" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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