Saturday, September 29, 2007

[victory at last] 44 year wait for my little team

Cats break 44-year drought

Geelong has smashed a 19-year record to claim the AFL Grand Final's greatest winning margin, steamrolling Port Adelaide at the MCG today.

The Age put it this way:

Geelong has put an end to more than 40 years of heartache and despair with the most comprehensive performance imaginable to destroy Port Adelaide

What makes it sweet for me is the following:
1. Port Adelaide are a power team in Australia. That's why they're called The Power. They won the flag a few years back as well. Geelong is from a small town and though they play a pleasing brand of fast flowing football, they've been considered lightweights at the heavy end of the season when the crunch really comes - boys in the company of men, not unlike me. Hence they've only won in 1952, 1963 and now finally today.

2. My family moved to Australia from Britain and there's a large community of Yorkshire people in Geelong. Therefore this is very much a town and family victory and I was as nervous as a kitten during the three hours the match ran for. This was my Papa's victory and I wish he'd been alive to see it.

3. They deserved it. They've been the leading team all season and it took a team like Port to challenge them. Port have been baiting Geelong all week about how weak they are, how over the hill their ruckman [and what a send off for the old guy] and lots of Port Adelaide tricks.

4. There is great stick between Victoria and South Australia, very bad blood in fact and that's why I've been quiet with Jocko on this point. However, it seems I needn't have been because the only team they hate more than a Victorian team is Port Adelaide. Geelong perhaps is acceptable because it's halfway to Adelaide, geographically.

Jocko explains better here.


5. This was achieved without a "Foreign Legion", the criticism of their last victory. In other words, they were accused last time of "buying the flag". Not this time. Many of these players are not far from the end of their careers as weel, having been up a few years now. It was almost like a last chance.
Now, if only Wimbledon could rise, phoenix like from the Ashes and a new Fash and Vinny could strut their stuff up and down England - ah, that would make an ageing man cry.

4 comments:

  1. Patience is a tree the roots of which taste bitter; its fruits taste yet the sweeter. :)

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  2. Victory is even sweeter after this length of time. As the Boston Red Sox waited 86 years between wins in the world series.
    Congratulations

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  3. Oh, I had to read two-thirds of the way down to find out what game you are talking about! Happy it makes you happy, sweetie.

    ReplyDelete

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