Finally, getting to the business end of this year's AFL season, and St Kilda is in the Grand Final, only the fourth appearance in the 120 or more years they have been playing in the competition.
On Friday night we went off to the Preliminary Final with our lovely neighbours, the anticipation and excitement started to build even before we left our street. First stop, to pick up another Saints Fan, C, in the next suburb. She informed us that she had barely managed to last the week out, she'd listened to all the footy commentary she could find on radio, and some on TV, too, and by Friday evening, was so stirred up she'd had to have a glass of wine and some panadeine with her dinner to calm her down! The talk in the car on the way to the ground was who was going to win, and we agreed that whoever won could put their scarf out the window, to flap away, heralding the triumphant supporters.
Thick traffic is almost always a feature of a Friday evening in Melbourne, and this one was no exception, with nearly 80,000 fans making their way to the MCG. A sea of red, white and black; and red, white and blue was before us, and we found our seats with about 15 minutes to spare before the game started.
We had some excellent seats with a great view behind the goals at the Punt Road end of the ground. The lady who sat in the row in front of us was annoyed to find that she had left her glasses at home, so all she could see was blurry shapes, but I guess she could still pick up on the electric atmosphere, and the roar of the crowd and score lines from her family, seated all around her.
It is traditional for the National Anthem to be played, and the crowd rises as one. Some people do sing the words, but many are just enthralled with the excitement of the evening, and before the anthem finishes, the roar of the crowd almost lifts the players off their feet, and before we know it play has started.
We knew the Western Bulldogs would give it their all, and they started on fire, although poor kicking and the defensive pressure of the Saints kept them to only 2 goals 5 behinds in the first quarter. While feeling very nervous, though, there was never the feeling that the Saints were out of it, because the margin was never more than 16 points, but it was a huge sigh of relief when Dal Santo scored the first goal from a snap from the right pocket, early in the second quarter, to lift the Saints and get them rolling.
Fumbling mistakes, often caused by the sheer pressure of the game, were frustrating on both sides. Individual brilliance was rare, except for the marking of Riewoldt, and intensity of Hayes, Dal Santo and Goddard for the Saints, and for the Dogs: Boyd, Cooney and Akermanis.
In the discussions that followed the match, some said that the Dogs were robbed, with some dodgy umpiring decisions and poor kicking for goal; but the key to winning is making the most of opportunities, and making sure they are in front at the final siren despite what the umpiring decisions are.
Some football purists might argue that it wasn't a good game, but may of the commentators have said that it was one of the best games they have ever seen. For the level of tension, commitment from the players to give their all, it was an absolute thriller- edge of the seat, heart thumping tension...
On the way home after the game, we decided to flutter scarves from both teams out of the window. The battle had finally been won, but it was so close and had us on the edge of our seats and biting nails for so long, that surely football was the winner, overall.
Now, there is the final week with the build up to the big day on Saturday.
Keep up to speed with my rolling emotional state on twitter: www.twitter.com/suessaints
And on the day game scores will be live on www.afl.com.au
