Recently in Sport Category

A couple of surprises this week: Who says "No, thanks", when you are asked if you would like a ticket ( and dinner) at the Australian Open Tennis? Certainly, not me.  First match of the evening will feature Rafael Nadal, ranked 2,  playing Philipp Kohlschreiber at 7pm, followed by Svetlana Kuznetzova, ranked 3,  v Angelique Kerber.

 

Living in Melbourne at this time of year is fun, some of our team managed to be only a few steps away from the second in line to the British throne last night at the tennis, and there are many other celebrities and sportspeople in town.

 

And in another unexpected, but welcome surprise: two tickets each for Gold Class Cinema have arrived on the desks of my colleagues and me.

 

A long weekend is about to start, too, which I hope will mean several long sleep ins, if the cats allow. Sometimes, they just want to get up and play. But if the morning is cool, they love to luxuriate in the bed, liking nothing better than a slumbering human to smooch up to.

 

Australia Day is the official reason for the long weekend (on Tuesday) and of course , there may have to be a lamb chop on the barbie to celebrate....(BBQ)

It has been pointed out that it is some time since I wrote in this forum, and that my last entry said that there was life after football, but there clearly isn't....as I haven't been able to bring myself to write anything at all until today.

Maybe if my team was Collingwood, it would be a bit easier to get over it, they have been in 13 losing finals apparently, not that I care about them....

It's just that the excitement of getting there was fantastic, but the disappointment is palpable, still.

I'm not used to extended heat waves in November, either...can't really come to terms with night after night being hot. Not helped by three felines cuddling up in the night.... I sincerely hope this is not a harbinger of a hot summer to come, otherwise the aforementioned felines will be in another room.

 

Somehow, I managed to survive the last quarter, and with seven minutes to go, the scores were even. I can't describe the feeling, though when Geelong scored a goal (from a trademark Chapman snap) and a point, which meant that St Kilda had to kick two goals in the remaining seconds to win: a point from the Saints, then a mark to the Cats in the forward line just before the siren and it was all over...

The feeling of desolation was not the same as the loss in 1997; the Saints last GF appearance, when they were thumped by Adelaide who had a burst of brilliant play in the third quarter to break to game apart.

This game is likely to go down as one of the great matches, a titanic struggle, and a battle of wills. Unfortunately, there has to be a winner, and a loser.

 

In the psyche of the long time Saints supporter, we never really think we can win, until the siren goes. This season we've got used to winning, but can never take it for granted, and rightfully so.

Maybe next year....

 

I think Saints have missed some opportunities they should have taken. In the Saints attacking zone, now a goal from Montagna of St Kilda and Saints in front again...

Riewoldt quiet in the first half, and starting to look dangerous....

Geelong under siege...but a point the difference in the Saints favour and I am still coping, just...

Managed to articulate a few words to the lovely N at half time, and a wonderful contest.

 

Third glass of cognac started...the game still there to be won....despite the Saints being in front, the Cats will not lie down.

I have calmed down a little bit, but still a fair way to go...and as the game restarts, tension levels rise, yet again....

A titanic struggle...umpiring errors...scores were going to be level at half time...then a free kick paid for dissension with the umpire against Geelong and Saints in front by a goal.

A goal is a goal...

 

Rain is teeming down, and what an amazing match.

 

I woke up on Thursday morning with a sore throat, feeling dreadful; and unfortunately, two days of taking it easy, sleeping a fair bit of the time has not yet beaten the virus.

The forecast for today's Grand Final is for rain, wind and hail; but somehow, if I had tickets I would still be lining up to go, even with no guarantee of shelter. The virus is unlikely to be swine flu- no aches and pains- just sore throat and really, really tired.

The mood this week has been a mix of anxiety, anticipation and time passing slowly, so much more slowly than normal. But Saturday has finally arrived...and with it the realisation that there is nothing that I can do...

The players have made it clear that their goal was to win the Premiership. Now all that remains is for the game to be played.... 

Wednesday morning, and now just three sleeps to the Grand Final. If you are not familiar with Australian sport perhaps you might think the finals fever demonstrated in Australia is a little over the top. Simply, there are only two or three events in the Australian sporting calendar which capture the imagination of the nation in quite this way: the Melbourne Cup, Rugby League Grand Final and the AFL Grand Final. In Victoria, the Rugby League doesn't cut it in the same way as AFL, but there is some enthusiasm now that we have a Melbourne based team. There is nothing that I write can capture the buzz in the air in this week of build up to the Final, but I will have a go!

 

A trip down to Geelong will demonstrate the passion of that city for their footy team, and in St Kilda there is a building wrapped in a red, white and black flag, as well as many manifestations of enthusiasm for St Kilda across the city of Melbourne. Ian (Molly) Meldrum, famous Australian music guru, and die hard Saints fan, who apparently fainted in the last few minutes of the 1966 grand final, and consequently did not hear the final siren or see the winning point scored, regularly redecorates the brick walls in front of his house in the St Kilda and Melbourne Storm (Rugby League) colours on either side of the gate. Molly Is just one of some celebrity supporters of St Kilda, including Shane Warne, Marina Prior, Eric Bana and Kate Langbroek and not forgetting Alicia Molik and Geoff Ogilvie.

 

In the long years when the Saints were a downtrodden team, who admittedly had a really good time, despite the lack of success; this year they appear much more focussed on the job at hand, realising that the end goal is not to win lots of matches during the year, but to win the big one.

 

On Friday there will be a parade of competing team players in the city, and even our work place is entering into the theme with wear your team jumper day....not that I hadn't been splashing around the red, black and white for months!

 

Saturday morning is traditional for grand final breakfasts, and the afternoon set aside for viewing the match from wherever...Only one hundred thousand people can actually go to the game. Most of the rest of us will watch on TV...

 

I guess I am going to get through the week, and the supportive emails from friends give me the general feeling that lots of people would like St Kilda to win.... Sentiment is all very well, but in the end, the performance on the ground is what will count....

 

Go Saints!

Grand final week started on Saturday evening, after the result of the Geelong Collingwood match was known, finally we knew who was going to play who, although we've known that there was every chance that the top teams would get there, it's not been unheard of for the leaders at the end of the home and away matches to miss the Grand Final. In case you've been on another planet, the competing teams are St Kilda and Geelong. Thankfully, neither of the top two teams missed out this year. Next, the speculation about who was to win the Fairest and Best award for the year, The Brownlow Medal, which was decided last night was awarded to Gary Ablett Junior, after being favourite three years in a row, this is the first time that this star of the game won. A clear winner, in a superb season, it is an absolute joy to see him play. Almost like a dancer, changing direction with seeming ease, pirouetting around the opposition players; then crowning it all with usually deadly accuracy in front of goal.  He is in the league of those other amazing players, now retired, Robert Harvey of St Kilda and James Hird of Essendon. Readers of this site might recall that last year in Harve's last game, I wept in the stands to see him go, and Hirdy remains a respected figure in the world of AFL.

 

To GAblett's credit, he has also been able to rise above the expectations of everyone in some ways exceeding the exploits of his famous father, also Gary Ablett, in winning both a Premiership in 2007 and the Brownlow in 2009.

 

But now, we can move on, after being able to comment on the often tasteful, but sometimes appalling dress sense of the wives and girlfriends of the footballers or club personnel (see The Age for photos)

 

Now the conversations are couched in terms of: was Collingwood that bad on Saturday night, or was Geelong just really, really good? Opinions on the outcome are divided, with good, logical reasons on both sides. The temptation is to listen to the messages that are favourable to your own team, and to ignore the rest!  

 

The betting favours the Cats, so apparently the bookmakers are hoping that the tipsters are wrong. Then , as always in these things there are some respected commentators who give the Saints a good chance to win, too.

 

It all remains to be seen- I just have to survive the week....