So they say. Yet an allegiance often born of an accident of geography, a liking for colours or a logo or even sharing the name as a former great grabs the heart and keeps it for life.
However it’s only a game but it consumes you from March till October. Each weekend you live and die over 80 minutes as your team’s fortune unfolds. Some years it is easy as the god of sport helps out. Other years the promise of March fades quickly and the mercy killing that is the end of the season is more than welcomed.
And while the ultimate is to win the Premiership, the four weeks of September are almost unbearable at times if your team makes it. It is worse when they also carry the weight of favouritism. There is honour, even glory, in a team with nothing to lose taking the fight against expectation to their betters falling only after a mighty struggle. But the greatest sin is not to turn up at all. To falter with barely a whimper. 6 months of hopes and expectations torn apart by ineptitude created by nerves and a finals curse that extends back to 1998. This year was to be about exorcising, not exercising, the demons.
So Sunday I shall mingle and drink beer as is expected on Grand Final day. While best of luck to both sides the heart so far has not made an appearance for the game. The build up and hype all seem hollow. Even with a good mate being a Tigers supporter his enthusiasm for the weekend is hard to share (though the beers won’t be).
Still it’s only a game.
And there is always next year.
Commiserations, Shaun.
Nice writing though - silver linings etc.
Thanks Mark. I was tempted to do the whole wailing, teeth gnashing, sackcloth and ashes thing but but thought that may be overdoing it. But not by much.
Has a team ever collected the wooden spoon one year and then won the premiership the next?
If not, prepare for history to be made in ‘06 …
Can I just say I was very disappointed in Parramatta’s performance. They played like schoolboys.
It is clear the boys expected to win, leaving Hindmarsh out, the best secondrower in today’s game.
That and now I don’t know if the Wests Tigers can beat the North Queensland Cowboys again whereas I’m sure they could beat Parramatta. Even though they didn’t beat Parramatta in the competition proper. That’s one thing at least.
As a Wests Tigers fan I do not wish to see another 1988/1989 but given the Cowboys got half as far last year perhaps News Ltd have scripted it for them to win this year. Or am I being too cynical again?
Is this just the result of the salary cap doing its job and evening out the competition?
Shaun, I said the same thing to myself post 2003 and 2004, but, 2004 particularly still burnt into me well into April — in 2003 Easts had played the GF the week before in beating the Bulldogs at the SFS (ie at home, with feeling) but Penrith at least outplayed us in contrast to 2004 where the ‘Dogs simply dropped less ball in the 2nd half and managed to hang on to their three point lead (that, and I still reckon El Masri’s try a double movement). But this season has washed all that away and I’m actually a little relieved for it.
Nonetheless I’m very glad to pronounce the St.George/Illawarra Steelers the biggest finals chokers in recent history. At least Easts have the ONE premiership to remind us of our decade as front runners and our glorious former captain Freddy Fittler.
Still, I thought that after Wests rolled the Steelers that Parra would have at least woken up to the possibility around the issue of motivation after the week off, apparently they weren’t paying attention or something. St George looked rusty in attack, not clicking into that precision high gear they have (and often miss) at the crucial moment where they still could have won the game (eg 65 minute mark) whereas Parra was simply hopeless after the first 20 minutes had passed.
Rex,
Parra have choked in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2005 (2000 is not included as no-one expected them to push Brisbane in the GF qualifying game which the Eels almost won). Not sure why the Eels fail to fire but I wouldn’t be surprised is Hindmarsh is captain next year.
Vee,
The salary cap has spread talent around but with the Tigers and the Cowboys you have playes like Prince and Firman who had injury issues at previous clubs, struggled to keep their spot and now are in a Grand Final.
One postive from the Eels season is the junior talent coming through. They are not the only club realising that you need good juniors and can’t just rely on the cap moving players around. Souths have some promising local talent as well.
The beer is already in the fridge Shaun.
Since arriving in Australia all those years ago, I’ve kept two rules :
1. Support your local team
2. Support the Bunnies
There’s accident and geography to a tee!
Living in Leichhardt and Haberfield as I have for the last ten years, there’s been little joy in my life as you can imagine but this year has been, in my opinion, the best, most unpredicatable and exciting season ever with - oh please please - the happiest ending. Glad to see the back of the Dragons and feel sorry for the Eels - I don’t know what happened.
I am an unemotional man but have cried real tears for the last two weekends… Go Tigers!!!
It promises to be an entertaining game, both teams have plenty of speed and some great individual running and passing skills. Having seen and played against Benji Marshall (in Touch), it is good to see him playing almost a whole season and cutting loose.
Some guy up here in Alice has apparently taken a $700 Centrebet punt on picking both the Grand Final winners for AFL and NRL. He got the Swans, and if the Tigers can win this Sunday he looks to win, according to the local paper, a cool million. Of course he made the bet way back in the season when it could have been anyone in the finals so Centrebet were pretty comfortable with it. Now however, they are hoping the Cowboys win, big time. I hope the Tigers win actually.
That is what I am afraid of mate. If the beer is already in the fridge then there is temptation between now and Sunday! Will there be any left to drown my sorrows on GF day?
Though the Eels have teams in both the lower grades so the dank, cloud of depression may lift if they win.
You won PL
Wests Tigers World Sevens Champions 2005
Wests Tigers Major Premiers 2005
World Club Challenge 2006 next? Completing the elusive treble.
I think Wests Tigers may choose Parramatta Eels for Round 1 (again) this coming year - the GF that never was
With the football season still reasonably fresh in our memories, I thought I’d suggest the following as an appropriate revision of the theme song of a famous Melbourne-based AFL club (to the tune of “Here Come the Aussies” and the Chelsea FC song).
Blue is the colour, football is the game
We’re always losing, and it’s a crying shame
So cheer us on if you can stand the pain
‘cos Carlton, Carlton is the name
Here at the ground, whether wet or dry
You will cry, ‘cos we don’t try
Home or away, when you see us play
We just get blown away - hey!
Blue is the colour. . .