The Twilight Zone

by Bill Walker

Strange things happen in the twilight zone and there are some signs that cosmic energy is again volatile, stars are aligning and the beneficiaries will be St Kilda, Richmond and the rest of the other half of the footy world in the near future.

But what are the signs and how can this be so?

For a start it is now undisputable that for the ‘Geriatric Cats’ the twilight zone has gobbled them up for this season and the energy and star alignments have an uncanny resemblance to days of yore.

Hop on board the Tardis, crank it up and ease back into September 1966. Yeah, yeah, yeah we all know about that game, and that point, but there are several other points that need consideration.

In 1966 Geelong came fourth, three years after they had won their first premiership for some time against an upstart team that had only won one flag, as they did this year. They were disappointing and needed change.

I will pause there for every one to cheer at the apparently arrogant Cats’ demise…………………………………………………………That’s enough. Can’t have too much of a good thing.

St Kilda, who were less favoured than the Mighty Magpies (who were about to start a spectacular new dynasty of grand final failures: oops, did I say that), were playing in their second grand final in a row and were the sentimental favourites. Pattern emerging?

The Saints certainly got the point and went on to win the flag. With the assistance of a gun Tasmanian centre half forward, of course. Yes those Tasmanians, you just can’t keep them down; great breeding ground.

Next year a new threat arrived from twenty four years in the jungle and started an era of five flags in thirteen years. ‘Oh we’re from Tiger land a fighting fury’ etc. Those Tigers, who beat the born again Cats for the flag, had a high leaping gun forward from the Clarence footy club in Hobart.

Courioser and courioser. Tiger fans cheer.

And of course there is a sleeper underpinning this process. An omnipresent saintly figure: the great Tasmanian, Darryl Baldock.

Just when all those grey haired relics of that morose Magpie dynasty of disappointment thought it was safe to come out into the light again the Great ‘Doc’ appears on the front page of newspapers throughout the footy playing land holding a premiership cup. To see that familiar open mouthed smile so early in the week must strike terror in their frail old hearts. Young’ns ask grandpa, but be careful. We don’t want him getting too stressed and falling off the perch before Saturday.

For those who are only engrossed in matters Melbourne the great Doc returned home in 1969 and took local north-west coast club Latrobe to four straight flags. Latrobe then had a hiatus of thirty eight years but won it for the aging Doc on Saturday.

So there we have it, St Kilda and the Tiges to get to the top this year and next. But what about the other half of the footy world, mentioned in the first paragraph, to glean benefit from the energy realignment.

They are the ones who don’t barrack for the Pies. Boom Boom!