AFL Round 20: There’s no point trying to be calm when your Bombers lead the unbeaten Saints

After the disappointment of last week’s draw with the Lions I decided to approach this week’s St Kilda game with calmness.

Thinking about our great effort against the Saints earlier in the year gave me heart and hope. There’s something called bouncing back and I was hoping last week’s loss would stir us.

Something else stirred me. During the week  Andrew Demetriou had commented about the Saints’ phenomenal season as if they had already completed it undefeated.  Well, the season wasn’t over yet and there is something called getting ahead of yourself, Andrew!

Earlier in the afternoon I’d dozed on and off while watching the Freo-Melbourne game, calmly read a book and even did some Tai-chi. I was relieved that my son had returned safely from a skiing trip to Victoria.

The weekend was virtually over . Sunday night was the time to wind down and get organised for the week. However the excitement was yet to begin.Tuning into the Bombers- Saints game via the net, what a delight it was to see that the Bombers were leading in the third quarter. They were taking it up to the Saints.

Our injury list sounded long. Fletcher was off. Could we last the distance?

The  Saints scored two valuable goals before three-quarter time then started to claw their way back in the fourth. The tension began to build. Surely the Bombers weren’t going to capitulate again.  Another injury — Ryder went down. Watson seemed to be getting endless rub-downs on the sidelines. He  willed himself to get his hands on the ball when on the ground. His efforts  on the ground were superb.

Please, young Bombers, learn from last week and don’t go into your shells.

Listening has to be more nerve-wracking than watching . You truly have to trust that the commentators are giving you an accurate picture of the scene.  The ABC crew were relaying the atmosphere brilliantly. Would the wounded Bombers hold on? What an energy-drain calling the game must have been.

The Bombers had kicked 16 goals in three quarters but couldn’t get one in the last! The Saints were scoring and we weren’t.

Monfries, who likes kicking round corners, marked  twenty metres out but didn’t have a shot! He passed to Prismall, who was further out but on a better angle. Prismall: ex-Geelong. Could he kick? At the 27-minute mark we were about to find out. He hit the post! We just couldn’t seal it.

When Riewoldt marked and the siren sounded I sat calmly as if waiting for the executioner’s axe to fall. The Saints captain could kick this to break the hearts of Bomber fans. When listening on the radio the crowd noise is the first indication of the result of a shot at goal.

“Oh no he’s missed,” came the words. I screamed.  The Bombers were victors by two points.

Had the collective thoughts of the Bomber faithful at the ground willed Nick’s shot off course?

The Bombers walked off the ground in a euphoric state and into the eight.  Fans got their money’s worth and the commentators earned theirs.

Excitement replaced calmness in my house on Sunday night.