AFL Round 7 – Hawthorn v St Kilda: Remember This….

I will always remember the day I went to the MCG with only my Uncle Bob. With others working or unwell, it was just us two, and a smattering of other Sainters going to see what the day would bring. I don’t think it’s ever been just the two of us since I was a kid.

I will always remember the joy of Saturday afternoon footy.

I will always remember the warm sun playing with us, with the few drops of rain that blew into our otherwise covered 4th level seats, and even though it rained quite heavily, it didn’t rain on us.

I will always remember how beautiful the MCG looks in the afternoon light, such an awesome stadium with so much history.

I will always remember Riewoldt all alone in our half of the ground, being manned up and helpless against the better team.

I will always remember all of the goals, the storm of goals, twenty-seven of them, the happy Hawks as they sat back and enjoyed their boys wiping the floor with ours. They had 11 goal kickers, that’s half their team, and Schoenmakers, Roughhead, Breust and Gunston got 4 each, Puopolo, Hale, Burgoyne all got two, and Hill, Hartung and Lewis joined the party with one each. The crowd loved it. It was Hawk Heaven.

I will always remember their happiness, as it reminded me of the 2009 year and our pure joy at watching our team be the dominant force for most of the year.

I will always remember the stoicism and patience that is needed to sit through such a drubbing.

I will always remember the first game of Weller and Acres for the Saints and how much they tried, against a dominant leading team, they had a crack. As did Lenny Hayes, Longer, Newnes, Simpkin, Webster, and Steven. They must have known they’d be crushed today, and they turned up to work anyway.

I will always remember knowing that we would be crushed and turning up anyway. I will always remember how teams like Geelong, Hawthorn, and Collingwood have remained competitive and top teams while getting their premierships, while we have slid down the ladder and slid down in form and membership and confidence.

I will always remember all the Hawthorn cheer squad waving enormous flags all around the boundary line, the life of winners is so different. All these grown men celebrating their champions. The Saints had small children lined up with flags. It was a funny juxtaposition.

I will always remember the Blue Ribbon Cup played between the Hawks and the Saints, in memory of the two fallen officers Silk and Miller, who were killed in the line of duty in August 1998.

I will always remember how bloody fantastic Hawthorn played, their skill level, their teamwork, their understanding of the game and the positioning of each player, it was a lesson on how the game needs to be played, and I hope, under all the weight of disappointment, the Saints boys learn from one of the best groups of footballers running around on the fields today.

I will always remember the biggest game of “keeping’s off” I have ever seen.

I will always remember what the 774 team said of Hawks “support footy”, how they backed each other up to the hilt and skills of marking, kicking, passing and keeping possession.

I will always remember that today I had a day out with my healthiest, youngest, craziest uncle, away from my mum’s and other uncles health issues, away from loss and sadness, away from supporting others and responsibilities and hard work. The flogging at the footy seemed easy compared to life around me at present.

I will always remember 1966 and smile at the one that didn’t get away.

 

Yvette Wroby

Saturday 3rd May 2014