Almanac Preliminary Final – Sydney v Collingwood: Exhausted

 

 

Allocation Exhausted. Press Next to continue. [Next]. Allocation Exhausted. Press Next to continue. [Next]. I had put the message out earlier in the day to the members of the family chat sub-group known as ‘go pies’. The two Geelong-supporting non-members had already secured their seats to their team’s preliminary at the MCG on the Friday night. My message was simple: ‘General admission tickets on sale 3.00pm. I am not committed but will have a look. If I was to go would drive leaving very very early Saturday morning. Accommodation Saturday night at friends. Room for all. Drive back Sunday. Anyone vaguely interested?’

 

I received one response in the affirmative. Oldest son Bill was in. The other two couldn’t make it. Okay. There were two of us. I would have a go.

 

Got on the Ticketek site just before deadline and without too long in the queue (not going to share my strategic secrets) was able to look for tickets. That’s when the response came though: Allocation Exhausted. Press Next to continue. [Next]. Each time I tried, the result was the same. Allocation Exhausted. Press Next to continue. [Next]. But you never know. Someone might have some tickets in their grasp and change their mind and release them. May as well keep trying for a little longer. Allocation Exhausted. Press Next to continue. [Next]. Just a few more tries and then I will just accept that I will be watching on the game on TV. Allocation Exhausted. Press Next to continue. [Next]. Then the response came through. Please check this box to acknowledge that these seats have a restricted view. [Tick]. [Continue]. I had two tickets in my grasp. And they were just $65 – well under what I thought I would have to pay. Who knows what the viewing restriction was going to amount to but surely they wouldn’t sell tickets where you couldn’t see most of the ground. Would they?

 

The planned departure time of 5:00am Saturday was agreed. Couldn’t leave earlier because we were going to the MCG Friday night to see Cats v Lions. Happy for my wife and daughter but it wasn’t much of a match. Not what we Collingwood supporters have become accustomed to this year. Game time 4:45pm. Leave 5.00am gives time to drive to Sydney, park the car somewhere and then get to the game. Friday night we adjusted plans. Let’s leave at 4:00am. Will give us more time to drive to our friends in Glebe, leave the car there and make our way to the game. Bette (an old friend from when we started uni together more than 40 years ago) and her husband Richard and their three kids and respective hangers-on were all Swans supporters and all going to the game. We liaised and planned and compared notes. Bette’s daughter Maddy booked all 14 of us into a restaurant post-game. Plans were complete. We were going to Sydney.

 

Departure time was on schedule; the drive relatively easy. We were incognito but there were many displaying their allegiances with scarves and flags. Our host Richard was actually flying into Sydney from Melbourne himself. He reported that the airport was awash with Collingwood supporters. Bill conjectured that maybe we would actually outnumber the Swans supporters at the game.

 

Bill and I made our way to the game separately from the hosts. A bus ride (free with your match day ticket) to Central Station and then a 2km walk to the ground. A stop-in at the Dove and Olive hotel en-route quickly put pay to any thought of a majority of black and white at the game. The place was awash with red and white. One beer and we left to complete the pleasant trek.

 

Into the ground and to our seats. Bay 5. Row B. Forward flank at the end of the Bradman stand directly in front of the main scoreboard. Seats were low. Could just see over the fence. Row A was left vacant.

 

 

We were lone Pies supporters until a family of four came and sat next to us to our left. The 5 year-old daughter was wearing an old Collingwood jumper which her father explained had been his to wear to the 1990 grand final. The lucky jumper?

 

The early part of the game was all Swans. First 26 points to them without a Collingwood score. A group of male Swans supporters five or six metres to our right were well lubricated, and continuing the intake, actively addressed us with each Swans’ goal. Bill and I ignored them. Until I didn’t. I told them to continue their barracking, enjoy supporting their team, but to leave us alone. ‘But it’s just banter’ asserted the lesser of the assailants. ‘It’s not banter if we are not responding’ was Bill’s very astute reply. The attacks depleted but the sensation of being outsiders persisted. It isn’t something I have experienced at games in Melbourne. I don’t think it is only because in Melbourne we always have fellow-Pies’ company. There are always opposition supporters. I certainly didn’t see anything comparable the previous week when Collingwood hosted Fremantle. It probably happens, but I haven’t witnessed it.

 

As the game tightened in the last quarter, Bill and I and our Pie-supporting neighbours became more vocal. We didn’t look right. Didn’t need to. Things had quietened considerably. They continued to be loud supporters but there was nothing directed our way.

 

Collingwood got within a goal. Could we get there? Time remaining was monitored via apps. Swans had the ball in control but tightened too early. It swept up the other end. From our low-level seats we had no idea what was happening. There is another so-called replay screen up the other end for we who cannot see the scoreboard, but I reckon there are TV screens in many houses that are bigger and clearer than that one. We could only go on crowd reactions. Then the ball was rushed through for a point. We knew the game was up. The siren sounded.

 

Supporter number two from our right came over and extended a hand. He sort of apologised. I shook his hand and wished him well supporting his team in the grand final. Bill and I departed.

 

Arriving first at the restaurant, we took our seats and ordered a couple of beers. The others took longer – they had lingered at the ground and enjoyed the celebrations. They were all happy, but gracious. Subject to the outcomes of Swan’s supporter ballots, they were hopeful of a couple of tickets to the grand final. Richard would be going. Drive down on Thursday; work remotely Friday. I explained that given he would be in Victoria and that given it was a public holiday in Victoria that day that he didn’t actually have to work. Richard wasn’t confident his boss would accept that logic. Bette had some ridiculous work-related board meeting or something that would preclude her attendance. Get your priorities right Bette. They shouted us all dinner. A generous gesture graciously accepted.

 

The drive home Sunday was incident free – other than a long queue out the door of the highly-rated Holbrook bakery. We didn’t bother stopping.

 

 

 

SYDNEY                      6.3       11.7       13.10       14.11 (95)
COLLINGWOOD         3.0        7.1         10.5        14.10 (94)

 

GOALS
Sydney: Papley 3, Franklin 2, Clarke, Heeney, McDonald, McInerney, Parker, Reid, Rowbottom, Stephens, Warner
Collingwood: Elliott, Hoskin-Elliott, McCreery 2, Bianco, Cameron, Crisp, N.Daicos, J.Daicos, Ginnivan, Mihocek, Sidebottom

 

BEST  
Sydney: Mills, Papley, Warner, Gulden, Parker, Blakey, Rowbottom
Collingwood: Crisp, Pendlebury, Moore, Sidebottom, N.Daicos, Lipinski, Quaynor

 

 

 

Post Script

Bette reported though late Sunday that Maddy won the internal sibling ballot and will be accompanying father Richard to Melbourne. Word still not through on whether they have tickets.

 

 

 

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