After a drab summer of sport/cricket , about as stimulating as reading your credit card bill post-Christmas, you can almost feel the anticipation start to build. The AFL season is upon us. The evidence is aplenty……
- The players involved in off-season scandals
- The players being ‘fitter, stronger, bigger, better looking, more focused than ever’.
- The ex-players making normal 30-something blokes like me incredibly envious as they land jobs offering their ‘expert analysis’.
- The coaches playing down their 2010 aspirations, only for key players to come out and say that their sides are going to ‘surprise plenty’ (Brett Deledio) or ‘make the most of their window’ (Cameron Mooney)
So with all of this in mind, these are four things which I’m looking forward to/predicting in 2010.
I’d love to know how the rest of the Almanackers feel about 2010 (in footy terms, that is).
1. REGULAR ATTENDANCE – After 2 1/years in S.A, the return to Victoria has me champing at the bit to see an abundance of footy again, rather than the eerily quiet experiences at West Waverley (AAMI Stadium). The irony is that my team, the Cats, probably will return to 2006 standards; with 2006 being the last full season I watched – I still have nightmares of the KP match against the evil West Coast Eagles… 54 points up! However, after sobbing at the ‘G ‘ in ’08, and being in Alberton in ’07, I finally saw us win a flag at the mecca in 2009, so overall I’m a happy chappy, pardon the pun.
2. THE FUTURE – Although a purist (I still miss the old VFL logo, Channel 7 promo music and club emblems), I can’t wait to see what colours West Sydney go for (green and white?) and how Gold Coast will evolve before their entrance next year. I also can’t wait to get involved in inane debates such as should there be a top 10 in 2012? Should we have two divisions, as in English Football? Should I meet my Collingwood-supporting mate at the royal in Clifton Hill or at a neutral venue instead?
3. BARRY AND BRENDAN – Will they help their respective new clubs on the path to glory? Or will they :
(a) “Expose” themselves in public and/or (b) “explode” themselves in public
… I predict the path to glory awaits; the game needs the both of them.
4. THE RULES — What will the biggest development be here? Will the goalpost rebound become more than an NAB cup concept? Will a player get reported for a ‘chicken wing’ tackle? Will a player get fined for having an unnecessary tattoos plastered on his forehead?
I’d like to see the development of Kelli Underwood as a commentator, and I’d love to see Caroline Wilson on Channel 7 Friday night Footy. Who’s with me?
Now I know that there are articles sprouting all over the place at this time of year but I couldn’t think of a better way to write my first post. The more specific stories will reveal themselves in the months ahead, with each second, quarter, game and footy show, and then there will be all the other sports, with the World Cup springing to mind… I just really wanted to write this just as the season kicks off.
All the best for 2010!
Dan
About Dan Crane
Hi , I'm Dan. I'm a Geelong, Liverpool, Sturt and Celtic FC fan with soft spots for Richmond, Chester and Leicester FC's as well. I'm an Geography, History & English teacher who adores sport but whatever you do, don't ever start me on music....
Nice one, Dan.
Impassioned, erudite, generous …
But I can’t believe you lived in Adelaide during the Cats’ three-year stint from heaven. Tell us about watching the 2007 grand final at Alberton.
Cheers for the positive comments Paul.
Watching the 07 GF from Alberton was all a bit tedious in the lead up but overall very memorable.
I was living in Alberton due to the fact that I moved back to Adelaide in April 07 because I fell in love with the woman who since Nov 2008 has been my beautiful wife (I campaigned for us to live in Melbourne and eventually won, largely due to promises that I would attend Crows games and further numerous trips to Bunnings… ;))
After trying as hard as I could to get a ticket to the big day and watching other fans from my then place of employment (power,crows, carlton etc) obtain GF tickets much to my disdain, I embraced the irony that I would be watching the big game about 500 metres from Alberton oval (I ventured there in a Geelong polo for a schnitzel in the lead up, wistful at their 2004 cup) In the lead up my father in law and other Port Adelaide locals kept reminding me in the local pubs that both the Geelong Football Club and myself would feel the full force of “port adelaide grand final football”.
I won’t remind all what happened during the big match, except that I was in an emotional and physical stupor, and celebrated the triumph waving my guernsey, hairy chested down the nature strip that runs down Port Road….somehow I survived.
As it turned out we left Alberton 2 months later and then lived for 2 years in the leafy confines of Norwood, where there were no such celebrations as I was there at the ‘G’ in a stupor in both 08(negative stupor) and 09 (100% postive glory stupor).
For the record, I was also in the Alberton club rooms with my Geelong guernsey on after their debut AFL victory against us back in 1997…gavin wanganeen was a lovely bloke and shook my hand. I really don’t mind Port and have felt for the old maggies as they go through very precarious times….South Australian football needs them.
For now,
Cheers
Dan
ps–looking forward to writing/commenting/discussing the forthcoming season with other almanackers– the Sunday papers have already humoured me greatly after a few NAB cup games.