Here we are again

A couple of years ago, I sat and watched the Tigers run out onto the MCG, led by a man who many said was to be the messiah, of sorts. The bringer of good times and good fortune to Punt Road.

“Isn’t he great,” some said. “What he a boost he’ll provide,” said others.

“What’s all the hype about?” said a few.

But for the most part, those few were ignored, because for the first time in years we had hope. We had spirit and the future looked bright. We’d finished with a wooden spoon in our hands the previous year, but who cared? That didn’t matter now. The club were excited, the people even more so.

And so we sat with baited breath, as Benny and the boys ran out. We clapped our hands with glee as the words “YELLOW AND BLACK” reverberated from the Coventry end and back again and we waited for the magic to unfold.

I need not go into the details of what happened next but magic is not necessarily the word I would use to describe it. Losing to the tune of fourteen goals and having the leading man struck down with a hamstring injury was like a bad dream – one from which, you would think, we would have drawn some capacity to keep a lid on things.

But last night, as the umpire raised that ball above his head and that siren sounded and those bits of grass flew in the air as Sherrin hit turf, I thought to myself: “We’ve got this.”

We had signed Deledio until 2017. Cotchin and Martin had been compared to Judd and Murphy. Hardwicke was the new Haffey. The second coming was nigh.

It didn’t matter that Carlton were tipped to finish top four and have one of the greatest midfields in the game. It didn’t matter that the Tigers were so much younger and smaller by comparison. By some weird and foolish kind of logic, I thought we would win and win comfortably.

But the words, “just a little bit of history repeating,” seem to fit so annoyingly well. We were competitive early, we stuck some tackles, we kicked some goals and people, namely me, started to think, “Hey, these Tigers, they’re alright!”

Then the dreaded fourth quarter rolled around and suddenly we were back in that same old place, contemplating where it all went wrong.

The fact of the matter is, while we are in a much better position than we were back in 2009 – with an injured Cousins and a coach far too focused on his tan for my liking – we still have an extremely long way to go.

Carlton is a much, much better team. It’s as simple as that.

Three years after that night in 2009, with a few additional grizzly opening round clashes with Carlton to add to the mix, I think the message might finally be making it’s way into the minds of the Tiger faithful.

It has for me, anyway.

Twitter @cathdurkin

About Catherine Durkin

Catherine Durkin, who has been writing for the Almanac since her high school days, is now a reporter and presenter for Fox Sports News, based in Sydney

Comments

  1. madhammer says

    Too true, but we will keep the faith and believe that next week we will get better.

  2. Again, a few months of hype and then another season down the drain in 2 hours!

  3. A sad state of affairs indeed. But, as madhammer says, we will dust ourselves off and go again next week!

    Who are we playing again?

    Collingwood.

    ….oh rats.

  4. Richard Naco says

    … then you get Melbourne, Geelong & West Coast. Four straight easy ones.

    No wuckers CD.

  5. Michael Parker says

    ahem…..2009? Sorry to be picky

  6. Good grief, I really wasn’t thinking, was I?

    Amendments made!

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