No Sporting Life

Things go pretty quiet for me sporting wise at this stage of the year. Horse racing has never really appealed to me even though I was brought up very close to the Caulfield Racecourse. My Grandmother even leased part of her large backyard to one of the Hoysteds, (I think) so when we went to see her, we were amazed by the size of the horses, and how small the strappers were, but that’s where the interest stopped.

Cricket leaves me a bit cold, with all this bash and bang rubbish, gaudy outfits and visual effects. The Australian Open is still a long way off, should I turn north to see what’s happening to Barnsley and the Green Bay Packers?

Barnsley are now in League One, I thought their winning ratio would improve, but alas they are floundering down in the bottom four. Hopefully it’s early in the season and I noticed they had a win in their last match so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the “Tykes”

It’s very early in the season for the Green Bay Packers, one loss and two wins, Go Packers. And the loss was against last years Super Bowl victors.

The footy season finished with a couple of great results, I can still see those elderly Footscray supporters with tears in there eyes as the club song was played after the siren. And a couple of nights ago the South Sydney Rabbitohs resplendent in crimson and myrtle won a brutal Rugby League Grand Final over Canterbury/Bankstown. There were a few tears there as well, from the supporters and the players.

I watched the AFL and the NRL Grand Finals on the telly with the sound off and the radio tuned to ABC News Radio. Roy and HG were celebrating the “Festival of the Boot Part 1 (AFL) and Part 2(NFL) Their humour had me doubled up with laughter especially the Rugby League game.

My memory goes back to when business interests decided to get rid of South Sydney in 1991. I watched as distraught Rabbitoh supporters marched through Sydney streets demanding South Sydney remain in the League. Their faces and their voices showed just how important a football club is to people.

And didn’t that remind me of how the Footscray faithful rallied around their club many years earlier, signing petitions, holding rallies and collecting money from people who in many cases could not afford to be so generous. All this,to save their beloved club.

So a bit of silverware in the Trophy Cabinet out at Footscray and another Premiership to the Rabbitohs in Redfern, their first for over forty years. Two working class suburbs full of passionate supporters, long may they survive, and I have a hope, that the Footscray Footy Club can land the big AFL one very soon, and wouldn’t that be great for footy?