Round 2 – St Kilda v Western Bulldogs: We are where we are, and nowhere else

Etihad Stadium, Saturday 2^nd April 7.20pm

It was some night at the Dome. It was Nick Riewoldt’s 300^th game of football. A Herculean effort. It was a night to raise money for Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, and hopefully heaps were collected. It was St Kilda’s first home game, and it was good to be back together again. And it was a thrashing at the hands of the vengeful Doggies. All those Preliminary Final losses the last times around were still fresh in the memories of the Western Bulldogs as they tore us to shreds.

What’s more, in a terrible game for the Saints, Nick Riewoldt was our best player, again. Last week we prided ourselves on a great three quarters of football against Port Adelaide. Our last quarter was terrible. (Leigh Montagna, Jack Stephens and Jack Newnes also played a good game in a terrible one.)

Uncle Bob said we just continued playing all of this game in the same last quarter of last-game form. I read somewhere this week that Nick Riewoldt commented how hard it was when we handed the ball over in our forward zone to the Bulldogs’ quick, running defensive outfit. Time after time, Saints fans and players watched helplessly as the Dogs made a meal of every mistake and I counted at least four times when we actually handballed or kicked directly to our opposition and they goaled. It doesn’t help when we are playing for the opposition.

I scraped the barrel for positives to cheer myself up from this awful game for Saints players and supporters alike. My friend Rina had made it to her first game for ages, and it was great travelling back with her. My Aunty Betty was there too. It was the end of daylight savings that night so we’d all get an extra hour to celebrate (Denise and her Doggie kingdom) or sleep to forget (Saints supporters).

Another positive was that I wouldn’t have to ever watch the game again. No replays this week for this bunny. Like the losses of 2009 and 2010, this night is burnt onto my retina and brain cells. It will be punishment enough that the players will have to review all this themselves.

The white caps with “Rooey 300” were fantastic. Being members, we were given ours for free, and we lifted them and shook them around every time Rooey did something great. I hoped that the purchase of these hats raised heaps of money, too.

Between groaning, there was some humour. “Welcome to kullaka-hood,” I say to my mob. A kullaka is a Yiddish word for a klutz or a drop kick or someone who makes a bit of a meal of things. The Saints were playing like true kullakas.

On the upside, Western Bulldogs are playing magnificent football, and it will be great to see them progress. Their defensive system is one to copy, and the speed of their attack left the crowd quiet indeed. Knowing many Doggies supporters, none of them will get ahead of themselves. Each week is a challenge, and I hope they are up to it. As Teddy Whitten would say, “Stick it up ’em” and keep going Doggies. Other than when you play the Saints, go get them.

I was already thinking heaps of my late Mum during this game. The second game where she wasn’t there for our halftime conversations. I wouldn’t get to hear, “They are so rough,” and “I had to turn it off because they were playing so bad” or “They’re not doing so well this year…” rung in my ears anyway. She may be off this mortal earth but her spirit was with us, watching this display that even her magical powers couldn’t fix.

Saints kicked us out of the game the few times they had the ball. The attempts at goals we managed were so scarce and rare. Five goals, six points for the entire night. The Doggies ended up with 13 goals, 15 points. It was ALWAYS up their end, in their hands, tackled and crashed and crushed out of ours. And they missed more than they scored, so it could have been SO much worse. They defended us to death.

A deep sadness came over me for the week. My usual routine of whipping up an Almanac article became hazardous. I couldn’t watch any footy shows or reviews, and thankfully missed most of the St Kilda talk on SEN during the week. We’d gone from slowly building up and no expectation to suddenly worse than Melbourne, Essendon and everyone else. Now everyone was saying and writing (I couldn’t help myself in the end) that St Kilda might not win a match for the year.

Now that’s an expectation adjustment I just didn’t see coming.

But like my Saints boys, I have to just get over it and go to work again. My job as a supporter is to keep the faith. All week we are being reminded of 1966 and our Premiership glory. Fifty years ago, St Kilda Football Club defied the odds and won their first. May we continue to defy odds and get another crack for a win of many games and a Premiership one day. Saturday’s game will be followed by our Celebration of 1966 and Hall of Fame, and Rina and I will be there with rings on our fingers and bells on our toes.

Regardless of how we are playing, there is nowhere else I want to be.