Round 5 – The Middle Distance

by Haiku Bob

 

 

 

round 5 – the middle distance

 

 

 

Anzac Day defeat staring into the middle distance

 

 

 

 

cold snap

the empty space

where our ruckman used to be

 

 

 

 

swirling breeze

Pendlebury splits the pack

with a fake

 

 

 

 

sudden downpour

interrupting

our flow

 

 

 

 

thunderheads roll in

one kick then another

slewed into the stands

 

 

 

 

rain-heavy sky

one more goal

and we’re home…

 

 

 

 

almost nightfall

a boy kicks

the winning goal

 

 

 

 

home from a crushing loss taking out the garbage

 

 

 

 

waking from a dream thud of the morning paper

About rob scott

Rob Scott (aka Haiku Bob) is a peripatetic haiku poet who calls Victoria Park home. He writes haiku in between teaching whisky and drinking English, or something like that.

Comments

  1. Phil Dimitriadis says

    Bob,

    when you say “where our ruckman used to be” do you mean Len Thompson,Peter Moore or Damian Monkhorst? Just wondering.

  2. Phil,

    All of the above. We’ve been blessed with ruckmen in my lifetime – Thommo’s ankle guards are my first memory of the game. Until the current incumbent. Not his fault. He’s as slender as a ghost gum. And as pale. To me, he’s always been the world’s tallest half-forward flanker. But never been played there. The coach is at issue. Been indifferent to ruckman all along. Evidenced by recruiting McKee, playing Jason Cloke, Cox and now Leroy Brown there at different times. Forget the absence of Rocca, 2003 may have been different if we’d had a Thommo or a Monkey, or even big Wes Fellowes in the middle. Josh was smashed all over the ground – in some ways, has never recovered.

    So, anyway, all I did with the haiku was contrast this lean spell with a spell of cold weather.

    Thanks for asking.

    Cheers,

    Rob.

  3. Phil Dimitriadis says

    Bob,

    agree. Mick Horsburgh, Stuart Atkin, Matthew Francis, Glenn McLean and Geoff Pritchard were better ruckmen than Josh. It’s not the boy’s fault. He should be played across half forward. 50-50 Mick has a lot to answer for. Thankfully his time is coming.

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