Greetings Tipsters
Stats gurus must have gone a little more insane – two Top Four teams out in the semis. Not that it should be a surprise, Port were damn near Top Four and North played like they oughta be, just not every week. It’s been a real competition all season.
So I was looking forward to going to the Sydney v North Prelim, even if it was out there in the windswept desolation of Olympic Park. My good mate Jeff (two sons in the Swans Academy) was lining up the tix, we skipped the $45 nosebleed seats, go for the $72 seats, it’s a big Prelim Final, we’ll cough it up.
But there’s no group of three seats available for Jeff, me and Perky Girl. Okay, we’ll buy three tix and fnd ourselves seats, there’s sure to be space.
Three tix in a group incurs one ‘Service Delivery Charge” of $5.50. Three random tix incurs three SDCs.
To hell with that.
I was really looking forward to the match but I aint gonna cop that, and neither will Jeff or Perky Girl. Brilliant work, Gillon, Man Of The People.
It’s almost as classy as your scheduling of the Saturday match at 1645 – just so Port can get home early. Hey, that’s what you said, Gillo, you said it with a straight face, but they’d get home even earlier if the match started at 1410.
Handsome bastard, that Gillo, loves his Uni Blues. He’s got twelve months to prove that he Really Cares, he blows that, crowd figures will keep going down, down.
But there’s football to be played! North will likely put up a good show but across the game will crack under the weight of midfield pressure and forward targets.
Grandad (GB) was a North fan, I was at school on a spring Monday in ‘77 saying “Wasn’t that weird, both Grand Finals were draws” and kids looked at me funny, saying ‘What’d’y’mean BOTH Grand Finals?”
The interesting match happens on Saturday, at the GilloTeev appoved time of 1645. Too late for post-lunch and pre-dinner but you reckon Port have a chance? They’ve an energy, a confidence. That youth and pace thing, they can take anyone at the right time.
Oi, but this is Hawthorn, Too Old, Too Slow, Too Good In ’91, Too Good in ’14 for Port?
Couple years back, Perky Girl and I walked to the SCG and the queue at the tikbox didn’t move. Eventually figured that they’d sold out, but they didn’t bother telling the punters. Remember making a last-minute decision to hit the footy, getting a Gen Adm tik at the gate two minutes before or after the siren, taking a seat that suits you, talking to the oppo fans? I hope you do, cos you aint gonna get that at an AFL match no more.
Cheers Tipsters
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About Earl O'Neill
Freelance gardener, I've thousands of books, thousands of records, one fast motorcycle and one gorgeous smart funny sexy woman. Life's pretty darn neat.
Subiaco is only a 43,000 seat capacity – so its members only every week. 1,500 seats for the general public and opposition clubs go on sale on a Monday, but are all gone by lunchtime.
Its the WAFL for me when I want a walk up game and a $5 can of full strength. Bliss.
Your cryptic reference to 2 drawn Grand Finals made me look up the Rugby League link. Wonder if the misses still give Mick Cronin nightmares? He made up for it later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_NSWRFL_season
The big wigs of the AFL are out of touch Earl. At allof the grounds it seems. Not only with ticket sales either; have you tried to make sense of the stupidity of the pre-match or half-time stuff that is served up to the punters at the Gabba? Tickets are not a problem there because most of us want to watch a game and even with ads you get more on TV than at the ground. The administrators need to watch from the stands rather than from boxes, perhaps?