The Footygods: the Algea

The Footygods must have enjoyed Saturday. Adelaide and Geelong thought they just had to turn up to win. A mate of mine from Adelaide said that most people there thought that the cup was in the bag. The crows had stormed home to second. They had beaten the swans early and others had beaten them late.

But that’s footy isn’t it? Goodes tore them apart through the middle and the rest all did their bit and a bit more. And we sang the song and my son reckoned that Longmire even smiled.

But in all the joy was Ben McGlynn. Such a great story. Traded from Hawthorn for tuppence. You can just hear them saying that he was too short and too small. And what a player! And then some sort of hamstring tear and then the tears. And who could blame him? To get that far and not to know if that’s the end. That’s more than sadness. That’s grief.

The Greeks knew all about grief. They even had a spirit for it. The algea were the spirits of grief and the kharites were the spirits of joy. And you rarely got one without the other. And I hope that Benny still has time to get them both.

Ian Latham

Comments

  1. Moore Park Road should be called the Coaches factory Ian. Roos, Longmire & Lyon. All will finish with at least one Flag – maybe more.

  2. Things were a bit tense in the Phantom cave prior to Saturday night.

    And correctly so is now shows.

    No over confidence from this Cat.

    Plenty of relief now. I reckon I may enjoy the rest of the finals series; tossing in the odd grenade from the safety of the seasonal turnover buffered by Mad Monday.

    Six teams left and devistation to five of them and theirs.

  3. Spot on Ian.

    Phantom – Ouch!! That would have been an acutely painful loss for you against Freo. To think that 14 of the first 15 scoring shots came from…….Freo……..in a final…….at the MCG……..against the Untouchables………. Unthinkable to the Blue & White’s.

    There was no question about it – the Cats and their fans thought they just had to turn up to win.

    Saturday night was a famous day in AFL finals history. The day that little old Freo came to town and knocked the big Cats over.

    Those of us remaining, no matter how little hope is left, will now look forward to your parting shots from your bunker. No matter what pain lies ahead for us, none of us will carry the ignominy of being the first side to be bundled out of the finals by Freo at the MCG.

  4. Bakes – no ignominy as far as I’m concerned. The Dockers were bloody good.

  5. To tell the truth I was smiling all the way through it Bakesy.

    Earlier that day Wynyard came from a mile behind at 3/4 time and got into the GF next week. My son was injured and couldn’t play but will be at CHF on Saturday and I get to watch him. If you have kids you will understand.

    I may not be so relaxed if the Wynyard Cats lose though.

    Cheers, and thanks for your good thoughts.

    Phant.

  6. Straight sets Baksey? Unthinkable.

    (First grenade)

  7. Nice return Phantom!

    I can well relate to your alternative. I have 3 kids & my two boys play footy – my eldest son is doing VCE and he is now a father/son with Whitefriars Old Collegians in the Ammos (same school as Dips….). Very proud & he may have got me covered in size & ability – but not gnarliness!

    I hope Phantom Jnr plays in a winning GF next week.

  8. I reckon Cats fans were pretty confident pre Saturday night v Freo, but I wouldn’t have thought over the top – we learnt our lesson in the 2008 GF. We’d already engraved that Cup at Friday lunch – and the Hawthorn folk at that lunch were too well-mannered to say anything. Well they got the last laugh.

    Freo were outstanding.

  9. People here at work were a bit cocky about the Cats but I had a constant uneasiness about the game.

    The first quarter reminded me a bit of the 2010 Preliminary Final where we were just swamped and in total disarray. May the response in 2013 be what it was in 2011.

Leave a Comment

*