All is right with the world. I am a happy woman. The footy is back.
The week has a correct basic structure in place ... Friday night football to start the weekend.
Since the day I was born, the passing of Summer has meant that the great gods of aerial ping pong were back on the MCG and the greatest game in the world again consumed us (well some of us at least).
I do understand that not everyone enjoys watching the footy (or watching any sport for that matter) but for me, life would be wrong without it.
My darling father played 71 games for the Essendon Football Club between 1951 and 1957. So I was born with red and black blood pumping through my veins.
After he finished playing, Dad was the runner for the then coach John Coleman (in those days there was only one runner for the team).
He went on to serve on the Club committee, in several roles, for nearly 15 years.
So you can see that for my entire childhood, our family life revolved around the Essendon footy club. Dad was at the club, often 2 or 3 nights a week, but it was the weekends when footy really took over. Dad would leave early Saturday for the game and Mum, my brothers and I would follow later.
I spend my early teens sitting on a splintery wood seat on the boundary at Windy Hill. My older cousin was president of the cheer squad, so we had prime seats and I would sit there with my homemade red and black flogger, screaming and yelling through four quarters of excitement.
After the game, we would meet up with Dad, a quick hug and goodbye and my brothers and I would walk home. Hopefully we got there in time to watch the cartoons followed by the replay, while Mum and Dad celebrated (or commiserated) with the team and their partners. Sometimes the celebrations would make their way to our house. It was always loud, alcohol soaked and caused much suffering the next morning!!! We were always under instruction to stay in our rooms ..... no matter what!!!!
I remember waking one Sunday morning to find a very high profile footballer sound asleep in our empty bathtub, surrounded by empties!!
For a couple of years Dad was the Chairman of Selectors for the club. By that time I was in my late teens and can I just say it was an amazing time in my life. I was young, blonde and reasonably attractive and my dad was Chairman of Selectors ...... hmmmmmm. I never went without a date!!!
Now, I am not naive enough to believe that change would not touch football, but as I sit here tonight watching my beloved Bomber boys I cannot help but think back to the football of my childhood. Oh how it has changed.
Football is now a profession, not just a weekend sport. There is big money involved and the players who value their roles look after themselves. Dad had been known to have a pie and ciggie at half time ... that would never happen now. Neither are weekly games celebrated with alcohol fueled parties.
Most guys look after themselves knowing there are another 20-odd weeks of hard slog ahead of them.
Some of the other things that have changed probably could have stayed as they were.
Hair
The haircuts (or lack thereof) of some of the players are ridiculous. There are a couple of Bombers boys in particular, that irk me. Dyson Heppell and Michael Hurley ... I am looking at you!! Someone needs to take these two boys off the ground, give them a good hard slap, re-adjust their 'do's' with a large pair of garden shears and then send them back on again!!! Hurley currently looks like a poor man's Fu Manchu with his little top knot and as for Heppell .... there are no words!!!
Shorts
Short are called this because they should be. These days you could call the lower garments 'baggies', 'sloppies' or 'daggy nappies'. Come on boys!! If you've got it, flaunt it. Women viewers love our sport but we also greatly appreciate a tight pair of footy 'shorts' (especially on a rainy day) *sigh*.
Rules
Oh please, powers that be ... stop changing the rules all the time. It is very hard for us oldies to keep up and most of them don't make much sense anyway.
Starting Date
Football is, always has been, and always will be ... a winter sport. Please don't make our beautiful boys start playing in 40 degree heat in the middle of Summer. Each time the season is extended ... up go injury rates. No matter how hard they train, the human body can only take so much. Bring the season back to a reasonable number of games and let the players have some kind of viable body left after they finish playing!!!
Gag Football Wives
I don't have a lot to say here except .... Tanya, shut up!!! Football is James' job not yours and he has the balls (see previous note on shorts) to defend himself. Don't wait till he is out of the country to blab your mouth off. Be a good little footballer wife, bleach your hair, put on a pretty dress and just smile!!!
(This comment may be influenced heavily be very recent events)
The Bombers are ahead in the first game of the year. It seems like a perfect place to finish my rant.
Except to say that to my utter joy, my eldest son has the same pride and joy in my father's achievements as I do. It gladdens my heart to know that after I am gone, there will be another generation to continue sharing his legacy.
I love you and miss you Dad xxxx
