Published Messenger Newspapers, Adelaide, Wednesday, May 22, 2002
END OF SEASON TOO FAR AWAY
HAVING been away from Geelong for so long, no realistic possibility exists now to return there to live. Naturally enough, Geelong-born and bred, many connections remain. I have plenty of family there who always make to feel welcome, which is not the same as being made to feel at home. Much time has passed but one inescapable legacy is my continuing support, against all wisdom, for the Geelong football side. No choice, you cannot help where you were born. I crawl through most football seasons on my hands and knees and as I write this piece on deadline, Geelong and Port Adelaide are about to play here and I have to assume Port won. Geelong supporters rarely have the opportunity to experience optimistic airs. Once, all too briefly, ``God'' did play for us, providing the illusion of having supernatural power on our side. It was a delusion. Now the son of ``God'', Gary Ablett Jr, is wearing the Cats colours. Shall we come to know him as ``Jesus''? Given the burden of his name, just making a career of footy, unscathed in body and soul, would be miracle enough. In my youth, whose centrepiece is still the '63 premiership, to support any side other than Geelong was out of the question. Strangulation by a Cats footy scarf awaited the traitorous. In those halcyon years, the landmark T&G building in Geelong's mainstreet had two statues in the clocktower which appeared every hour to clang a bell. They were dressed in Geelong footy jumpers whenever we made the finals, which was often then. The precinct around the T&G is now occupied by reject shops, $ shops and pawn shops. So it goes. What else? The great 1950s Geelong coach Reg Hickey lived just around the corner from our family and we attended the same church. I used to say, ``Good morning, Mr Hickey,'' on my best behaviour because dad said he was a legend when the word still meant something. Mr Hickey's youngest daughter Christine, who played in the same tennis club, was always pleasant to me although she was a bit older and I was shy of her. Nice girl. Christine is Port Adelaide captain Matthew Primus's mother. Say hello to your mum for me, Matthew, and why aren't you playing for the Cats. I know, I know, blame Malcolm Blight. What else? A perfect tackle should be rewarded irrespective of ``prior opportunity''; the Crows have barrackers not supporters; and the best way to stop ``flooding'' is to erect extra sets of goals on the wings. Actually, footy tackles seem to be getting a lot more up close and personal this season to the extent that we fans are no longer just spectators but witnesses to sexual assault. Here's something else: I recently went to Unley Oval and watched Sturt thump Glenelg, neither of which I like much. The Sturt players did cartwheels and air splits as they ran onto the ground for the second half. There, I think all the footy is out of my system for now, so I can go and watch Port flog Geelong in peace. Of the 16 sides in the AFL, I can name 12 that will not make the final 8 and Geelong is among them. Sigh.
