decency and sense

Hillites,

The Tigers have apparently been under heavy pressure to switch Sunday’s game against Souths from Leichhardt Oval to the Olympic Stadium.
The pressure has come from Souths, the NRL, and even the jokers who purportedly run the Olympic Stadium, as they reckon 40,000 thousand punters would turn up if they knew they could get in.
But, thankfully, the Tigers club has had the decency and sense to say “bugger that!”
I was there the day of the Leichhardt ground record was set at 22,877 in the Premiership year 2005 – also against Souths – Tigers won 42-20.
Admittedly, it was cosy; they closed the gates about 40 minutes before kick off, and they were pulling people out of trees and off the roof of the old blokes toilet block, and the noise and atmosphere was simply incredible.
At the time, the club CEO admitted “with that many people in, not everyone had a positive experience”.
But as far as I’m concerned, why should Balmain give up their home ground advantage –they are a two-try better team at Leichhardt – just for the sake of a few miserable Rabbitoh’s fans?
Tickets went on sale a week earlier than usual, and knowing it would be a sell out, I for one did the right thing and bowled up at the Balmain Leagues club the day they went on sale and handed over my cash for a pair of reserved concourse tickets.
So why should I have to go to the Olympic Stadium when I have paid my hard earned to see my favourite team at my favourite ground?
I’d be suing the NRL for false advertising if I had to.

Dancing like Whirling Dervishes

A-list party goers,

Short reports this week by necessity, despite arguably the two most dramatic games of the season, because I missed them both!
Otherwise disposed celebrating my 50th birthday at the time.
However there were a couple of diehards down in Dad’s Shed who relayed the half time score at 16-4 against the Tigers with all bets looking lost.
Then the bush telegraph in the corner chattered out the scores as the Mighty Tiges piled on four tries in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, and it was suddenly hold all betting slips.
My attention was drawn to the radio call with just minutes left on the clock for the denouement, and I do recall a few people hanging off every word, and then the rebel yell from the assembled multitude ITS OVER THE BLACK DOT !!!
Much punching of the air with fists, the high fives, and the dancing like Whirling Dervishes.
Never did see a replay of Farah’s field goal, but by all reports the bloke was staring in the face of a Backdoor Benny Elias-style nightmare before the thing wobbled over as the pigskin brushed the cross bar.
The win keeps the Tigers in the hunt, and next week’s time honoured grudge match against South Sydney at Leichhardt Oval now assumes proportions of critical importance.
Good thing I have tickets in hand on the concourse in front of the Latchem Robinson stand, as the game will be a sell out for sure, and could even push the ground record.

CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS 28. Tries: Covell (2), Bird, Pomeroy, Talaupapa. Goals: L Covell (4).
WESTS TIGERS 29. Tries: Fitzhenry, Hodgson, Lawrence, Marshall, Tuiaki. Goals: Marshall (4). Field Goals: Farah (1).
At Shark Park, Cronulla.
Crowd 12,964.

After the whole roast lamb arrived and the drinking got serious as a few bastards, who shall remain nameless [you know who you are!], set about my entire stock of aged red wines, the transistor radio suggested that the Swans were going ‘round against Brisbane.
Didn’t take much notice of the football until I was told that Brisbane had kicked a total of four goals up until three quarter time.
After they appeared to have pegged out the game in the championship quarter, the Swans must have been looking for trees to hang themselves from then letting in three Brisbane goals in the space of four minutes in the final stanza.
A very very poor effort for whom they have no one except themselves to blame.
And Along Came A Schneider missing a point blank snap deep into the last quarter must have had the match committee wondering how much his match payment should be docked by – this week.
Saw the Jonathon Brown miracle goal right at the death on the TV highlights the next day and it was just that – a miracle.
But Brown knew from the moment it left his boot that it would sail through the big sticks to tie up the score just as the siren sounded.
SC Roos is said to be “disappointed” by the result and he has every right to be.
The draw turned out to be a disaster, and absolutely cruelled the Swans chances of making the top four.
But, did I not say a way back in the season that the two losses by a “bloody point” would come back to haunt Sydney at the business end of the year?
If they had won those two, and picked up the draw, they would have been sitting where they should be – in outright second – instead of a precarious seventh on the ladder.
What more can I say?
For the most accurate prognostications re the finals [although they concede “there’s no way of sorting it out”, but presciently also point out “the fact that Carlton again went down after being in a winning position continues to attract the attention of those with suspicious minds” see:
http://footystats.freeservers.com/Daily/Diary.html
Alas, alac…

BRISBANE LIONS: 1.0, 4.1, 4.7, 9.9 (63). Goals: Brown 4, Johnson 2, Hadley, Brennan, Copeland.
SYDNEY SWANS: 2.4, 3.7, 6.12, 8.15 (63). Goals: Schneider 2, Davis, Hall, O'Keefe, Matthews, Fosdike, Kirk.
At Brisbane Cricket Ground.
Crowd: 33,077