AFL Grand Final (1 Viewer)

[KiwiSaint]

Just a few hours away from the Australian Rules Footy final between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs. It took me awhile to get into the game, but now I'm thoroughly hooked. I adopted The Doggies as my team when I moved to Oz two years ago, so tonight is like the Saints being in the Super Bowl. Same anxiety, elevated blood pressure, and excitement.
Any other footy fans on the site...Poison, Zeetes?

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

One of the few bright spots of the early Covid era was the espn actually put a variety of live sports back on their channels - it was good to catch back up with AFL since it had been years since I saw it
But of course espn could not let a good thing perpetuate

 

[soupcan dan]

 

[KiwiSaint]

Well The Doggies sheet the bed just like we have in the recent playoffs...:-(

 

[Poison]

It’s a weird vibe for me. I love the AFL, of course. I’m a Hawthorn fan. My grandfather actually played for the club and was close to their best player in the first 30 years (think Archie Manning in a subpar Saints team).

Before COVID I had probably missed fewer than 10 Hawthorn games in Victoria since about the year 2000, and went to every Grand Final from 1994 to 2019 (very fortunate to have a membership of the Melbourne Cricket Club) including four Hawthorn premierships in that era. My dad went to every one from 1956 - 2019 without missing one.

Watching it on TV last year and this year without the ability to go, or to congregate with family/friends, has definitely given it a different vibe. It almost doesn’t feel real. I’m pleased for Melbourne though. 57 years is a long time between drinks and I’ve got a lot of friends who are long-suffering Dees fans (not dissimilar to the Dogs five years ago) who will be celebrating tonight.

I used to do radio broadcasts of the Casey Demons who are essentially Melbourne’s minor league team and a lot of these guys (Gawn, Oliver, Brayshaw, Harmes, Fritsch, etc) played a lot of footy down there when the whole organisation wasn’t much good. I’m pleased for them too. I’m pretty sure there’s a poster on this site (Jimmy?) who is an employee of the Melbourne Football Club too. I’d imagine he’d be pretty happy right now. They were totally irresistible in the second half kicking 16 goals to one in the second half after they seemed to be hanging by a thread after those two goals to Treloar.

Commiserations in any case KiwiSaint. I still think the Dogs have the components to be a good team for a while yet. In fact coming into tonight I was leaning Melbourne because I think the prospect of a Western Bulldogs dynasty is more likely.

 

[fred8615]

I've been a fan since the early '80s. And of course I have to root for the Saints there too.