Southern Mel
Daily Mercury, September 8 2010
SEPTEMBER and I have had a love affair for as long as I can remember.
I’ve always loved the first month of spring and it’s got nothing to do with my birthday or the smell of orange blossoms in the air.
It’s because of... FOOTY!
And when I say footy I’m not talking about that game which has scrums and tries.
Nor am I talking about that other game with nets and goal keepers.
I’m talking about real footy, the game with screamers, torpedos and bananas from the boundary line.
To me, there is only one real footy code and it’s AFL. It’s the code that boasts the best spectacle, the best bods as well as the most passionate – and feral – supporters.
Sadly, my team is often mistaken for the most feral of them all. You can tell as many ‘toothless’ Collingwood supporter jokes as you like. It’s a misrepresentation and no matter what you say my support for my beloved Pies won’t waver.
My love affair with September becomes even more passionate when Collingwood are on the march. But even when they’re not, there’s just something about the four-week battle to make it to that last Saturday in September.
Humble houses in suburban Melbourne become temples for die-hard fans of teams in the AFL finals race.
Country towns have decorations of biblical proportions if their local team qualifies for the district grand final.
The Mecca, the MCG, comes alive. The atmosphere is electric and anyone who has experienced it knows the chill that goes down your spine when 90,000 supporters let loose as the first siren sounds.
You see, footy is a religion in Victoria. It’s just such a shame that North Queensland is yet to be converted. But there’s still time.
If you haven’t been to an AFL game, it’s not too late to see one in Mackay this year. It may not be the MCG, but Harrup Park is a pretty good place to catch a game of footy.
And what better time than this Saturday when the Mackay City Hawks and Whitsunday Sea Eagles fight it out for Mackay’s own Holy Grail.
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