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Did that just happen? That weekend of sport, I mean. That marvellous
two days in which we witnessed Sydney win its first ever AFL flag,
and the Swans their first in 72 years. That weekend that saw the
NRL's premiership favourites St George Illawarra and Parramatta
bumped off in spectacular fashion in the preliminaries. That weekend
that has set up a fairytale NRL grand final between a once struggling
joint-venture side in the Wests Tigers and North Queensland, the
club that nearly fell on its face until News Limited bailed it
out only three years ago.
Ah, sport - what a fickle beast you are. You are as unpredictable
as a fly. Your mood changes like a mother-in-law's. Just when
we think we've figured you out, that we know what's going to happen
next, when we've anticipated the next move, when the headline
writers have all put typed the last letter, you sneak up from
behind and bite us right on the bottom. And, yes, sometimes it
is painful. But we love you for it.
The aspect of that wondrous weekend of footy that resonates the
most is the significance it means for the teams involved. Take
the Swannies. Sydney and NSW types who haven't been cheer, cheering
the Swans since South Melbourne relocated to Sin City in 1982
have often dismissed this side as one for the fairweathers. The
critics will say that when the Swans are doing well, the corporate
boxes are doing well. The celebs jump on board and those disillusioned
with their rugby league or union teams use it as a point of difference.
You only had to be amongst the throng at the MCG on Saturday to
realise this is not entirely so. The chant of "Bloods! Bloods!
Bloods!" went well into the night, a reference to the club
formerly known as South Melbourne, which hadn't won the flag since
1933. Swans fans outnumbered West Coast supporters four to one
at The 'G. The streets of Melbourne were packed with revellers
well into the evening, as if Essendon or Collingwood had triumphed
that afternoon. On Saturday, "relocation" was not a
dirty word.
When the Tigers beat St George Illawarra later that night, "merger"
wasn't a dirty word either. No-one thought about the pain this
partnership went through six years ago when critics were saying
a joint-venture between Balmain and Western Suburbs would never
work. United as one, they were on Saturday night - and beating
another joint-venture club that has also bonded like never before
this season. Few were complaining about "expansion",
too. North Queensland was a rabble for years; a gift two points
since they first entered the competition in 1995. Not so long
ago, the chief financial officer of the club was using his own
personal credit card to pay the bills. They were up to their bottom
lip in excrement but the NRL - and News Ltd - persisted. The Cowboys
are now riding high. They are in the grand final.
Traditionalists have bemoaned the shifting sands of sport and
in many respects with good reason. Heaven knows Inside Sport
has been critical of some of the moves that have changed the face
of football in recent times. We all cry foul when the bottom line
of sport business and the push into new markets means that traditions
are uprooted to make way for profit. But this lost weekend of
sport has displayed that sometimes new traditions can be forged.
And old ones are never forgotten.
What do you think? Click your way to
our Comebacks
page and tell us. You could win a Shimano 2000 Fishing
Reel worth $80.00
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