The Return to Redfern game was all that and more! It felt like an honor to be a new fan and to sit among all of these lifelong Souths supporters in what was really a true homecoming.

Not only was the grandstand totally full but all the seating around the venue was packed. I met my friends and we made our dash into the stands with the intent of getting undercover of the grandstand roof. It wasn’t easy, but we managed to pack about 8 of us in a row towards the rear of the stadium. I was ‘slapped and slopped’ with a ton of sun lotion in anticipation of a very sunny and hot day. It turns out we were totally undercover and there was a delightful constant, cooling breeze to keep us comfortable.

One of the first thing I noticed is that the sound system is by far the best of any stadium I’ve been in big or small; both the music and the announcements were clear as a bell. Jeremy Monahan did the MC job and he announced the lineups including those first grade players that weren’t playing in the game. He asked a few like Issac, Beau and Roy to take to the crowd about the coming season and what it meant to be at Redfern today.

The legends game was poignant and fun to watch. Each player was introduced to a warm round of applause and in the  touch match much gentle kidding was evident between the two sides. By far and away, it was so special to see John Sattler be welcomed home by the crowd and he truly seemed so happy to be in Redfern after a few years of personal estrangement. The highlight of the game was when Sattler finally got into the lineup and onto the field. He caught a tossed pass and the Tiger greats feigned tackling him up the field in homage to allow him to score a try. Not bad for a man who had a knee replacement four months ago!

With a selection of former great South Sydney players behind him, Mark Courtney came to the microphone on the field to deliver something he wrote in honor of the day. I hope it gets published or comes on line because it was very moving.

The actual game, in spite of Souths being on the losing end 30-26, was very hopeful for the coming season. If this was the up and coming squad, then that’s great news! They more than held their own in the first half going against the Tiger’s more experienced players. The size discrepancy alone was huge! In the second half when Wests fielded a more equal in experience squad, Souths was buoyed by their confident play, solid passing and few errors. They got back into the game, taking the lead toward the end. They lost on a late Tiger try but that didn’t dimish the solid effort they displayed. Jamie Simpson, Luke Capewell and especially Shaune Corrigan were standouts for my untrained eye.

I spotted Russell on the sidelines briefly and in the broadcast/coaches area in the latter part of the game. I managed a few long distance pictures of him greeting some of the players.

Glory Glory South Sydney was played often and I really had a great time especially with the group of people who took me under their wing and allowed me to share the day and helped me understand the significance of this game through their eyes.