Now that was a great footy game!!! It had everything, exciting passes, long break away runs, goal line stands but most of all it had a forward momentum vibe; a hopeful feeling that these men were on a mission and they played with the confidence of a team who knew something was different and good things were going to happen and all things were possible!
Issac Luke was amazing and when he combined with Eddie Paea they moved like lightning. As impressive as their speed was it was their heads up play making the most out of Cowboy errors and instantaneously made decisions that created opportunities.
In the first try Eddie just burst through seemingly out of nowhere to score. Luke’s try was one of those plays where you held your breath because the ball was moving so fast that you didn’t know how it was going to end until Roy Asotasi kept the play alive and Luke came out of the pack with a bunch of Cowboys on his back, dove in and scored!
It was so good to see the hard earned smiles of a team who felt it was finally all gelling together. The offense seemed to come into its own and was complemented as always by a solid, consistant defense.
Last week an member of an older generation help me navigate the nuances of the game and this week it was a much younger person that took me under her wing and tried to get me up to speed so I could understand the game better. After catching a hint of my foreign accent when I asked a family sitting in back of me to watch my bag while I got a beer, 10 year old Katie was full of questions as to where I came from. As we chatted during the Souths Juniors match, I confessed that I was just learning the game and Katie said I could ask her anything and she’d try to “sort me out”. She talked non stop, it was like having my own personal play by play person, leaning over to make sure I knew that a forward pass was bad, and anything Nathan Merritt did was good. He is her favorite player and he didn’t disappoint on this cloudy, misty afternoon.
Her folks didn’t interfere with her patter and if truth be told, I think they welcomed the fact that Katie had someone else to yammer on to. When Katie went to the ladies room with her mom at the half, her dad leaned down to me and said “You know a lot of what she’s saying is wrong, don’t you?” I laughed and said she talked with such confidence that to me it didn’t matter if it wasn’t quite right, it certainly sounded plausible to my ignorant ears! I really enjoyed seeing the game through the eyes of girl who enjoys her footy.
After cheering till I my throat was hoarse, Katie and I had one last bonding moment when she tried to help me sing “Glory, Glory South Sydney” after the game was over. She was somewhat disappointed with me because I didn’t know all the words and I promised her I’d try to do better next week. Even though I was shaky on the lyrics we both shouted out the chorus and that’s what it’s all about. Before the game started, I had visited the merchandise booth and picked up a wooly hat for myself. I gave it to Katie in thanks for a memorable afternoon and a win to remember.
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Telstra Stadium
The Drum Line was really great! Even though the stadium was big the rhymic sounds of the drumming filled it. The sounds also added to the excitement when they played during a scoring drive.
The Rabbitohs run on the field.
Just after Eddie's try
The post try celebration
Roger's try
I had no idea where Russell would be seated if he was at the game. I asked Katie's dad where the owners box might be located. He pointed across the field. I saw a crowded box and it kinda, sorta maybe could have been him so I just aimed the camera and shot some pictures. It wasn't till I got them up on the computer did I find out I really did get some shots of RC. The first pic is what it looked like to me through the camera and the others are cropped and enlarged. Sorry for the poor quality.
