Eagles By A Point!
Well thank God for that. West Coast and Sydney now have the best rivalry in the AFL, the last five games decided by 12 points total.
One thing I get out of sports is a tremendous character study. There aren't many arenas left in modern life where real people are tested under such pressure... probably the military is the only other. Watching how individuals handle it, and the various character-types that make up the team, is intriguing. There's Ben Cousins -- larakin, knockabout bloke, gets in a bit of trouble (lost the captaincy after a drink-driving incident) but under it all is intense, fearless and one of the best middle-distance athletes in the country. Then there's Chris Judd, captain and superstar at 23, under the pressure of being labeled possibly the greatest player ever, handsome, incredibly gifted, yet somehow softly spoken and unassuming, with no sign of runaway ego. Then big Quinten Lynch -- huge, powerful, rough-looking, rough-mannered and inarticulate, the guy would be a big bruiser cliche if written into any book... but you sense, underneath it all, struggling sometimes for self-belief and self-respect, and a little bit shy. The coach, John Worsfold, formerly a champion defender known for toughness and discipline -- now, as a coach, he's still tough and disciplined, reserved and calmly spoken... yet if you watch him long enough, you see the humor and twinkle in his eye, and realise he's actually a very nice, good natured guy. And you have a young guy like Steven Armstrong, who was caught in the Bali bombings a few years back and still has scars... was dropped by Melbourne Demons, picked up by West Coast, and was pinching himself that he's now a Premiership player.
People who don't like sports, who say it's a pointless activity, miss the point -- the activity isn't really what it's about, it's about the people doing it. There's no other environment in which you can get to know a group of people, if only vicariously, and see what happens when events throw everything and the kitchen sink at them and demand they respond. I'll always love it. Especially when my guys win!
One thing I get out of sports is a tremendous character study. There aren't many arenas left in modern life where real people are tested under such pressure... probably the military is the only other. Watching how individuals handle it, and the various character-types that make up the team, is intriguing. There's Ben Cousins -- larakin, knockabout bloke, gets in a bit of trouble (lost the captaincy after a drink-driving incident) but under it all is intense, fearless and one of the best middle-distance athletes in the country. Then there's Chris Judd, captain and superstar at 23, under the pressure of being labeled possibly the greatest player ever, handsome, incredibly gifted, yet somehow softly spoken and unassuming, with no sign of runaway ego. Then big Quinten Lynch -- huge, powerful, rough-looking, rough-mannered and inarticulate, the guy would be a big bruiser cliche if written into any book... but you sense, underneath it all, struggling sometimes for self-belief and self-respect, and a little bit shy. The coach, John Worsfold, formerly a champion defender known for toughness and discipline -- now, as a coach, he's still tough and disciplined, reserved and calmly spoken... yet if you watch him long enough, you see the humor and twinkle in his eye, and realise he's actually a very nice, good natured guy. And you have a young guy like Steven Armstrong, who was caught in the Bali bombings a few years back and still has scars... was dropped by Melbourne Demons, picked up by West Coast, and was pinching himself that he's now a Premiership player.
People who don't like sports, who say it's a pointless activity, miss the point -- the activity isn't really what it's about, it's about the people doing it. There's no other environment in which you can get to know a group of people, if only vicariously, and see what happens when events throw everything and the kitchen sink at them and demand they respond. I'll always love it. Especially when my guys win!
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