World Footy News

On Sunday I took my son to his first AFL game. As we played kick-to-kick behind the temporary bleachers, memories flooded back of playing footy with my dad and brother at Princes Park after the game.

As the siren sounded we would clamber over the fence to have a kick on that magnificent ground. Dad would point to a divot and say “Jezza stood here” and we would look in awe at the sacred turf. The IM Field at UCLA wasn’t exactly Princes Park, but then again, neither is Princes Park. Some of the differences were bad. We weren’t allowed on the field after the game and I was told not to stand behind the goals lest I get hit with the ball! Some of the bad things were the same. The lines to the food and the toilet were long. Some of the same things were good. It was great to hear the roar of the crowd and the comments from smart alecs in the stand. It was great to see the tackles, the marks and the goals. Some of the differences were good. My son and I went to the North Melbourne Breakfast before the game and there we chatted with Ron Barassi and Allen Aylett. After the game we had a BBQ with the Swans players and I got to personally thank Paul Roos for making the trip.

It wasn’t Princes Park but it was a great day. At breakfast, Ron Barassi commented that the small gathering reminded him of the first few Grand Final Breakfasts and how today the North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast draws a few thousand people. I hope the Super Coach was foreshadowing great things to come for this event.

Thanks to all those who worked so hard to allow me to take my son to the footy.