My quest is at an end! Before i make the big announcement: To everyone that has followed my quest over the course of the year or taken me to a game or tried to sell me on their team, i would like to say thanks. For the fans of the other 15 teams that i haven’t picked – a little part of me will be happy for all of you when you taste success – particularly the long suffering ones.
In the end, there were a few teams that were more seriously in consideration than others so i feel like i need to acknowledge them before i reveal my final decision: Geelong, The Kangaroos and Essendon.
Geelong came in very close – i loved the experience of footy at Kardinia Park much more than anything i saw in the corporate worlds of the MCG and Telstra Dome. Your team this year is amazing and if you weren’t so god damn far out in front (so i could be safely not accused of bandwagon jumping) i think Geelong would be right up there. After meeting so many long suffering Cats fans this year i just don’t think it would be right to jump on board a few weeks before what i hope will be a red hot finals campaign. You deserve the flag, your fans deserve the flag and i really hope you get it.
The Kangaroos - way back is round one i went to see the team that was the favourite for the wooden spoon. Everyone had written them off before the season started and expectations were low. Everyone i met on that fateful afternoon tried to explain to me the elusive concept of the “shinboner” spirit and i didn’t quite get it. As i have watched that bunch of supposed no hopers turn that around and determinedly fight their way towards this year’s final series, I can honestly say that I get it now. Unfortunately, i just can’t bring myself to sign up for a lifetime supporting a team on the Gold Coast. I hope the spirit and the culture don’t get lost in whatever the future may hold because it is the best in the league.
Essendon - you guys have done my head in this year. I’ve loved you, i’ve hated you, i’ve drank with you in victory and defeat. You will always be my favourite team to play against. I’ve spent most of this year admiring the club’s history, its winning culture, the confidence and passion of its fans, and – more than just about any other individual in the game – its coach and the way he connected the club to an age and an era when the game was just a little less a business than it is now. Don’t get me wrong – i recognise that clubs must move on at some point but there’s a right way and wrong way to go about it. It seems like entirely the wrong time to be jumping on board.
