The tickets are printed, bag is packed, and the dog knows something is up.
I’m feeling shaky. No – not about the Tiges, I have tipped us objectively to win the 2018 flag. No reason to think we can’t get over Carlton on Thursday night.
But I think I’ve got First Round Fever – is that a known diagnosed condition? I have been starving for a feed of Richmond. I have had simultaneously too much and not enough footy.
The AFL’s attempt to fill the depth and width of the sporting landscape like expanding foam has just been exhausting over the summer. Surprisingly little of that foam was expended promoting AFLW, but there were endless thought bubbles, puff pieces, and even an entire puff competition in AFLX. Surely something is wrong when you have symptoms of a football OD in January.
On the Richmond front I have been reading and re-reading Konrad Marshall’s Yellow and Black, watching and re-watching the finals, listening to the radio calls over and over while mowing the lawn and walking to work. And last week we all saw Peter Dickson’s Break The Fall which really sharpened that feeling of having lived through a really amazing moment for Richmond.
But I haven’t been hoovering up every bit of pre-season Tiges news or madly buying premiership memorabilia or sketching out projected tattoos. I have really been trying to have an off-season.
On top of First Round Fever I am a bundle of nerves just because I am coming over for the premiership flag unfurling, bringing my sons, and making these sorts of plans turns me to jelly. Plain anxiety.
Just getting the boys from schools, to the airport, remembering all the pieces of paper I need to get us from home into the MCG, and locating Dugald and Clare, our hosts at the game. Then there’s the social side – so many people I know online and in real life will be at the game. I would love to get around and see everyone at half time. But I don’t want to misplace the boys (one of whom doesn’t even like footy) or miss a quarter stuck in a queue. After the game we need to catch up with our overnight hosts Nuning and Andy and hopefully have time for a chat with them before bedtime. Then up 6, taxi to airport, fly home and drop kids back at schools.
I know for most people this kind of thing is a snap – not me. Now I have booked the Skybus in and a taxi back out again, printed all the tickets and packed a bag I am starting to feel more normal and actually anticipate the game.
I hope everyone has a great night at the G or at home, and we have settled it by three quarter time. Go TIGES.
Chris, wish I was there alongside you. So glad you and the boys will see the flag unfurled and well done Andy and Nuning for hosting you. It all starts again….40 steps to the top. Yellow and Black forever, enjoy every minute of the night mate.
Thanks Tommo, yes I wish you were there too. Enjoy it from afar!
I wish ‘drop kids back at schools’ was as easy as it sounds. First we need to locate 16yo’s Outdoor Education class somewhere on the South Arm/Clifton surf strip.
Chris how wonderful for you to come over to see the ‘unfurling’ and what will be a tightly fought game. I feel the blues as always are not going to go down without some sort of mark left on us. We may be premiers and that makes us a target for every other team let alone being Richmond, I don’t think this year we will be under the radar, we will be front and centre for everyone to ogle and judge. The biggest thing is to keep it together and work as a team so we should be doing the same so make sure those kids work with you to get over here, enjoy the game and the rest will work itself out.
Have fun.
It was a great game wasn’t it. So happy to be there. A
L the arrangements fell into place too. Phew. The premiership defence is underway.