Superstitions are very much a part of sport and very much so in our game.

I’ve never really been into the whole idea but I have a few superstitious acts I like to perform before each game. Some argue that they are a crock but some players swear by them and you cannot interfere in their preparations.

Possibly the most common of superstitions is the pre-game meal.  I like to eat a similar dish every night before the big game.  I like to load up on a big pasta and vegetable dish.

I find it quite amusing watching Marty Mattner eat his pre-game dinner. Marty likes to position his food so it resembles a letter ‘M’. I have no idea why he does this but he informs me he has been doing this since his Adelaide Crows days.

When we travel interstate there is a bus that waits to take us to the team hotel.
Each player has an assigned seat on the team bus and there are big arguments if someone makes an error of judgment and sits in your seat.

I remember a while back when a young rookie (Matthew O’Dwyer) was first on the bus and sat in Barry Hall’s seat. There was smirking amongst the group knowing that Matty was seconds away from receiving a big lesson on bus etiquette.
 
Another superstition amongst the group is running through the team banner before the start of a game. Andrew Schauble and Luke Ablett never actually touched the banner when they ran through, as they thought it was bad luck.
 
As you can see there are quite a few superstitions that go on at our club. Some players are very superstitious and then some are more blasé about it all. It’s important that you don’t get in the way of anyone’s preparation, as we need everyone up and firing especially after a couple of losses like we’ve just had.