Good morning happy Hawkers,
A good result in Sydney yesterday, in fact, the best since 2003.
By coincidence, I met a member yesterday who had flown up from Melbourne to watch the game.
He said the last time he had been to Sydney was for the 2003 game, and he felt he was our lucky omen, and that the Club should in future ensure his presence in Sydney when we play them.
Nice try, good offer, but maybe it was his effort that triggered our effort, and that should not be altered for the future.
Regardless, there were many members and supporters who made the trip north, so I thank you all.
It makes a hell of a difference when the players can feel supported from the stands and when they can see so much brown and gold.
It is one reason why our colours will never be changed. They may be a fashion designer’s challenge, but they do stand out.
Some since yesterday have made the comment that we are getting back to where we were in 2008. I disagree with that.
Unless I am wrong, yesterday’s team only had 11 of the players who played in our 2008 premiership team.
There were 11 new faces. We are therefore a different and new team from the team that contested the 2008 flag.
We have the advantage of experience in our Captain Luke Hodge, whose game and confidence is growing each week, and Sam Mitchell who, having led us to our last flag, continues to be an invaluable player each week.
We also have Brad Sewell, Buddy Franklin, Jarryd Roughead (who seems to have found a new life in the ruck and elsewhere), and Cyril Rioli whose bursts of magic continue to inspire, together with Grant Birchall, Chance Bateman, Jordan Lewis, Brent Guerra and Michael Osborne bringing the experiences of the past to our team.
But to this body of players, we add the experience of Shaun Burgoyne and Josh Gibson, along with the youth and endeavour of Liam Shiels, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling, Paul Puopolo, Shane Savage, Tom Murphy, Brendan Whitecross, Luke Breust and the magnificent Max Bailey.
If any of us ever feel down, take a leaf from Max Bailey’s approach to three ACL injuries, and his marked return to the team yesterday.
He is an inspiration to all of us, not only in sport, but in life. I would like to think that Max’s return is also a very real and obvious example of the strength of the Club and our values. I am not sure many other clubs would have stuck with Max, supported him and given him the opportunity to play football again.
We can all be very proud of the Club we support, and the strength of our commitment to values that underline our ‘Family Club’ culture.
But I have strayed!
Yesterday's result was just one more step to melding our new team into the professional group we hope for them to become.
Something old and something new. A team that is improving each week.
But that is still a long way from where we need to be if we are going to be serious contenders at the end of the year.
We are heading in the right direction, and how often have you heard me say - it is not where we start the year, but where we finish that matters.
I thought our second half yesterday was the best we have played all year. If we can do that over four quarters we will be an exciting proposition.
So tally-ho to you all. You are invited to join us next Sunday at Etihad Stadium when we take on the Western Bulldogs. They will be a tough opponent as they attempt to atone for their loss yesterday, so we again need the brown and gold army to assemble in numbers.
Until then, stay well and be happy.
Have a good day!
Jeff Kennett
President
