But what’s so strange about having two Adelaide Crows socks suspended from an Aboriginal dot painting in the lounge room?
After all I’ve been strategically placing Adelaide Crows colours around my house for years. It’s a little quirky I admit that but I wouldn’t say unnatural. It’s just another form of self expression. My wooden statue of two lovers entwined proudly wore a Crows cap for most of last season much to the horror of some friends who saw it as a crime against taste. What a whole lot of pretentious nonsense.
And Myrtle the Mermaid lamp has been getting around in a Crows scarf during the winter months for the past two seasons. Well, not exactly getting around. She doesn’t move much. She just sits there looking beautiful with a knowing half smirk that suggests she is the matriarch of the house not me. Is it so strange to decorate a mermaid with a red, blue and gold scarf?
And then there’s my gorgeous new acquisition: Telemachus the paper mache turtle. He’s red, blue and gold and shiny too. Friends say the fact that I talk to a turtle I named Telemachus is further evidence of the sleep deprivation that comes with working on breakfast radio. Again, I’d say this is more quirky than unnatural.
But I’ll tell you what is unnatural and that is placing your faith in other clubs to do the right thing by you. That’s what I did all weekend and I’m exhausted.
It all began on Friday night.
I reckon I’ve spent 90% of the year bagging Fremantle but I was with them all the way against Collingwood, cheering every possession, every goal. Never have men dressed in purple been so alluring. And by the end of it I felt satisfied. My commitment to a team other than my own had been rewarded. Even the song sounded sweet.
Saturday afternoon I cleaned the house while applauding Daniel Motlop, David Rodan, Peter Burgoyne and the rest of the black, white and teal brigade. If that’s not unnatural I don’t know what is? And by the end of it I felt satisfied, even euphoric. Fourth spot was ours for the taking.
We then held up our end of the bargain against the Western Bulldogs and I went to bed dreaming about spring. The cards had fallen our way or so we thought.
Sunday I couldn’t get out of bed quick enough to get the papers. I knew the equation. St Kilda had to beat Essendon by about 100 points to unseat the Crows. It was a tall order for the Saints but the Bombers had been emasculated by injury. A part of me was nervous. I had an inkling there was another twist to come.
Later that day I settled in to cheer on my fourth team for the weekend. And that’s where the plan came unstuck. I haven’t seen a team offer up that little resistance in a long time. Watching a renovation show would’ve been more enjoyable.
So now we can go back to focusing on one team only; our team. Forget about the rest. It’s up to us and it begins against Collingwood in a knock-out final on Saturday.
