Maybe I shouldn’t be writing this, but it’s time I came clean. I’ve found the last few weeks of football a bit boring.
It wasn’t because of the Olympics being on (there is only so much synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics I can take). The start of the A-League and overseas soccer competitions provided some minor interest but no, that wasn’t it either. It didn’t even have anything to do with watching too many Ross Lyon press conferences. No, I think the real reason is that I haven’t had the opportunity to jump the fence and celebrate a Hawthorn star notching 100 goals.
With Hawthorn safely embedded in the upper reaches of the ladder and a qualifying final against the Bulldogs assured for a while now, results have become immaterial. Essentially I’ve spent the last few weeks twiddling my thumbs, waiting for September to arrive. The only interest has been when and where Buddy would get that hundredth goal and would I be able to jump the fence to help him celebrate… and avoid security in the process?
Before the weekend’s match, Buddy needed six goals to crack the ton. As the game was being played in Perth (and I wasn’t there) I did find myself willing a few of his shots wide. Luckily the umpires were with me, as despite receiving harsher attention than an Olympic Taekwondo referee, Buddy received just a couple of free kicks for the day, which coincidentally, happened to be one more than the aforementioned referee.
I read somewhere that more than 100 extra security personnel had been hired for Subiaco to ensure that noone ran onto the ground if/when Franklin kicked his hundredth. Given that similar measures were taken before the Richmond game and are likely for this weekend’s game, it would seem that the AFL has a bigger budget for security than Beijing had for fireworks.
Times have changed. In 1996 when Dunstall kicked his hundredth in that memorable Round 22 “merger” match against Melbourne, it seemed like most of the 60,000 at the game were on the ground after the milestone with nary a security guard in sight.
And, at Waverley a few years before that, as the fans streamed onto the ground after another Dunstall milestone, my friends and I waited a while before nonchalantly walking through an opened gate, strolled around for a few minutes before making our way back to our seats to enjoy the rest of the game. I remember that vividly although I can’t remember whether we ended up winning the game.
I understand that the safety of the players and spectators must always be paramount but jumping the fence when a player kicks 100 goals is one of the great traditions of the game. It is unique to Australian rules and provides memories to those who attend that last longer than any result will.
So, when Buddy kicks his hundredth this weekend, look for me, out in the middle of the ground. I’ll either be part of an adoring throng wanting to share the moment or struggling with some over officious security guard as he ushers me away. And if it’s the former, expect to see me back out in the middle if Fev gets his ton as well.