*Willow runs on for the mighty Blues*
How good is this? Part two
At 4:30am I woke up in the pitch black, beating the alarm clock by 30 minutes. I dont normally get up this early but there was a footy match at Kogarah to get to and my enthusiasm wasnt about to be stalled by the cold reality of the hour. Minutes later I hit the road bound for Coolangatta Airport.
Sydney is always a coming home event for me and as usual, it looked as wonderfully angst-ridden as ever. Starkers flashed his brake lights in front of Virgin Airlines and we headed off to Kogarahs Taj Mahal
the mighty St.George Leagues Club.
Firstly, a little background. Saints left Kogarah Jubilee Oval in 1999 following some monstrosity called the NRL criteria. It took a concerted effort from fans (namely R2K) and club administrators (namely Robert Stone) to get us back there. In 2003, Saints returned to Kogarah and clobbered the Sharks 28-12. It served as inspiration for an F7s article, How good is this?
Regrettably, reality hit with Saints losing their next five matches at Jubilee. But this didnt keep the crowds away with people returning regardless of the result
proving again that Kogarah is a crowd magnet.
At 9:30am, we were greeted by an over-60s champagne breakfast, although most of them were drinking orange juice. Forgetting my manners, I exclaimed that I had just been transported from the Virgin Terminal into Gods Waiting Room. Fortunately, I was standing next to a few patrons and therefore well out of earshot.
We were soon joined by Rex and Legend as breakfast gave way to lunch. By 1:00pm, we were walking up Jubilee Avenue and into the spiritual home of St.George. Starkers headed into general admission for his spot on the hill while Legend made tracks for the St.George Bank corporate box. Meanwhile, Rex and I wandered up to the slab where we were greeted by the optimistic Father Ted.
A new section set above the south-western concourse, the slab is a beaut possie from which to watch rugby league. In a positive move, its been set aside for wheelies with plenty of standing room left over. How good is this? said Rex as we looked down at the Oval, and behold,
it was very bloody good.
As the crowd swelled, St.George-Illawarras reserves dismantle Balmain. We talked about Wes Naiqama who had graduated from a skinny winger into a solid centre and wondered when he would get a crack at first grade. We then caught sight of football club supremo Robert Stone wandering across the slab. Always approachable, Stoney told us Brent Kite was no chance of being retained. But weve got plenty of great prop forwards, he said.
At 3:00pm, we descended onto the packed lower concourse and managed to snavel some seating next to Clan McLean and the R2K family. Father Teds eyes lit up with delight as the cheer girls took up their positions in front of us and being a chilly Kogarah afternoon, we waited in anticipation for a try-fest.
What happened next was akin to unlimited tackle football as Saints dominated possession around the ruck while ripping into a rudderless Wests Tigers outfit. At half-time, the lads were in front 22-0.
The crowd was tremendous. 16, 915 people with another 4,000 unable to get in. In all, 21,000 football fans and a sell-out by any stretch of the imagination. How good is this?...and we all nodded.
The second-half was even more sensational with a fire up Mark Gasnier running in four tries as St.George slaughtered Wests 50-0, bringing the Kogarah losing streak to an abrupt end.
At 5:15pm, we headed back to a packed clubhouse to soak up the atmosphere. At 7:00pm, we saw the great Billy Smith and coach Nathan Brown chatting. The body language suggested they were discussing football tactics. It was a pleasing sight to see two of the clubs favourite sons talking one-on-one.
Father Ted, always a true and thorough gentleman, stopped ogling the girls long enough to call out to Billy who had no hesitation in joining us. We had a quick conversation and as with all legends, his hand shake was firm and confident.
By 8:00pm, we were all fairly tanked and I had a flight to catch. I said my goodbyes and scored a lift to the airport. By the time I got home, Id been up for over 20 hours and on reflection of the days events I heard myself say, How good is this?
*750 words*