drainpipe32
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
- Online Cricket Games Owned
Dees shocking again today.
9.30am. Dad and I were in the car, and off to the place they call the ?Cattery?... a place opposition fans dread due to parking, reserve seating and habitual poor performances over the last 2 years. We were ready for a long road trip, accompanied by an optimistic belief that North could pull of the unthinkable and defeat the Cats in the Cattery.
It took us about an hour and a half to drive down and we were very lucky to get a park near the ground. We organised our tickets with the North Melbourne cheersquad, who do a wonderful job in ?organising the faithful?. We paid for our tickets and proceeded to enter Skilled Stadium. It was 11.30am and the ground was already half full with Geelong supporters expecting another win. Wins for Geelong seem to come as regularly as milking cows ( an apt descriptor given that many of the Geelong faithful are farmers on which Victoria has built its agricultural wealth).
We entered our bay which was next to the Doug Wade Stand, and I was fortunate enough to be ushered to an excellent seat in the front row. There was a catch though, fans occupying the front seats were expected to wave a flogger every time North kicked a goal. This was a new experience for a guy who normally sits further back in the outer and shows his delight by punching his fist into the air rather than by waving a flag or a pom pom. Consistent with my front row seating I was surprised and pleased to be asked to assist in holding the banner aloft on the playing field for my beloved Kangaroos to run through. With encouragement from my dad and his friends at the back I said yes, very quietly.....
At 12.30 the time had come. A bunch of us, 24 to be exact left the bay and went to collect the banner. Whilst walking through the back of the ground, I managed to catch a glimpse of Majak Daw, the South Sudanese refugee who was picked up by North Melbourne in last year?s Rookie draft being asked questions from Geelong supporters. I also noted that the Cattery?s famous Spud Marquee was inundated with people waiting for a hot spud with salsa on a cold afternoon.
Given the number of Geelong supporters everywhere it felt like I was passing through ?enemy lines? with a small band of North Melbourne comrades. Not perturbed by our minority status we cheer squad members were allocated on field tasks and asked to adorn ourselves with distinctive cheer squad jackets (our uniform displayed proudly in enemy territory!)
The gates to the playing field finally opened and like a centipede with many legs we proudly carried the banner onto the ground. A few boos and derisory remarks from the Geelong enemy, but nothing too serious nor offensive. As a team we got the banner ready and held it up high. I was positioned at the end of the banner and had to run inwards to hold up the banner when it was lifted, but suffered the indignity of catapulting bum first onto the wet grass. This was however a small indignity for me to pay given the important work that we were doing together to hold the North Melbourne colours high.
Rest ---> ?Trip down the highway? | Thebigtip
2006 Melbourne v Geelong. Epic game, one of the few draws I've seen. Got us to finals and killed theirs. Went to Melb-Geelong this year as well, and North-Geelong last year.Anyone here been to Skilled Stadium? Favourite memories?
The Demons ofc I went to that game as well, forgot to mention it. That'd be my fave moment at Skilled, where we beat Geelong by one point, where Egan missed. Just a bit bitter because they beat us in the elimination final a few weeks later :oYep, North Melbourne supporter and member.
Gazza, that was the one were Egan missed after the siren? Nice. Who do you barrack for?