The Unsociables | Thebigtip

It was family day for me at the footy watching the family club. That's Hawthorn for those of you who think we're just unsociable. We just look after our own. Would you stand by while your little Buddy was being set upon by a great Lake of a man? Of course not. 

So there I was with my son, wife and my daughter for only the first time this year. Usually when I leave for the footy, I leave my daughter in tears. And for the first few weeks of this season I would greet her on my return with tears of my own (fresh tears(!) despite the hours journey home). Lately those tears have been of joy and sweet relief - these three point games take an emotional toll.

How many times have we been headed in the last quarter in this run of wins? Five! Richmond, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Essendon and the Doggies. It stands us in good stead for next time we play Geelong...Huh, this week!? 

We climbed to the 4^th level of the Southern Stand behind the goals. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; that’s our family mantra; kids can make anything seem like fun…and anything seem like torture, but that’s another car-trip/story.

We were high up, sure, but we had a good view of the ground. The Hawks scored the first goal. I turned to my daughter to share the joy, Can we go now? (that was her not me). I laughed and turned back to the game. Don’t want to make her angry, you don’t want to make her angry (my own personal mantra).

Much as I would love it to be over at that point, we could not go. The jollying along begins; trips to the back of the grandstand to treat street; raiding our stash – we are in the treat seats.  

Sure, Jersey in some sort of crazy soccer way, I'd love to be able to begin singing the song while the boys stack the backline and practice their diving. But there's much more of a story to unfold here; Many more realistic chances for both sides to take or to botch; players coming and going through the interchange gate almost as they please; and different players emerging through the night with the keys to victory. Sounds borwing (that's her again, 'boring' - ain't she cute).

The Hawks seemed like they were out on their feet in the first quarter. Some could barely raise the pace to get off the ground for their two minute rest. Buddy did well to play almost without rest considering he was carrying Brian Lake around every time he went for the ball. 

It seemed like all our hard work was being done to stop the dogs, leaving us nothing to go into attack. Our first few goals were from frees and deft tap ons that you would think could never be repeated if it weren't for a forward line containing Rioli, Buddy, Peterson, Young and Osborne with Hodge dashing across the arc on his high-stepping run. Add to that the plinth that is Jarryd Roughead. On that chin Alistair bases his forward line, on that noggin we’ve tossed our worst barbs over the past few weeks. He hasn’t really been out of form – just shoddy kicking and not the target he might be at the Dees or the Blues.

Such potency on such a plinth you can see why a team might feel threatened and why a fan might always have hope. (Peterson may not survive in the team next week, despite being one of the few who knew when to fly for the ball, "when its there, you go!" - though I’d have him in over Muston; the boy has less bodyfat than Dustin Fletcher and none of that mans unerring eye for the ball).