Port Melbourne and Coburg slug it out (literally) in the 1980 VFA grand final at a packed Junction Oval.
I care about football, on a universal scale. I know I probably shouldn’t when famine exists, when the world seems to be on the brink of a holy war, or maybe a class war and even if neither of those two things happen, there’s always the fact the environment is on the brink of global collapse.
But I love football. And having thought about it, it’s probably those current events that drive me back to the MCG.
I love other things The Beatles, literature, film, The Beatles, rock ‘n roll music, friends, craft beer, The Beatles. There’s nothing, however, ( if I’m really honest ), I care about as much as football.
Other things perhaps bring me more joy, but nothing stirs my blood more than football. And if that makes me a shallow person, I throw my mercy at the feet of the court.
When I stop to think about why I care about football so much, I can put my finger on a few things. How exciting the game is, the athleticism of the players, the roar of the crowd, the enormity of the MCG. In reality, though, it’s about family.
When I was born, I was picked up out of my cot and pronounced a Richmond supporter. I have fond memories of kicking the football with my uncle in my little Tigers jumper, the house being decked out in Richmond colours.
Later on, I would jump ship (I was five years old) and start barracking for Fitzroy so I could go to the football with my dad. These are some of my favourite memories still.
Fitzroy disappeared after it “merged” with Brisbane. Occasionally, the Lions will wear the Fitzroy colours, and it’s like seeing a woman in a cafe who looks so similar to your late wife that it stops you in your tracks for a moment until you shake yourself free of the sensation and go about your day.
I then went back to the Tigers and started going to games with my mum for a while until I started going on my own.
Has this article been self-indulgent so far? Yes, it has. But the narcissism has a point. Football teams are a lightning rod for relationships, and the memories of those relationships merge and mould into the strong feeling you already have for your club. To the point where it becomes a part of you.
Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about a national reserves competition, which initially sounds great doesn’t it?
Until you start thinking about what happens to the state level competitions. Two teams would come out of the SANFL. Four teams would come out of the NEAFL, one team out of the WAFL, and you’d expect the 10 AFL-affiliated teams in the AFL to join.
That would leave five stand-alone clubs in the VFL. Coburg, Frankston, Port Melbourne, Werribee and Williamstown.
One can only hope that the AFL recognises the contribution that the VFA/VFL has made to the game of Australian Rules for 140 years, and helps preserve it in some form, and not just leave it to fend for itself, like it has a lot of grassroots football over the last 20 years or so.
Besides the history of the competitions, I think most footy lovers across all the states Australia would appreciate having a truly state-wide competition that they can support. Who knows? People may get behind that just as much as their national league side.
I for one would love to see the return of clubs like Springvale, Dandenong and Brunswick/Broadmeadows (which would be quite the clash of cultures these days)
It’s important to have three tiers of football for the AFL. Let’s hope the people at AFL House see it the same way.
