When we landed in Melbourne it was Friday morning. We were home by 10am and by 10.01am I was gulping cordial by the litre! It was so good.. mum knows exactly how to make it!
Bill jumped straight in the shower and he was asleep by 1pm. Normally we would never sleep on the day of arrival but as we had a late night it was a necessity. I stayed up and laid on the couch watching Collingwood replays that dad had on Foxtel. At by 6pm we were out the door and on the train – we had a footy game to go to!! It was surreal – one day I was walking around Brooklyn and then the next I am in my footy gear and travelling on the Epping line.
I cannot describe how it feels when it comes time to step off the train at Jolimont. Walking towards the ground, smelling the wet dirt smell of Yarra Park, the fried food, the same public announcer letting people know that the only spare seats left are at the top deck of the Southern Stand… it is surreal.
We had some business to sort out first at the Collingwood shop (that is another blog post in itself) so we walked over the bridge and I was looking at the Melbourne skyline at sunset. It was beautiful. I got to show Bill the paver that I have in the front area of the Westpac Centre. Here is a photo I took back in 2008 –
Bill finally got the chance to put on his Pies guernsey… here he is at the Bob Rose statue.
We got to our seats and they were in the pocket close to the Southern Stand. While we were at Dave Matthews on the Sunday night before we left, it was Bill’s job to get our seats. Done and done! We even beat Sandra to our seats and she is always usually there first.
Here we are…!
We settled in and saw a scrappy game. I was just happy we were there and took the outlook of if we won it would be a bonus and it would be great for Bill to experience two Melbourne teams in Preliminary Final, under lights at the G. Either way, we would make some great memories… hopefully. At 8.30pm my eyes were closing and I could not control them. It was like someone was trying to tape them down. By the time I had my pie (thanks Sandra!) and a bottle of water (thanks Bill!) I was feeling more alert and could concerntrate on the game better. It looked like the Pies were going to lose the game – we were still barracking like crazy and what would you know. Goals started falling from the sky… well it felt that way! In one of the greatest Preliminary Finals ever, Collingwood came from behind to win with only minutes to go. Of course then, the whole ground turned into a Collingwood lovefest. We were hugging/hi-fiving and going nuts with everyone around us. It was amazing. I was with my Collingwood family and it felt SO good! Good old Collingwood Forever played over and over. We were chanting, singing, people were jumping on their chairs… we were in the Grand Final for another year!
We walked past the boys in M32, Cooooollllllinnnngwwwwwwooooodddd was echoing through the underpasses. As I have done hundreds of times before, we squeezed over the bridge to Jolimont and got on the train home. Dad picked us up from the station – a routine that has never changed! It was one of the best nights ever – just seeing a game like that and hearing the roar of the crowd when the Pies hit the front. I am getting goosebumps just typing it!
I love that some things never change.
If you want to relive some of the amazing last quarter and check it out from the 6.50 mark for some great scenes.
Good Old Collingwood Forever!