Yesterday Dean Young. Today Mark Gasnier. Who will it be tomorrow? Let’s go back, shall we? September 24 2005. A star-studded St George Illawarra Dragons outfit are at unbackable odds to defeat the fans-favourite West Tigers in a Preliminary Final and march on to defeat whoever in the Grand Final a week later.
The result?
Palms sweat, mouths twitch, neck muscles stiffen, minds wander, fingers point, noose tightens. It’s all over. Dragons vaporise. Tigers win 20-12 and march on themselves to claim the title.
Now fast forward almost five years to the day. Same two teams, same Preliminary final, same Saturday night, same expectations and many of the same players. Same result? Don’t bet against it.
We’re barely midway through the week in the lead up to this 2010 mega-clash and the Dragons players who were playing that night are coming out, one-by-one, and talking of redemption.
Dean Young was Monday, Mark Gasnier was Mr Tuesday. Three Dragon players left who played in 2005 and three weekdays to go. Pencil in the game’s second most over-rated backrower* Ben Creagh for Wednesday, Coops for Thursday and Captain Ben for Friday.
You reckon the boys are over it? You reckon?
Even Trent Barrett who played pivot for the Dragons that night in 2005, and who has played for two clubs and in two countries since, is talking to anybody that will listen about “that game”.
So you say it’s too predictable to paint the doom and gloom 2005 parallels scenario right? You say you’ve heard it all before. You say 2010 is about redemption and erasing nightmares.
You simply say 2010 will be different. For positive reinforcement you repeat mantras to yourself at every opportunity:
“It’s going to be different to 2005”.
“It’s going to be different to 2004”.
“It’s going to be different to 2006”.
“It’s going to be different to 2009.”
Maybe 2010 will be different. Maybe the Dragons will go somewhere different for their trip away and cry into the different beers there.
Fact: you can’t get Tooheys New in Uzbekistan.
Tigers by 30.
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