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On Sunday afternoon, I attended the NRL match at the Sydney Football Stadium between the Wests Tigers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. With six minutes to go the Tigers led 16-4, and a win for the Bunnies looked extremely unlikely.
As the clock ticked down, I watched on in amazement as hordes of Rabbitohs fans headed for the exits, convinced that their team was going home the loser.
Yet as so often happens in sport, the script had plenty of twists left, and the Rabbitohs miraculously scored two late tries, storming home to bring the scores level and send the game into golden point.
In extra time, the momentum was all with Souths and it came as no surprise that Greg Inglis sent through a wobbly field goal to cap off a remarkable victory for the boys from Redfern.
Tigers fans were shocked. Souths fans were justifiably ecstatic… the ones that had stayed, anyway.
Once again sport, in this case rugby league, had produced the unexpected. Once again sport had provided the real-life drama that movies could only hope to replicate. Once again, sport had supplied a ‘moment’.
And yet some fans weren’t there to see it because they left the game early.
The Souths fans that headed for the turnstiles before the game was over should be ashamed of themselves. First of all, you never give up on your team. Ever. I’m not sure you can even be called a fan if you do.
Secondly, surely one of the main attractions of watching sport live is the potential to witness something truly amazing. Something special. Something historic. Something memorable.
And there is nothing more amazing, special, historic and memorable in sport than the comeback. To claim a victory when all hope seemed lost. To produce a win, when a loss seemed all but certain.
Why a fan would ever leave a game early, and rob themselves of seeing something truly amazing, absolutely baffles me. Surely you go to a game to support your team, while also hoping that something miraculous happens?
Most fans dream about attending a game like Sunday’s. Those that watched the game on TV almost universally wished they had been at the game.
It’s also worth noting that with the way the Wests Tigers play football, you should never leave early anyway.
With the unpredictable, entertaining, low percentage style of rugby league that Wests sometimes play, the game is always alive, regardless of whether the Tigers are up or down by 20 points.
And even if the result of the game isn’t in doubt, you may still witness a piece of magic from Benji Marshall that would have you boasting to friends for years, “I was there!”
Souths fans clearly have short memories. In round one, the Rabbitohs led the Sydney Roosters 20-12 with just two minutes to go. Yet the Roosters pulled off a remarkable victory, scoring two tries to steal the match, and highlight that the game is never over until you hear the final siren.
Hopefully the pain of the Roosters’ match and the ecstasy of Sunday’s game have taught Souths fans a valuable lesson.
Something to do with a large female and her vocal chords.