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What makes a rivalry great? I have been thinking about this since the 2013 AFL draw come out, with Carlton again taking on the Tigers in the first round.
Carlton and Richmond are rivals, but I didn’t really understand why. I know it can’t just be put down to location and proximity, otherwise the football crowds would have descended into chaos a long time ago.
I found out it is proximity, along with Richmond scoring the highest ever grand final score in 1972. And Carlton scoring higher.
Here are a couple of my favourite rivalries from around the world, and what is behind them.
Rivalries are a dime a dozen in football – the Merseyside Derby between Everton and Liverpool, The Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers, El Clasico with Barcelona FC and Real Madrid in Spain.
However, the South Coast derby in English football is a particularly important one to me. It features my team, Southampton, and nearby Portsmouth.
Southampton supporters are called ‘scummers’ by Pompey fans, and Portsmouth supporters were given the name skates (a derogatory name for a navy sailor) after a Saints fanzine asked for suggestions.
The closeness of the two cities (only 17 miles) is not the only factor. The two both have ports – Southampton being a merchant port, and Portsmouth being the home of the Royal Navy.
It is a widespread belief that Southampton dock workers crossed picket lines in Portsmouth in the 1930s. On the park, the clubs have been playing each other since 1899. Portsmouth has won more titles, but Southampton has won more games against its rival.
It really escalated in 2004, when Southampton appointed then Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp halfway through the season.
Southampton were relegated to the Championship (and later League One), and Redknapp was amazingly re-appointed at Portsmouth immediately after, leading to a war of words between respective chairmen Rupert Lowe and Milan Mandaric.
The two Hampshire clubs have had mixed fortunes since, but the hatred is still there. I had the great pleasure of watching Southampton play Bournemouth at their home ground, St Mary’s, two years ago. The whole stadium erupted during half time when it was announced over the PA that Portsmouth were down 2-0 to Middlesbrough elsewhere.
Another personal favourite of mine (and every other Australian) is The Ashes. The legend is pretty well known – In 1882, Australia beat England by only eight runs in a terrific match at the Oval.
Afterwards, Englishman Reginald Brookes wrote a mock obituary in The Sporting Times:
“In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29th AUGUST 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, R.I.P.
“N.B. – The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
It is important to remember, at this point, that Australia was still a group of colonies owned by the Crown. We were still English ourselves. This was almost our own War of Independence, just set on a lush, green, oval shaped battlefield in Kensington, and with us launching hard leather rather than cannonballs.
The Poms, on the other hand, were perhaps losing their grip as a world superpower – America was gone and India was starting to wriggle out of Britain’s grip. It could not lose to a colony again.
England won the Ashes back immediately in 1882, and the flames were fanned. Many incidents have stoked it since, including the 1902 Test Series, which is regarded as one of the best ever; the infamous 1932-33 Bodyline series; offspinner Jim Laker taking 19 out of 20 English wickets in the 1956 Old Trafford test; and a young Shane Warne’s “Ball of the Century” to take Mike Gatting’s stumps.
It has been over 130 years, and Australian cricket still plains entire seasons around the aim of claiming or reclaiming the Ashes.
There are many other great rivalries around the world, past and present – honourable mentions go to the LA Lakers and LA Clippers, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, the Chinese and Japanese Gymnastic teams, State of Origen, and the United States and anybody (at anything).
The lesson we can learn from them is that you can’t just plonk a team somewhere and call it a rivalry (*cough* Q Clash *cough*).
The great rivalries involve feelings of real emotion, and standing up for opposing beliefs, ideals, and histories. Not just bragging rights. Or gimmicky names.
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