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The final week of September. For football followers, does it get any better? Well, if your team is one of the two yet to hold their Mad Monday celebrations, then it really doesn’t get much better.
The anticipation, the excitement, the unique experience of the grand final parade and, for those lucky enough, a seat at the MCG next Saturday afternoon, to hopefully cheer their team to a premiership victory.
But they are the minority. For most – the members and fans of the other 16 clubs – the season is now over, and 2014 seems such a long, long way away.
For some, when their team is eliminated or, even worse, fails to make the finals, that’s it. Season over, and, “I don’t care what happens any more.”
For others, there remains a passing interest – simply a glance at the TV on grand final day to see if it’s Meatloaf doing a wonderful job with the half-time entertainment or not, but they really don’t care which team wins.
But some are stayers, some like to see a season out until the end, and while they won’t have their team on the MCG next Saturday, they still want to have a team to cheer for during those three hours in front of the television.
And why not? It doesn’t take too much looking to find a reason to cheer for, or against, one of the two grand final combatants.
Sometimes it might simply be that one of the teams playing is your second favourite team, like the Swans are for many people.
Or perhaps, it’s just the hatred you have for one of sides, like the dislike many have for Collingwood.
Either way, you can easily find a reason to cheer on the last Saturday in September.
Let’s just say you are sitting on the pickets, not sure which way to go this weekend. I’m a little the same.
I missed out on my dream grand final of Geelong-Hawthorn, but I still think the Fremantle-Hawks decider can be a classic.
But who do I support on Saturday, who do I really want to win?
That’s not who do I put my cash on, because that’s more a case of who I think will win. But who would I be happy seeing as the winners?
Firstly, let’s look at reasons to cheer for the Dockers.
Matthew Pavlich and Luke McPharlin. Nice guys. Over 500 senior matches with Fremantle between them. Wouldn’t it be good to finally see some success arrive for the nice guys?
Hawthorn win all the time. They have won 10 flags and this is their 17th grand final. For Fremantle this is their first and it would be great for the game having some new blood on the winner’s dais.
With their purple guernseys and woeful results, the Dockers were the punchline of many football jokes. It may be overdue, but finally their time has come.
Cheer for Fremantle simply because you don’t like Hawthorn. Some of the Hawks players just come across a bit arrogant, and aren’t we sick of hearing ‘Buddy, Buddy, Buddy’ all the time?
You’re a Geelong supporter, it should be your team there, so of course you have to cheer against the Hawks after they knocked the Cats out.
As a Swans fan, you have a real affinity with the Dockers’ coaching staff, all former members of the Swans’ family – Ross Lyon, and his assistants Brett Kirk and Mark Stone. Go the Swanified Dockers.
You are a huge fan of the game as a whole and, as a national competition, a Fremantle win would be so beneficial.
And finally, the Dockers deserve it. The way they have played all season, and particularly in the finals, beating Geelong in Geelong, and then being ruthless against the Swans.
So, what about reasons to cheer for Hawthorn?
They were so close last year, they deserve a break this time around.
I know brown and gold are not everyone’s first choice of going out attire, but if Fremantle win, purple might become fashionable.
They have been the best team all season… they deserve it.
As a GWS fan, it would be nice to see Buddy Franklin win a flag before he heads to Sydney to become a Giant.
You’re a West Coast Eagles supporter and still think Perth should be a one team town.
You are proudly Victorian, and you almost believe it should still be the VFL and not the AFL. Even though your team is not there, you can’t handle the thought of another interloper taking the flag back to their state. It’s happened way too often in recent times – 2001, 2002, and 2003 (Brisbane), 2004 (Port Adelaide), 2005 (Sydney), 2006 (West Coast) and 2012 (Sydney).
And finally two more reasons to cheer for the Hawks over the Dockers: Ryan Crowley and Hayden Ballantyne.
Well those are just some of the reasons. I’m sure you probably also have a few of your own.
Make a choice. Don’t sit on the fence. Your team is not there, but that shouldn’t stop you cheering your lungs out on Saturday, and getting a little feel of the emotions of having a team in the decider.
I know it’s not the same but, for most of us, that’s all we have on this last Saturday in September.
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