Jumping at the thrill of an AFL finals victory

For every day of my 16 years on earth I have waited to witness my North Melbourne Kangaroos succeed in the heat of finals football. Finally, this is coming to fruition.

The past two weeks I have sat through nail-bitting finals that I am proud to say are two of the best victories I have witnessed.

What a feeling it was, sitting in the crowd when Drew Petrie kicked two clutch goals in a minute to win the game and jumping with joy as the thrill of the crowd erupted around me.

There is no better feeling than seeing Ben Brown come of age and become the big-time player in his first final, right in front of your eyes. The feeling that there is a next week, and another chance to shine, all while walking out of the MCG and singing victory songs with excitement and anticipation. It brings confidence to your week and brings a positive mood set into your life.

There is an amazing thrill of witnessing Geelong fight back, watching with nerves and yelling at every piece of play. As Geelong narrow the margin it makes you wish the siren would just sound and the game can just end. And as the last passage of play takes place, and your almost unable to watch sitting on the edge of your seat, that is the thrill of finals.

When Todd Goldstein takes a match-winning mark in crunch time – that is the thrill of finals. When you watch with unbearable nerves just praying for the siren to sound, when you finally hear it, rise and cheer – that is the thrill of finals football

The realisation that North Melbourne are through to a preliminary final is an uplifting and satisfying feeling. Going in with so much confidence and a great flowing game style makes you feel North can conquer anything.

This side is reminiscent of the team of the early 1990s, an up and coming force to be reckoned with. You just feel that this can be a dawn of a new era that dominates the rest of the decade for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Finally I’m living through the thrill of finals.