Ahh, the footy’s back. For thousands of Australian’s the rituals now return, footy scarves to work, getting your tips in and planning your weekend around your team.
The start of the year is my favourite time of year for one reason and one reason only. Every single fan of every single team can believe. Whether you follow Geelong, Sydney, St Kilda or North Melbourne you can dare to dream. Dream you’ll win every game, dream you’ll play finals and dream you’ll win on the last Saturday in September.
Cats fans enjoyed the ultimate feeling in 2022. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
By the end of the weekend, we’ll have a ladder, we’ll have a round where very few people will get all nine tips right and those that do will be told by the experts that they were lucky.
Monday morning will see the return of the office footy banter. Where you remind your boss that while he or she may get paid more than you, their football team is still rubbish. Conversely, we all have that co-worker in our office that loves to remind us that it’s just a game.
You can tell them to stick it, as for the next six months, we’re going to rejoice in the outrage, the joys and the heartbreak of our team. We’re going to get fired up hearing the weekly hot take from Kane Cornes, roll our eyes at David King calling for 150 game bans for perfectly legal bumps and laugh at the roasting of Chompers on the Sunday Footy Show.
We’re going to comment on Scoops’ status when the Saint’s lose, ask him where Marcus Bontempelli is in his team of the week and remind him that Tim Membrey is not a top five AFL player, all before inevitably betting blocked.
The story lines are just as exciting. Will the Blues play finals? Will Geelong go back to back? How will North fare under Clarko? How do the saint’s respond to the Lyon-Hayes-Harvey-Goddard coaching team? What new scandals will unfold?
It is a big and hopefully controversy free year for Jordan De Goey. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Which player will get caught being naughty? Which player will take the mantle from Patrick Cripps as the best player in the game? Last year we had the Tom Morris scandal, the breath-taking fresh air of Jack Ginnivan and Jordan De Goey’s Bali antics. What will 2023 produce?
Despite the cost of living crisis, the Australian cricket team losing 2-1 to India and the myriad issues that life throws at us, for three hours each week for the next six months, we can put aside all of it and just cheer, scream and cry for our football team. And to those that tells us it’s just a game – they can stick it.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Tom Hawkins returns to familiar surroundings of Geelong - but is it the tonic he needs to regain some of his confidence back after a goalless four games.
Jeremy Finlayson should be a welcome addition to the Port Adelaide forward line after kicking four goals in the SANFL last week.
Brisbane's players will take inspiration from the stoicism of Lincoln McCarthy and Darcy Gardiner as they faced their season-ending knee injuries. The Lions confirmed…
For somewhere between two and three and a half quarters, depending on how generous you want to be, Adelaide didn't do a whole lot…
Former great Jimmy Bartel is 'incredibly uncomfortable' at the prospect of Tarryn Thomas being given a second chance at an AFL career, as the…
Last, year in the second showdown, Adelaide destroyed Port by 47 points with a staggering 20 marks inside 50 with Tex Walker the main star.
