The Eve of Greatness
And so… here we are.
After around twenty years of being a long-suffering Tigers fan, the day before the big game has finally arrived.
Such has been the emotional roller-coaster over the past few weeks, I have barely found time to write my next novel, let alone sit down and blog.
It is with such anticipation that I sit here writing this, overwhelmed by the thought that maybe; just maybe, the team I had supported most of my life was finally going reach the pinnacle.
I wrote several weeks ago about what it meant to be a Tigers supporter, and the wealth of emotion since that time has increased. And so has my love for the club, its players and its fans.
I, along with 90,000 others, was able to enjoy our first Preliminary Final win in since 1982. I made my way across the country with wifey, and arrived the day before the game. We went to training, and I tried to immerse myself as much as I could in the moments leading up to the match. And when the moment of victory came, it was beyond all that I hoped it would be.
The roar of the crowd when the final siren went is not an experience I will soon forget.
Only two events in my life have brought me more joy - the day of my wedding and the birth of my twins.
I was fortunate enough to be sitting next to wifey. She has not been a supporter as long as I have, having been converted to the Tiggy Train when we met around seven years ago. But her passion has equalled mine, and the joy we shared following the win was a mutually shared experience that will remain in my heart forever.
But, with only one more sleep, the journey to euphoria is not yet complete. Tomorrow, we play the Adelaide Crows – a team that thoroughly deserves the title of Australia’ best football team.
And while we go into the game as underdogs, I know that should we play our best, we will win.
And that will be the sweetest victory of them all.
Go Tiges.
