Wow what a big day it was over here in Perth yesterday. And what a roller coaster of emotions too.
I couldn't get into the usual pre-match festivities as early as I'd like due to the game being brought forward 90 minutes. I act as a Race Director for the WA Marathon Club and I was in charge of a race on Sunday morning. Fortunately everyone was well aware of my allegiances and once the race was over I was packed off and told not to bother about the usual 2 hours of post race work, it would be done for me.
So it was down to JB O'Reilley's for a quickie having seen most of my drinking buddies on their way out as I was on my way in. Once in the ground the pre-match entertainment was up to it's usual Glory standard i.e. for us football fans I couldn't give a tinkers cuss but the families seem to love it AND it was very well done.
I'd tipped Glory to win 3-0. At half-time I felt I was dreaming. To me the turning point was the 'gongs first goal. Glory heads dropped and Wolves were on a roll. Horsley started to run Glory ragged. Once Afkos was brought on it helped but the tide had turned. Still Glory couldn't blow a 3-0 lead, could they?
Well we've got all 'Monday's experts' (as Paul Kelly so aptly christened them) out in force toady. "Oh Stange should never have done this", "Wehrmann should never have done that, "Edwards didn't do anything other than miss a penalty". Isn't 20-20 hind-sight a wonderful thing.
I'd just like to congratulate Wolves and their faithful fans who were sat just below us. At half-time you looked pretty down in the dumps, but you kept behind your team. Well done to one and all, you deserve your success. I don't think anyone who was at Perth Oval a few years back will ever forgive the Wolves players and Nick Alphabet for their disgraceful behavior that day, but they were light years away from that yesterday. In victory they conducted themselves with great dignity.
Well done Wolves!
This poem was read out this morning on Perth's 720 6WF. Just about sums up the feelings of all us Glory fans I reckon :-).
National Soccer League Grand Final - 2000
I faced the starting of the match
With feelings of misgiving
If Glory didn't win the game
Life wouldn't be worth living.
At half-time we were three-nil up
The fans were quite ecstatic
To beat us Wollongong
Would have to do something dramatic.
And when they scored their first goal
I wasn't really fazed
The second had me worried
The third one left me dazed.
But hey, we still had extra time
In which to score a goal
But 90 minutes of hard play
Had clearly taken toll.
I watched the penalty shoot-out
With pounding heart and head
Each time it seemed we had a chance
The Wolves would knock it dead.
The match was quite terrific
No-one deserved to lose
And deciding it on penalties
Was not a way we'd choose.
But don't give me that crap about
It's how you play the game
'Cos when your team's the one that lost
It's still a bloody shame!
*Lesley Adams 11.06.2000