I Nearly Forgot....

One of my favourite 2018 moments.....12 years in the making.

Photo from here

They defied the odds all year, which made victory oh so very sweet.

I hope Robert Walls enjoys his humble pie.

The Tale of Two Mother's Days

Mother's Day, Sunday 14th May 1995:
The day of the inaugural Western Derby between the Eagles and the Dockers.  This became known as the 'Mother's Day Massacre' as the reigning premiers, the Eagles, taught the young upstarts a lesson, belting them by 85 points.

What a glorious day that was!

Mother's Day, Sunday 14th May 2017:
Exactly 22 years to the day.  This one was not glorious, but it had nothing to do with football.

We were on our way home from church when we received a call saying that a fire was threatening our house.  Apparently the neighbours had been burning off, but it was a windy day and the fire spread to the bush behind our house, where our rubbish tip was.

I dropped Duncan home, so he could join the local fire brigade (made up of farmers) to help fight the fire.  The boys and I escaped to a friend's house, 10 minutes away.  She was with her husband, helping to fight the fire and their two boys were with a friend, so we had the house to ourselves.  At this stage, I didn't realise just how close the fire was to our house.  When our friend, Mel, returned, she told me to brace myself for the worst, but that they were doing everything possible to save the house.

I'm terrified of fire.  I don't know where this strong fear comes from, but I hate lighting fires.  I let the house go cold in winter if Duncan's not home, rather than put more logs on the fire.

A range of emotions engulfed me - panic, fear, uncertainty....anger.  How could the neighbours burn off on such a windy day?  Why didn't they keep an eye on things?  Yes, rain was forecast (but it hadn't come), but didn't they check the wind forecast?  I'd always thought that if there was a fire, that I'd be happy to escape with our lives, that 'stuff' didn't matter.  And it wasn't the actual stuff I was fretting about; it was the ardurous task of starting over.  Where would we live?  The farm had insurance, but how long would we have to wait?  I had no idea about any of that.  I didn't want to have to deal with people offloading piles of their old junk onto us, thinking they were being generous, but really just cleaning out their cupboards.  No, I don't want 50 smelly blankets and old high heels, thank you very much.

I worried about my animals.  I began to brace myself for the fact that they could already be dead.

But I was also freaking out because the very night before, I'd dreamed that our house was burning down.  Now it was coming true!  What was I supposed to make of that?

Mel returned to the fire, rescued our dogs and took them to a neighbour's place.  The neighbours across the road were told to evacuate.

The boys and I stayed at Mel's house and gradually we were joined by all of the farm wives and their kids.  On one hand, I was grateful for the company.  On the other hand, I just wanted to be alone.  I was numb.  I didn't want to listen to laughing and joking people, chatting cheerily around me.

Finally, I heard the news that the fire had been contained and it was safe to go home. 

Miraculously the house wasn't even smoke damaged, it just smelt horrid, like we were smokers and had smoked inside for years with the windows shut.

My animals were all safe and well.

Although I am so thankful to God for granting my anguished requests to save our house, I am ashamed to say that, once again, I was angry.  How could God let this happen?  I was challenged to think about whether He is a good God if our house had burned to the ground.

The answer: Yes, He is.

They backburned this paddock next to our house to contain the fire.

Fiery Flynn Has Found His Feet

Flynn is walking!  Rory didn't walk until he was 16 months, but within a few weeks he was walking a fair way down our driveway (which is approximately 700m long).  Flynn took his first steps at 13 months and at 14 months is well and truly on the move and into everything.  He is desperate to keep up with his big brother.  He turns 15 months tomorrow.



Oh, and his flame red mullet is gone.  He was starting to look a tad like Cameron Ling, so we took him to the hairdresser for his first haircut last week.

Cameron Ling image from here.

Local Eagle

My former boss's (at the last job I had before having Rory) son was drafted by the Eagles in the rookie draft on Monday.

It'll be so exciting to see a local boy in the blue and gold next year.

Photo from http://westcoasteagles.com.au

Here's his post-draft interview.

I Thought They'd Been Reading This Blog...

Just after a posted this, the Eagles turned their mediocre season around with three consecutive wins against Top Eight sides.

They should have read my post before Thursday night.

Another season over.  Now I don't care who wins the premiership (except I don't want Hawthorn to become Fourthorn).

Image from here

Runner Up Hangover

The Eagles' 2016 campaign has been bitterly disappointing so far.  Unless they pull their fingers out of their butts, they'll only be making up numbers in the Top Eight come finals time.  They'll end up being the Eagles of the late nineties - making the finals each year, but no threat to the premiership.

It's like they thought they were shoe-ins after being Grand Finalists last year.  That the only way was up.  That Jetta and Redden were the missing pieces of the puzzle, and they'd be unbeatable with them. But their two prize recruits have been as disappointing as their new team.  A lot of the players are playing like they don't really want to be there.  It's lazy football.

One of the saddest things has been Eric Mackenzie's struggle to reassert himself as the fullback he once was.  It's a bit like learning to live without a limb.  The rest of the body takes on the extra load to compensate for the missing limb.  Likewise, the Eagles' defence changed their gameplan after Mackenzie went down with a knee injury in the 2015 pre-season.  While they were tipped to struggle big time without him, the defence stood tall and picked up the extra slack.  Imagine getting your limb back after years of living without it.  Now Mackenzie's back and they don't know where he fits anymore.

The Eagles have the talent, but do they have the hunger?  That is the question.

I am so relieved they won the derby.  Imagine the humiliation at losing to the Dorks this year *snort*.

Image from here.

Friday Funnies

Oh the Shockers!

Three Days to Go

The campaign to go one better begins...

5 Most Improved Eagles in 2015

And hopefully we can go one step further in 2016!

1. Brad Sheppard

He went from getting games sporadically to reinventing himself as a defender. An excellent mark for his size, he was the Eagles' well-deserved 'Player of the Finals', and was part of the underestimated backline which stood firm in the absence of Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown.

2. Elliot Yeo
This year he showed why the Eagles got him from Brisbane. His spectacular marking was a highlight and he became a handy goal kicker.

3. Dom Sheed
After only playing a handful of games in his debut year in 2014, Sheed became a vital part of the midfield and came third in the AFL's Rising Star award.

4. Jeremy McGovern
Last year, he showed he can play anywhere. This year, he was needed as a tall defender and he didn't disappoint with his outstanding intercept marks.

5. Andrew Gaff
He appeared to be stagnating over the past couple of years, but this year he really stepped it up, racking up possessions and deservedly won the Eagles' best-and-fairest and a spot in the All-Australian team.

Images from westcoasteagles.com.au

Related posts:
5 Most Improved Eagles in 2014
5 Most Improved Eagles in 2011

Bridesmaids...Nine Years On

As I was preparing to cheer the Eagles to victory against Hawthorn last Saturday, I realised it was nine years since I had watched the Eagles in a Grand Final.

On the 30th September 2006, they were premiers.  That day was a special one.  A lot has happened in those past nine years.

I watched that game with a bunch of people from my church.  Nine years later that church has been closed for three and a half years.

Duncan was there.  At the time he was my love interest.  The day after the Grand Final, he moved to Buntine.  I came to the difficult realisation that nothing was ever going to happen between us and that I had to let my feelings go.  Nine years later we are married and have two beautiful sons.

 

Grand Final Day 2015 was a painful one, but I am proud of the Eagles.  Who could have imagined they would have made it that far.

Image from here

The West is Ours

I'm still basking.  The Eagles' last derby win was in May 2012, when I'd just suspected I was pregnant with Rory.  It certainly has been a long time between drinks.

Down with the Dorkers!  How it tastes so sweet!

Image from here

5 Most Improved Eagles in 2014

I think the Eagles have a good future under Adam Simpson.  He seems like a calm and all round nice bloke.  People calling for him to be sacked should be ashamed of themselves.  Give the bloke a chance.  He seems to have a good rapport with his players and isn't a psycho that chucks phones around.

These are the guys who I thought took the biggest steps forward in 2014 (not including debutants):


1.  Eric Mackenzie
I feared the worst when Darren Glass retired, but Mackenzie really stood up and became the new general of the backline.  He gets the job done with a minimum of fuss and seems to have a good head on his shoulders.  I would really like to see him considered for the captaincy.


2.  Jamie Cripps
I like this guy.  He gets under opposition teams' radar, bobs up and kicks goals.  He's a pretty good mark for his size, too.


3.  Scott Lycett
This guy has proved that the Eagles' ruck stocks are deep.  I'm so glad he's decided to stay!

 
4.  Jamie Bennell
The Eagles have lacked a small defender since David Wirrpanda retired.  This guy's the man.  Has good pace and rebounds well out of defence.

 
5.  Mitch Brown
He really held down his spot this year and played consistently in the backline.

Photos from westcoasteagles.com.au

Farewell Coxy

Not only am I sad that the Eagles didn't make the finals, but I'm also disappointed that we won't get to see Dean Cox on the park once more.  At least his final game was a winning one.

He went from gangly and out-of-shape to one of the finest ruckmen...ever!  His mobility and the way he collected as many possessions as a midfielder revolutionised the game.

Image from here

 Apart from dropping the f-bomb on TV after the 2006 Grand Final, and losing a few bets with Dockers' players over who'd win the derby (apparently he had to run through the streets of Fremantle wearing a Dockers' guernsey and another time he had to wash one of the Dockers' player's car), his career was mostly highlights.

He will be sadly missed.  I'm thankful the Eagles' ruck stocks are so good though.

Bye Coxy!  Thanks for the memories *sniff*

When I saw Big Cox's arms go up, I knew they'd won since I
couldn't hear the siren over the noise around me.
Image from here

Oh the shame!  At least he was a man of his word.
Image from here

I Wanted Suma

But I'm happy with Simpson!

While on holidays, I heard the news I'd been hanging out for.....the Eagles' new coach!

Adam Simpson named West Coast Eagles head coach

I read criticism on the Eagles' Facebook page over Simpson being a Vic.  Umm hello, remember a Victorian called Mick Malthouse who came across and took the club to three Grand Finals and two premierships in his first five seasons as coach?

But when we got back to Perth, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Eagles' fans calling up radio stations when asked their opinion, and say they support the decision one hundred percent.

I do feel for Sumich though.

Welcome Adam Simpson!  May your tenure be a long and a successful one.

Image from here.

My Job Year

I read a bit of Job earlier in the year and I imagine that if God and Satan were talking about me behind the scenes, it may go something like this:

"Sarah only praises you when everything is going well," Satan said.  "But now stretch out your hand and strike everything that she has and she will surely curse you to your face."
The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything she has is in your power...."

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and caused her labour to not progress so that she would require a caesarean which had been her greatest fear.  When her baby son was just two days old she began to sink into a deep depression which would result in two hospital stints (and narrowly avoiding a third).  She spent many hours and days in bed, resulting in social isolation and enormous strain on her husband.  She had to give up her church involvement and could not even attend church for many weeks.  Her baby was struck with silent reflux, causing him to scream when lying flat, cold after cold during the winter months, and eczema.  For months afterwards, he would wake six times per night on average driving his parents to become sleep-deprived zombies.  Sarah was surrounded by an initially unhelpful mother and loads of conflicting and confusing advice and criticism.  Sarah's auntie died after a long battle with lung cancer.  Her depression continued to fluctuate, sinking to lows such as thoughts of suicide.  Just when she thought she was on the way up, her medication stopped working and she was back at the beginning again.  Her cat became unwell because of the stress in the household and started pulling her fur out.  Her husband's migraines became more frequent.  Her football team had a shocking year and, to top it off, the arch-enemies made the Grand Final.

There have been some good things, but please don't say, "But you have a beautiful baby," or something equally trite.  It really doesn't help.  This has been the worst year of my life.

The difference between Job and myself is that Job did not charge God with wrongdoing, even though his wife told him to curse God and die.  But I did.  I became angry at God.  I'm sorry God.  I'm not upright and blameless like Job.

This year I have come to understand some more of God's amazing grace.  There is no way I could be upright and blameless on my own merit.  But praise be to God, He looks at me and sees Jesus' perfect righteousness.  Jesus took my sin, paid the price for it, and defeated death by rising again.  I get a white robe so that although my sins may be scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.

Who Will I Be Supporting on Saturday?

That's a silly question, but I've been asked it.  Some people just assume I'll be supporting the Dorkers 'cos they're from WA.

The biggest enemy is in your own backyard.  Ask a Carlton supporter if they'd barrack for Collingwood over the Eagles...I don't think so.  I know for a fact that plenty of Dorks' supporters were barracking hard for Sydney in the 2005-06 Grand Finals.

So, when asked if I'll be a Dorks' fan on Saturday, I will quote Kevin from Home Alone:

I'd rather kiss a toilet seat.

GO HAWTHORN! ;)

Image sourced from here.

Ben Cousins

Recently I read Ben Cousins: My Life Story.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I sure couldn't put it down.

It is much, much better than the documentary.  It goes into a lot more detail for a start.

If you're a footy fan, it would be hard to approach this book without any sort of bias.  Most people have already formed an opinion on Cousins and if they already think he's a loser, the book probably won't change their minds.  As an Eagles' supporter, I came to it expecting to be quite saddened by what it revealed.  I couldn't help but reflect on all the years his performances brought me such joy, and it is kind of heartbreaking to read the details of what became of him.  Like many photos, I found it hard to look at the photos he includes in the book.  It is hard to believe the cheeky-looking 18-year-old who won the Rising Star award in 1996 went on to live a double life.

It is a fascinating look into how the mind of one addict works.  He is certainly an interesting character.  Organised, driven, and dedicated, he explains how he managed to live two lives for so long.  He would train harder than anyone during the week, put 110% into his matches so he wouldn't let his teammates down, then reward himself with a 'bender' which he timed specifically to avoid the drug testing.   After he'd come down, he'd start the cycle all over again. (Be warned: he goes into very specific detail about his drug-taking.)

I had kind of expected the book to be a sweeping overview of events, rather than a detailed account of this thoughts and feelings.  There I was very, very wrong.  I was surprised about how honest he is about himself, his flaws, his insecurities, and his feelings.  I would have been too embarrassed to put that sort of stuff in a book.

Some people I know who have read the book have criticised him for not revealing who his dealers are, or for painting certain shady figures (i.e. John Kizon) in too positive a light.  To be honest, I can't blame him for not putting that information out there.  His life certainly wouldn't be worth living if he did, although I can understand why people would want him to.  Cousins says he has always taken people as he finds them and doesn't worry about their reputation.   He has a 'I know they're supposed to be dodgy, but they've always been kind to me' attitude.  In fact, he even credits Kizon with trying to get him off crystal meth when he became addicted to it in 2006/07 (what led to him no longer being able to 'control' his addiction).

This is not a book I could come away from thinking I either like or I don't like Ben Cousins.  He does many, many stupid things in the book.  I couldn't help thinking that if I was his girlfriend, I would have left him a long time ago.  But then I thought about how I'd react if Duncan had a drug problem, and I'm really not sure.

But there are a couple of things about him that made me respect him as a person.  Firstly, he never blames anyone else for his addiction.  In a time when people refuse to take responsibility for their actions, he never casts the blame onto his family and upbringing, his football clubs...anyone.  He especially praises his dad who, as his confidante and best mate, has stuck with him, yet always made him face consequences for his actions while growing up.  Even though he was diagnosed with ADHD while in rehab in the US, he never uses it as an excuse for his drug-taking.  He labels himself as a 'self-confessed ratbag'.

Secondly, he showed great respect for the faith of his Christian teammate, Mark Seaby.  It was a tradition at the Eagles for new guys to the club to get up in front of their teammates and say a bit about themselves.  The team would then ask personal questions such as, What's your best sexual experience? and When was the first time you had sex?  When Mark Seaby admitted to being a virgin and Troy Wilson made a wisecrack about it, Cousins describes how Michael Gardiner (another ratbag at the club) went in to bat for Seaby:
But Troy Wilson made a smart-arse comment, something really ordinary.  And then Mickey Gardiner did one of the things that I loved him for.  In his time in Perth, Gardy would manage to upset everyone in the city about three times each.  But he would not tolerate teasing.  He grabbed Wilson by the scruff of his neck and said, "Pull your head in or I'll give you a slap."
I remember leaving the meeting full of new respect for both Gardy and Seaby.  And I was ashamed that I wasn't the one who stood up and grabbed Wilson like that.  I went up to Seaby and said, "For what it's worth, I have a lot of admiration for what you did, because I know myself that if I was in that situation I wouldn't have the balls, or the courage, or the dash, to stand up and say I haven't had sex.  Mate, I admire that.  You have a rare quality that virtually none of us do, and I hope you're proud of it."
A football club is a tough place to be different.  They've improved a bit since then, but the mentality is still there.  It never sat well with me that a bloke couldn't feel safe standing up and saying who he was.....And what Seaby said made me think back to how I'd been in such a hurry to do things only because I'd felt inadequate.  When I saw his sturdiness of character, I regretted my own rush as an adolescent... (pages 135-36)

I liked the way the book was written.  Authorship is credited to Cousins and Malcolm Knox.  It is written very much as if he were speaking to you, telling his story.  The 'voice' is very Aussie male.  There is a fair bit of swearing (be warned) in the book but that's because it's written much the way many young Aussie blokes speak.  It felt like we were sitting down somewhere and he was having a yarn to me about his life.

I came away from reading this book feeling even more sceptical about the media.  I also felt sad because I was reading the book in hindsight.  It was published in 2010 and gives you some hope that he was on the right track.  Earlier this year he was arrested for drug possession, and now has a young son to consider.  Knowing this made me realise his battles are far from over, and it cast a different light on the book.

I couldn't say I 'enjoyed' the book because it is a sad story, but it's definitely worth a read if you're an Eagles or Richmond fan.  Even if you don't like Cousins, it's still an interesting story.

MCG

One thing Duncan and I both really wanted to do while in Melbourne was to go on a tour of the MCG.  Although I'm a proud West Australian, I have to admit that the G IS the home of Aussie Rules Football.

 

 

I really enjoyed the tour, but the scary thing was how the tour guide referred to the AFL as a 'religion'.  He said that more people come to the MCG to 'worship' than to church.  That's nothing new, I guess, but it's still sad.

 

After the tour, we visited the National Sports Museum which is at the MCG.  It was fantastic!  A brilliant display of just about every sport Australia has been involved with, plus a great interactive area for kids and adults alike.  I especially enjoyed looking at the Olympic memorabilia.  A must-see if you're in Melbourne. 

So It Begins....

The Eagles are off to a flyer in 2012.



Photo is from http://afl.com.au/

After the dismal 2010 season, I had a dream.  A dream as in I was asleep and dreaming - not a wish.  I dreamed the Eagles were going to win the premiership in 2012.  It was one of the most pleasant and vivid dreams I have ever had.  Coming off a wooden spoon, it seemed ridiculous that they could go from cellar dwellers to premiers in just two years, but last year's rise from 16th to 4th showed that anything can happen.

Dreams are funny to recall and laugh about, but other than that, I'm not one to read too much into them.  Still, September will reveal all.

I have my fixtures reaaady with Eagles' games highlighted. :)

5 Most Improved Eagles in 2011

I think the Eagles' meteoric rise from 16th last year to 4th this year can be attributed to the improvement of the younger and middle range players.

1.  Luke Shuey
He went from an injury-riddled unknown who had only played a handful of games to being unlucky not to win the NAB Rising Star Award.  At the West Coast v Western Bulldogs game I went to, Shuey was an absolute star and kicked five goals from the midfield.  Watch this guy!

2.  Mark Nicoski
His move into the forward line really breathed life into his career, and he had, in my opinion, his best ever season.  I used to have my heart in my mouth a few years ago watching him try to dodge and weave his way out of defence, but in the forward line he's just plain exciting.  I thought the Eagles would really struggle with Le Cras moving to the midfield, but Nicoski filled the gap.

3.  Matt Rosa
Another one who was having his best season before injury struck just before the finals.

4.  Will Schofield
Improving as a tall, mobile defender and I think being thrown into the deep end last year when Glass was out injured did him the world of good.

5.  Brad Ebert
This guy is much maligned and incurs Duncan's wrath for his often poor disposal, but when he moved forward, he was much more effective.  A good mark for his size, he seemed to catch a lot of opposition unaware and formed an effective small forward team with Nicoski.







All images are from http://www.footytragic.com