AFL Season 2013

[All of a Sludden]

The journey is over for Aerlik and Fremantle, sadly they just came up that wee bit short, hell of an effort and hell of a year for Freo and their fans. In my opinion Hawthorn have been the best team all year, even if they did cut it a bit fine in their last game so well done to them.

Looking forward to hearing about Aerliks road trip and the game itself.

FULL TIME AT MCG
HAWTHORN: 11.11 (77)
FREMANTLE: 8.14 (62)

HAWTHORN ARE THE 2013 PREMIERS!!!

[Club Rossa]

Hawthorn has been the outstanding team all year.Deserving winners today,Lake and Gunston were brilliant.Huge credit to Freo,never gave in and came on strongly in the 3rd but the Hawks responded in great fashion.
UP THE HAWKS

[Declan]

Hard luck Aerlik and Freo

[Aerlik]

So near but yet so far. 
Where do I begin?

Eleven of us set off on Wednesday last week in a minibus, determined to see our team.   Unfortunately the astronomical cost of tickets ($1200-$2000 one-way p/p) was just too much for us but we had the tickets so it wasn't a question of if but how and when we'd get there. 
Travelling through southern Western Australia was great compared to the boredom of the trek from the town of Esperance basically to the city of Melbourne.  The farmers in WA have had it bloody tough these past few years with drought but the plentiful rains of this year are looking to have provided a good year for wheat and sheep.  The magnificent support by footy fans in this State, the real passion of S.Australian fans wanting our team to "beat those bloody Vics", and the funny humour of mad, passionate Vic fans of footy really gave me an insight into just how passionate Aussies are for their national sport.   We stopped off in obscure little towns for fuel and food and in every place there were lots of Freo colours.  Even travelling across the Nullarbor plain, there were station entrances with balloons tied to fence posts.
The arrival in Melbourne on Friday morning was timely as it allowed us to be part of the Grand Final parade.  There, I got a real taste of just how big an occasion the AFL Grand Final is.  It is an opportunity to view the teams as well as other identities.  Brownlow medal winner Gary Ablett and Rising Star winner Jaegar O'Meara were also paraded to great and appreciative applause of these two superb players.
Then came the big day.  Mini-me and I were up and out at 10am for the 15-min train ride to Flinders Street Station.  The sight of thousands of Freo fans in Federation Square really had to be seen.  So much for only 14,000 tickets being given to our club.  And then began the march.   I believe it is the first time ever that a team's supporters walked en-masse from Fed. Square to the MCG.  The footage from the heli-cam is pretty impressive.  Along the way I met the sister of a friend I played soccer with in Japan.  Small world.  And on arrival at the stadium I met a family friend who left Kilrea in 1967.   He is a Hawthorn supporter and we had a great chat about footy and folk from home.
Then it was time to go into the MCG.  This is by far the most impressive stadium I have ever been to.  It is magnificent.  Soon there were 100,007 fans (officially) in there with us, too.  The noise and the passion is something to behold. 

The game:
Well, Freo had more than enough opportunities to win the game.  But there can be no excuses from me.  Freo simply missed too many kickable opportunities and even the big guns missed scoreable chances.  If only that accuracy of the Sydney game had carried over I'd be writing about one of the biggest upset seasons in AFL history.  To only have scored 1.6 in the first half was simply nowhere near good enough to win the Premiership.  The third quarter was a different matter entirely and suddenly Freo were in the driving seat and the Hawks were on the defensive with the lead cut to only 3 points at stage.  However, the most consistent team all year showed why it is just that by digging deep and pulling away to win by 15 points.  This might seem a lot but had four of those 1-pointers from Freo been converted, well, who knows?

In the end, no Freo fan will begrudge Hawthorn its success this year. The Hawks have been the most consistent throughout the year with some emphatic wins, some memorable games and I have to say, many fantastic fans.  No issues from me.

Afterwards, we stood and acknowledged the champions earning the plaudits from many in Melbourne about our sportsmanship.  That is what sets Freo fans aside from many in the league.

The journey back to WA wasn't as bad as I'd imagined.  In fact it took less time but jaysus I was bloody tired at the end of it.

So there you have it folks.  Six months ago I set out to give a quick synopsis of the week-to-week progress of the competition never once imaging that I would be at the MCG with my son on the last day of September and but a whisker away from cheering our club on to the attainment of the Holy Grail.  What a wonderful season it has been.  One never can tell if one's team will reach the same heights two years in a row, but I have managed to see every home game for my team and I am already looking forward to next year with much more confidence than I had in March this year.

Thank you to all of you who posted comments and asked questions.  I really appreciated your involvement and contributions.  So it leaves me with one thing to say:

Freo Abú

[Club Rossa]

Great story Aerlik.Much as I was delighted to see the Hawks win,I couldn't have begrudged Freo winning a first title.They have a fantastic team but didn't perform as well as they could have on the day.Perhaps the occasion got to some of them.Saw your famous banner again.Thanks for your updates and match reports throughout the season,they have been very enjoyable to read.

On another note,it looks like Buddy is heading to the Swans.The majority of Hawks fans aren't impressed but with Roughead and Gunston up front the Hawks will still be a handful for any team next year.

[spuds]

Great to read that post Aerlik, fantastic trip and occasion for you and your buddies to share; but more importantly for you and the young buck. Lifetime memories.

[HeaveHo]

Brilliant stuff Aerlik. Marching from Fed Square to the G with the Purple Army would have been a highlight. I wish I was there. The G is a fabulous place and hopefully the new stadium in Perth will be something similar.

We aren't far away - another power forward and some kicking practice and we could be right in it again. Jessie White doesn't look likely but maybe we should have a crack at Sam Reid

[Declan]

Great stuff Aerlik. I can just imagine the fans marching to the stadium

[HeaveHo]

Port Adelaide have signed Daniel Flynn. Appears to be some athlete. Kennelly was talking in up last night on Skynews.

[AlriteHorse]

I can't see Freo being able to repeat this years heroics in 2014.

Will Pav and Sands have the same desire?
Is a loss at his 4th attempt at a Grand final too much for Lyon to take?

Not trying to rattle your cage here Aerlik but teams will be more aware of their style of play now so unless Lyon comes up with an alternative, they could find themselves stuck. They need a couple of big trades and I'm sure Lyon will be on the hunt for a top forward......especially after some of the shooting in the GF.

I'm sure there'll not be too many non-Dockers who agree with me here but I felt sorry for Ballantyne after the complete mare he had. He must have left the house in some rush and grabbed his Purdy-picking boots instead!