Cats vs Swans

Today’s the big day — the big game. 

The AFL Grand Final (that’s Australian Rules football if you don’t know).

I don’t have a horse in this race (my team won last year), but I think feathers will fly and I’m picking the Cats. But you never know.

The ball is not the same shape as shown here (that’s the other beautiful game), but this little fellow does bear a passing resemblance to Patrick Dangerfield, who plays for the Geelong Cats.

I don’t follow sports as a rule, although I was mad about English soccer as a school kid. And yes it’s sacrilegious for me to follow the Australian game and not rugby and our All Blacks, but there you have it.

My excuse is that I lived in Melbourne for eight years, long enough to become infected. “Who do you barrack for?” is a common question in Melbourne and not just among the blokes. You have to choose your tribe so I chose the Demons, little appreciating at the time what I was getting myself into.

If you’ve ever watched, you’ll know it’s a very different game: fast, acrobatic, and punishing. Scores are often high, and even after two and a half hours, the game can still be decided at the last minute. 

Either team could win today, and there are few certainties except that it won’t be a draw (they’ll play extra time).