Sledges, scandals and that inimitable roar: here’s why footy matters

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

While I was waiting on the platform at North Melbourne station on Wednesday, the driver of the V/Line train to Seymour blasted his train horn before departure. I was standing just a few metres from the engine and the sound struck me like a blow, causing me to stagger backwards.

I thought that would be the most ear-piercing noise I would hear all week.

The following day at the MCG, tens of thousands of elated Collingwood supporters proved me wrong.

Collingwood’s Bobby Hill celebrates a goal in front of tens of thousands raucous Magpies fans at last night’s qualifying final at the MCG.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images

Few places in the world, if any, can replicate the atmosphere created when more than 90,000 passionate AFL supporters cram into that cauldron and unleash their passion. When at least half of them are Collingwood fans, I think we can safely assume the environment is inimitable. Their thunderous exhortations and roars of joy rattled around in my skull like a dozen of those V/Line train horns for most of the 80 minutes of play in last night’s opening match of the AFL finals.

In the crowd, I found myself surrounded by Demons. Melbourne fans who, I can assure you, did not live up to their genteel stereotype. While perhaps not as clamorous as the black-and-white army, they were equally passionate.

Outgoing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan couldn’t resist a double-edged sledge at both teams’ supporters in a pre-match speech when he billed the Demons v Magpies clash as “the defence lawyers versus their clients”.

Not only are other cities unable to replicate this kind of passion and good-natured banter – other sports can’t recreate it either. Footy is part of the Victorian identity. Few other sports, except perhaps soccer in some parts of the world, can claim that level of cultural infiltration. In Australia’s most sports-mad state, it inspires a madness that sets it apart from other sports.

It is an almost omnipresent part of life in Victoria. Discussion of the spectacle of the games themselves, plus the business, politics and culture of footy, is all but unavoidable.

The Age has over many years maintained a stable of the best sports reporters in the country, in recognition of the significant role football, and other sports, play in the lives of most (not all) of our readers and subscribers.

In a field of journalism where reporters are sometimes criticised for becoming indoctrinated in the culture of the game, The Age has a proud tradition of differentiating itself from others with the same variety of fearlessness and rigour we apply to other parts of our news coverage.

The reason: because what happens in the footy world also matters in the real world.

If you’re sceptical about that statement, as I’m sure some of you might be, I urge you to consider some of the recent work of The Age’s sports team, led by sports editor Chloe Saltau.

This week, the country’s foremost AFL journalist Caroline Wilson teamed up with federal politics reporters Paul Sakkal and James Massola (another not-so-genteel Demons fan) to break the news that the AFL had decided not to include any pro-Voice component during the finals despite pledging its support for the campaign.

Another good example of reporting that transcends on-field play is our coverage of the Hawthorn racism scandal, the resulting inquiry and the way it was handled. Our chief football reporter Jake Niall, senior sports reporter Michael Gleeson and the prolific Peter Ryan all played key roles in reporting that saga and helping the public better understand the issues at play.

Carla Jaeger, a relative newcomer to our sports team, this week revealed the astonishing fact that the four AFL clubs which continue to operate poker machines – Carlton, Richmond, Essendon and St Kilda – received more money from gamblers in the past year than they have in any year in the past decade. This while other clubs have left the pokies business behind.

Konrad Marshall’s interview with former North Melbourne coach Dani Laidley in tomorrow’s Good Weekend is another good illustration of the power of sport to affect society more broadly.

Of course sport is above all else meant to be fun. And as I’ve assured you in these notes previously, our dedication to investigative and public interest journalism does not exclude us from discussing the lighter side of life, including sport, travel, food and culture.

Like our subscribers, we love to talk tactics and dissect on-field incidents, considering the possibilities from various angles. Jon Pierik has done just that in his look at the sickening collision dividing football fans. Andrew Wu, Greg Baum, Marc McGowan, Marnie Vinall and others in our stable regularly do the same with skill and accuracy.

If you’re not already signed up, I would urge you to have a listen to the Real Footy Podcast, produced by The Age’s Claire Siracusa and featuring Wilson, Niall and Gleeson. It’s a lively look at the big issues in footy each week. It’s also worth signing up for our twice-weekly Real Footy newsletter to keep up with the latest news and expert commentary. And as the footy tipping action heats up, don’t forget to check out who our experts are backing.

Of course footy isn’t the only sport in town. Dan Brettig’s recent reporting on the future of cricket, Gleeson’s excellent coverage of the World Athletics Championships in Hungary, Damien Ractliffe’s racing expertise and our detailed coverage of the Australian Open and other grand slams prove that we’re not a one-sport publication.

But as finals fever creeps across the state, it’s hard to concentrate on anything else. So enjoy the games, whether your team made it or not. We’ll enjoy covering them for you.

Patrick Elligett sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.

Most Viewed in National

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article