The Coodabeen Champions | Billy Boils
Well I’ll be deemed.
The League have deemed this heritage weekend.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for heritage. I have some kicking around somewhere myself!
But this weekend seems a little skewiff
My understanding has always been that the first recorded game of Australian Football was played between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar on the 7th of August 1858. The game went for 5 hours and neither team scored.
That would make next weekend a more appropriate weekend to celebrate the heritage of the game they now call AFL.
Interestingly, the League’s own website, <i>old Gabbo</i>, says the Melbourne Football Club was founded on the 7th of August 1858.
The second oldest team is Geelong, founded in 1859.
So to do the heritage bizzo logically Melbourne and Geelong should lead the parade by playing each other on or as near as possible to the 7th of August .
And rightfully, Scotch and Melbourne grammar should play the curtain raiser!
That, would be heritage.
That, would be history.
As an aside, the shylocks in the League’s marketing division would be well advised to start planning now for the blockbuster heritage occasion in 2008…the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Club.
It would sell itself. The League could simply sit back and count the lovely lolly!
Now look.
The Melbourne Cup is always on the first Tuesday in November.
The Boxing Day Test is, funnily enough, on Boxing Day.
The Stawell Gift is always run on Easter Monday, the ski season always opens on the Queen’s Birthday weekend, and all across the country people observe wedding anniversaries and birthdays on the date they occurred.
That is tradition. That is heritage.
Capriciously naming and staging an event a week prior to it’s actual date is like putting a beard on your aunty and calling her your uncle.
Come on Andrew!
What would happen if you asked me to book Van Halen for the grand final pre-game and I lobbed up with Sid Heylen?
Near enough isn’t good enough. true regard isn’t that hard.
I’m Billy, and I’m boiling.