Post #50 - The Finale

Thursday, November 1, 2007...the date of my first post. It seems so long ago that I first sat down to describe the beginning of my journey. It seems so long ago that I described how incredibly nervous I was to take the plunge and leave home. But now, here I sit, 50 posts and ten months later, describing the exact opposite. Describing how wonderful this journey as been. How truly life changing this entire experience is, and will continue to be years down the line. My how times have changed...

But yes, my time hear is nearly at an end and so many emotions are running through my head. Absolute joy that I will be back home among my friends and loved ones. A surge of pride that I faced this challenge head on and won. A sense of accomplishment that I chased a dream and became a better person for it. But on the other hand, a profound sense of sorrow stirs with the thought of leaving this great land. A sense of loss while saying goodbye to my friends. A feeling of lonliness knowling that I will never have this experience again.

But in the end, as I wrap up this journey, no amount of joy or sorrow can deflect the sense of love that I felt daily from both sides of the world. From beginning to end the amount of support and kindness I received, in many different fashions, kept me stronger than I have ever thought I could be. When I was feeling a bit out of place, a call from a friend pulled my head back in. When the holidays came around, cards and letters from home lifted my spirits. When I needed a kick in the butt, Lisa P gladly provided (just kidding!!!). So thank you to everyone who made this journey possible, because you are the ones who have made this experience truly remarkable. It is in the people closest to us that we find our greatest source of strength.

And so I say "I'll see you soon" to all my mates back home. I'll say "until next time" to all my mates still here. Fair dinkum, you are all the best blokes a seppo like me could ask for. I reckon we'll see each other soon, and when that day comes, bob's your uncle. Cheers everyone and I'll see you in Chicago on Saturday night!

A Valiant Effort

While some things are meant to be, others are not. And as much as we worked and fought, Saturday was not our day to be victorious, falling to the mighty Hammersley-Carine by nearly 5 goals.

The day started off on the right foot with the team arriving at TJ Perrott Reserve in the right state of mind. After such a big win the previous week, it's always a concern a let-down will occur, but this was not the case. The team arrived fired up and ready for another upset bid. Taped up and boots on, I was anxious to get on the field and face Dan and his team (one of only 2 teams we hadn't yet beat during the season). It was a bright and sunny day as the oval overlooked the Swan River and as a crowd of nearly one-thousand watched over us. You could feel the electricity in the air.

From the first bounce the Scarborough Eagles looked poised for an upset as we kicked the first goal of the match. With a gusty effort on only one leg (he had a torn calf muscle), Willow started us off right and got us going early. From around the ground every player was making incredible plays as the tempo picked up every quarter. From the stands the crowd couldn't believe what they were seeing as we continued to lead at quarter, half, and three-quarter time (it should have been more at this time because we had the breeze to our back but we couldn't capitalize).

But sadly those present were ready for an upset that would never come. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hammersley-Carine began to show their true colors as they kicked two quick goals to cut the lead to just one goal. From then the tide had turned and they could smell the victory and wouldn't be denied. Despite our most valiant efforts, once the final siren went the mighty Eagles had fallen by nearly 5 goals. It was a sad sight, but nothing to be ashamed of as we played better than we ever believed and gave the opposition (the best in the competition) their hardest victory in a long time.

So at last, the curtain has closed on my footy career Down Under. What started way back in January has come full circle with many ups and downs along the way. From beginning to end this has been an incredible journey and something that I will take with me until I die. I can only hope that others will make this same leap of faith that will undoubtedly change their lives forever.

Semi-Finals

Another weekend and another win!! This past weekend we took on the boys from Collegians on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon at Hamer Park. We had previously lost to this lot in one of the first games of the season, so we were ready for some revenge. Right away our team jumped out to a two goal lead and continued with the lead throughout the entire game. But no matter what we did, we couldn't quite put them away. They kept fighting and clawing their way back into the game, but we were doing just enough to keep them at bay.
Through some outstanding performances and a very tight final term, the boys from Scarborough managaged to frustrate Collegians enough to miss open targets and open goals. On our offensive end of the field, they were doing about the same effectively keeping the game in reach. But, with a ferocious last few minutes, Collegians couldn't do enough and eventually succummed to the Eagles 46-45.
This coming weekend were are playing against Hammersly-Carine, who we have lost to twice this season. But, this time around we have the upper hand as we are playing better footy that we have all season. If we win this weekend we will then be playing next weekend in the Grand Final, which would be a dream come true. This game also has significance for me as Hammersly-Carine features a player who played with the Bombers a couple seasons back, my friend Daniel Hyman. A great friend and someone that I am looking forward to beating. It's going to be incredible!!