Ian ConstantineWhy I love September...
September 5th 2006 00:33
There's something about September that gets my heart racing. After the bleak of the Winter, we finally see the some come out, bring out the singlets and boardshorts again and head down to the beach. You can wake up earlier in the morning (though I never do) and actually enjoy it. But most of all, it's the most exciting month of the year to be a football fan.
Anything can happen in September, teams who scrape into the finals can end up with the premiership, the minor premiers can be knocked out in the second week if they don't hit their straps, players raise their intensity because they know an entire year's work is on the line every time they lace up their boots. There is nothing better than being an Australian in the first month of Spring.
If you're lucky enough to actually get out to any game in September, you notice the difference in the atmosphere between finals and the home and away season immediately. There is a buzz about the ground, in every pub which has access to live games, it's something which is very hard to describe. In the NRL for the last 3 seasons there has been some sort of fairytale. Last year it was the Tigers, who, after years of being the competition's 'easy beats' managed to take out the title, in '04 it was the Cowboys who came devastatingly close to making the final only to be beaten in the qualifying by a star studded roosters outfit and in '03 it was Penriff who shocked the league world after coming in last position the year proceeding it. This year it the competition is built around the Storm who look terribly strong, but that is the beauty of September, one poor performance and the whole year could come to a screeching holt... How good is this game?!
And in the AFL, while Sydney, West Coast and Fremantle are the obvious picks for premiership glory, the struggling Crows have led the competition for about 15 or 16 rounds this season, St Kilda look the best of the Victorian teams and the Bulldogs make a finals appearance for the first time in a thousand years. Teams who finish in the bottom half of the 8 actually have nothing to lose, they play with heart on their sleeve, without second chances, without the comfort of knowing if they give less than their best they can proceed, and these are often the teams who take out the flag. There is no place for complacency in September, and this is often something that will plague a top 4 side. One slip up and..... GOOONE!
September... The best month of the year.... Summer is coming which means days in the sand, epic nights at the Mona Vale pub but most of all... It's finals fever baby!
Anything can happen in September, teams who scrape into the finals can end up with the premiership, the minor premiers can be knocked out in the second week if they don't hit their straps, players raise their intensity because they know an entire year's work is on the line every time they lace up their boots. There is nothing better than being an Australian in the first month of Spring.
If you're lucky enough to actually get out to any game in September, you notice the difference in the atmosphere between finals and the home and away season immediately. There is a buzz about the ground, in every pub which has access to live games, it's something which is very hard to describe. In the NRL for the last 3 seasons there has been some sort of fairytale. Last year it was the Tigers, who, after years of being the competition's 'easy beats' managed to take out the title, in '04 it was the Cowboys who came devastatingly close to making the final only to be beaten in the qualifying by a star studded roosters outfit and in '03 it was Penriff who shocked the league world after coming in last position the year proceeding it. This year it the competition is built around the Storm who look terribly strong, but that is the beauty of September, one poor performance and the whole year could come to a screeching holt... How good is this game?!
And in the AFL, while Sydney, West Coast and Fremantle are the obvious picks for premiership glory, the struggling Crows have led the competition for about 15 or 16 rounds this season, St Kilda look the best of the Victorian teams and the Bulldogs make a finals appearance for the first time in a thousand years. Teams who finish in the bottom half of the 8 actually have nothing to lose, they play with heart on their sleeve, without second chances, without the comfort of knowing if they give less than their best they can proceed, and these are often the teams who take out the flag. There is no place for complacency in September, and this is often something that will plague a top 4 side. One slip up and..... GOOONE!
September... The best month of the year.... Summer is coming which means days in the sand, epic nights at the Mona Vale pub but most of all... It's finals fever baby!
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