Danni
20 Apr 2003, 18:54
From todays QLD Sunday Mail.......
(Keep in mind, this is by the same columnist that took a swipe at AFL supporters in QLD 14 odd months ago, a number of ppl from bigfooty were involved in the absolute pile of emails he got telling him to pull his head in.........It's good to see things have changed!)
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6306440%255E12685,00.html
Cometh the hour, cometh the Voss
Sunday, April 20, 2003. Page 127
20apr03
YOU don't get to see it all that often. Which is what makes it so special.
Wally Lewis did it. "Freddie" Fittler can, too.
You've seen it from Steve Waugh more times than you care to remember. John Eales could do it, but Tim Horan would do it more.
What is it? The right thing. The exact right thing at the exact right time.
Their team would be down. Not out, but down.
Sometimes their side might even be in front on the scoreboard, but it wasn't going anywhere, like a racing yacht becalmed. The sails slapping around, the crew going through the motions, but nothing happening.
And then someone – the captain usually – would do something. Something perfect. With Wally it might have been a tackle – like the one he put on Michael O'Connor in Origin, or Kiwi Darrell Williams in a Test.
It might have been taking a quick tap when everyone was expecting a kick for touch. Or it might have been scoring a try like that one in 1989 when half the team was off the field injured and the Blues were getting a roll on.
John Eales did it when he kicked that goal to win the Bledisloe three years ago in Wellington.
And Steve Waugh did it often, with gritted teeth, a straight bat and a wave of a tattered red rag.
Some might say it's all about talent, about having the ability to do what is needed, but there is more to it than that. It's also about timing; about knowing the exact time to act and being good enough to step up.
Right now, no one does it better than Michael Voss.
Watching AFL football on television is a strange experience. It's like you're only getting half the picture.
You can see the ball and the few players around it, but you can't see the little battles going on around the field. You can't see blokes pushing and pulling and trying to get over the top of each other. You can't see the jockeying for position or the coaches' tactical switches.
But you can still get a feel for a game. You can sense that momentum has shifted, that one team has dropped its guard and the other is looking for an opening. You can hear yourself saying: "Someone better do something."
Which is when Michael Voss suddenly appears on the screen. A Hollywood director couldn't do it better.
"Okay, let's have the Indians circling the wagons. Good, good, a little more whooping fellas, please. Okay, I want the flaming arrows now. Let's have the close-up of the little girl crying. Good, good, that's it sweetheart. You can't find your mummy and daddy, your wagon's on fire and there's no way out. Beautiful. Now, get me Michael Voss."
And like clockwork, guns blazing, here he comes. The bloke's timing is impeccable. When his team needs him, he's there. Calm, poised, never rattled. Doing whatever it takes. We've seen it plenty of times over the past few weeks, even more times over the past few years.
Remember the Lions' first premiership win? Final quarter, 16 minutes to go and Essendon refusing to lie down. Beau McDonald took a boundary throw-in deep in the Brisbane forward line, weaved his way past a couple of defenders and hand-balled to Voss. The skipper was out wide on the boundary, an impossibly acute angle, but he slotted it straight through the goals. Voss twirled a raised finger, the Lions players punched the air and their opponents' heads dropped. Brisbane had its first flag.
He did it a year later, with the miracle handball to Simon Black which set up a crucial goal for flag No. 2.
He did it against the Kangaroos last weekend with the kick on the hooter which salvaged a draw, and again on Thursday night when the game was there to be won by either side.
Sadly, we can't see Wally or Ealesie do it any more.
Horan's retired and who knows how long Fittler and Waugh will be around.
That's why, regardless of what code you support, it's so good to see Voss do his thing.
We should enjoy while we can.
(Keep in mind, this is by the same columnist that took a swipe at AFL supporters in QLD 14 odd months ago, a number of ppl from bigfooty were involved in the absolute pile of emails he got telling him to pull his head in.........It's good to see things have changed!)
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6306440%255E12685,00.html
Cometh the hour, cometh the Voss
Sunday, April 20, 2003. Page 127
20apr03
YOU don't get to see it all that often. Which is what makes it so special.
Wally Lewis did it. "Freddie" Fittler can, too.
You've seen it from Steve Waugh more times than you care to remember. John Eales could do it, but Tim Horan would do it more.
What is it? The right thing. The exact right thing at the exact right time.
Their team would be down. Not out, but down.
Sometimes their side might even be in front on the scoreboard, but it wasn't going anywhere, like a racing yacht becalmed. The sails slapping around, the crew going through the motions, but nothing happening.
And then someone – the captain usually – would do something. Something perfect. With Wally it might have been a tackle – like the one he put on Michael O'Connor in Origin, or Kiwi Darrell Williams in a Test.
It might have been taking a quick tap when everyone was expecting a kick for touch. Or it might have been scoring a try like that one in 1989 when half the team was off the field injured and the Blues were getting a roll on.
John Eales did it when he kicked that goal to win the Bledisloe three years ago in Wellington.
And Steve Waugh did it often, with gritted teeth, a straight bat and a wave of a tattered red rag.
Some might say it's all about talent, about having the ability to do what is needed, but there is more to it than that. It's also about timing; about knowing the exact time to act and being good enough to step up.
Right now, no one does it better than Michael Voss.
Watching AFL football on television is a strange experience. It's like you're only getting half the picture.
You can see the ball and the few players around it, but you can't see the little battles going on around the field. You can't see blokes pushing and pulling and trying to get over the top of each other. You can't see the jockeying for position or the coaches' tactical switches.
But you can still get a feel for a game. You can sense that momentum has shifted, that one team has dropped its guard and the other is looking for an opening. You can hear yourself saying: "Someone better do something."
Which is when Michael Voss suddenly appears on the screen. A Hollywood director couldn't do it better.
"Okay, let's have the Indians circling the wagons. Good, good, a little more whooping fellas, please. Okay, I want the flaming arrows now. Let's have the close-up of the little girl crying. Good, good, that's it sweetheart. You can't find your mummy and daddy, your wagon's on fire and there's no way out. Beautiful. Now, get me Michael Voss."
And like clockwork, guns blazing, here he comes. The bloke's timing is impeccable. When his team needs him, he's there. Calm, poised, never rattled. Doing whatever it takes. We've seen it plenty of times over the past few weeks, even more times over the past few years.
Remember the Lions' first premiership win? Final quarter, 16 minutes to go and Essendon refusing to lie down. Beau McDonald took a boundary throw-in deep in the Brisbane forward line, weaved his way past a couple of defenders and hand-balled to Voss. The skipper was out wide on the boundary, an impossibly acute angle, but he slotted it straight through the goals. Voss twirled a raised finger, the Lions players punched the air and their opponents' heads dropped. Brisbane had its first flag.
He did it a year later, with the miracle handball to Simon Black which set up a crucial goal for flag No. 2.
He did it against the Kangaroos last weekend with the kick on the hooter which salvaged a draw, and again on Thursday night when the game was there to be won by either side.
Sadly, we can't see Wally or Ealesie do it any more.
Horan's retired and who knows how long Fittler and Waugh will be around.
That's why, regardless of what code you support, it's so good to see Voss do his thing.
We should enjoy while we can.