Opinion "Becoming a Roo" - nostalgia trip 101

[The Other Dean]

Like most of the choices I have made in life, my decision to follow North was driven by a mixture of disgust and laziness.

Sadly, I was unlucky enough to be born into an *essendon barracking family. (That's the 'disgust' part.)

So obviously I had to make a choice - change families or change footy teams.

At age 6, the latter seemed less taxing. So I went with that.

 

[Nate7]

My family came from NSW and they had no idea about the then VFL.
A few relatives played for NM across different decades and my God father was the NM doctor in the early 80s (and possibly in the 70s).
At my birth I was given all things NM, signed football, mini jumper and a "season pass" to Arden St games. The pass was presented by the Chairman at the time (I'll have to go looking for it).
I had no choice, NM was the only club I was to be aware of (in VFL/AFL).

 

[DEVO]

Phil Baker, how you going m8?

If his name is Phil Baker and chose Dirty_11 instead of Snake he deserves a million dislikes.

 

[King Corey]

I was like, a massive Sam Power fan. So when he was traded for a prestigious 3rd rounder it made perfect sense to follow him over to his new home.

Sadly Sam dropped away a couple of years later but I never forgot the kindness the Kangaroos showed in trying to rekindle his extreme talent.

 

[GarnerSmash]

I was like, a massive Sam Power fan. So when he was traded for a prestigious 3rd rounder it made perfect sense to follow him over to his new home.

Sadly Sam dropped away a couple of years later but I never forgot the kindness the Kangaroos showed in trying to rekindle his extreme talent.

 

[Mav]

 

[Roo182]

Got my responses! Board might appreciate the sentiment so il post exact comments (mind the english haha)

"When we come to Aus in 75 North won the flag and it made it easier that at school in grade 3 I had a girlfriend and she barracked for North. So to get a kiss I had to support the kangaz!! Lol"

"North Melbourne was hot wen we arrived to Australia. Grand finalists 74,75,76,77,78. Your uncle and I watched 75 and then witnessed the 77 grand final, both the draw and beating Collingwood the next week. Then the pain losing to hawthorn in 78. And those days north Melbourne was our therapy for sanity cos of the insane s**t we were witnessing having to work the family business lol! Just think, we listened and watched The footy in secret cause we were too distracted by the game! Reasons thought at the time by your grandfather that Aussie rules was part of a movement to brain wash us. Lmao.. all true

Roo boy for life!

"Malcolm blight, Phil baker, David Densh. Keith Grieg, shimalbush. In the 80s phil n jimmy krakour were my heroes, McCaine, Kerry good. But the 90s was awesome. Best tough player in history Glen Archer, best centre half forward Wayne Carey and best time of freely enjoying footy with the young nephews."

When I asked if Carey was a factor?
"Carey wasn't born when I started barracking for north"

And the reason I support North?
"Because your uncle and I took you to the footy for 6 years straight and you enjoyed the atmosphere. And because we barracked for north you all did".

This made me so happy to read.

My grandpa, an immigrant of the 50's, used to howl at blokes like Sav Rocca or Paul Licuria for making Italians look bad.. or good. He didn't have a team but man he sounded exactly like how you typed it

 

[salamander]

My parents immigrated from Leicestershire England in 1971 when I was 3.

My Old Man picked NMFC as the team to follow because they wore the same colours as Leicester City.

I can't recall making any kind of conscious decision to support NMFC other than following the team my Dad supported.

 

[Kimbo]

Like most of the choices I have made in life, my decision to follow North was driven by a mixture of disgust and laziness.

Sadly, I was unlucky enough to be born into an *essendon barracking family. (That's the 'disgust' part.)

So obviously I had to make a choice - change families or change footy teams.

At age 6, the latter seemed less taxing. So I went with that.

That was the short version. The longer version in the "At the Bar" thread...
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...ta2azza-marksup-phillyroo-482.1085458/page-18

Kimbo: Okay ToD, tell me where it all started for you? Where did your love of footy and our great club first start? What or who were the most important factors in enrolling your heart?

TOD: I had the terrible misfortune of being born into an *essendon-supporting family. Fortunately, it just didn't feel right to me, so around the age of 5 or 6 I celebrated 'the getting of little tacker wisdom' by officially swearing my allegiance to the great North Melbourne Football Club.

Kimbo: So, you had a well-developed sense of morality from a young age?

TOD: Haha, yes. (Sadly, it completely eroded some time during my teens.) That, and I also wanted to s**t my older brother. Although, admittedly, my actual reasons for choosing North were deeply undeep. I liked the colours, Keith Grieg, Schimma, and Malcolm Blight had captured my imagination, and it was the mid 70's, so North were flying. Jumped on board just at the right time, too - two flags in an instant. And I was so incredibly obnoxious to the rest of my family after our 70's flag victories that my older sister eventually cracked and started barracking for North. But I have to say, my dad was fantastic about the whole thing, taking me to as many North games as he could and barracking for us when he was a 'neutral'.

So what about you? How did you first board the North train? Particularly given your, you know, general interstatedness. (Interstatus?) Were you born and raised in WA? North has always had a good relationship with your home state, did that shape - or at least play some part in - your attraction to the Royal Blue and White?

Kimbo: Remarkably similar actually TOD. My interstatedness actually take in two states and two territories. First, the NT where I spent the first 11 years of my life, plus visits to SA to visit grandparents. I knew virtually nothing about footy from my time in the NT, other than a memory of Central Districts and South Adelaide players visiting my school in Alice Springs. I got my football supporting education from my maternal grandparents who, like my mum, were ardent Sturt supporters (in the days of Bagshaw, Davies, Klomp). I remember going to the footy with them when holidaying in Adelaide, and being impressed that they seemed to know every player in the SANFL.

My family moved to Canberra in ’74 and back then the only commercial TV station showed the VFL ‘Match of the Round’ every Saturday arvo. Dad bought our first colour TV in time for the ’75 Grand Final and I have a vivid, but I think distorted, memory of Schimma streaming down a wing, perhaps in the third quarter and Dad’s mate asked who did I think would win. I said North, without realizing the significance of the tip.

Dad is a Carlton supporter and so I initially followed them, but as the next season wore on I started to really get behind North (the colours, the players too) and, like you, the likes of Blight, Dench, Greig, and Cable. So, I made up my mind to leave it to fate and follow whoever won the Rd 10 Roos v Blues game at Princes Park. A now famous post-high 80m torpedo punt after the siren by one Malcolm Blight sealed the result of that game, and sealed the course of my life. I say sealed, not changed, because I was cheering for North to win.

TOD: Wow! That's a pretty ****king epic way to board the North train. A decision to devote your life-long loyalty to our great club, hinging on Blighty's legendary 630m goal. That's huge! Not so much a wise choice as a flat-out religious experience. Totally trumps my more gradual embarkment.

This guy made me want to be a Roo supporter:

With you!

 

[deadlydropbear]

Like many stories above I started following North because of a friend from school (possibly because it was 77 and a good year, who knows). Can't even remember the friend's name now. My family was not a strong influence towards supporting any one team, but dad loosely followed Carlton growing up. I grew up in Hawthorn territory (also knew alot of Richmond supporters) - difficult going to high school during the 80s surrounded by supporters of a winning team (imagine it's the same for non-Hawks kids at school over the last few years). Usually I was the only North supporter that I knew of. Moved to WA during late 80s and the rise of West Coast, with plenty of WA family suddenly becoming rusted on Eagles supporters. Eventually vindicated by my choice of team during the 90s - good times (if you don't count the final game of 98). Finally met the odd North supporter along the way, but to be honest was always a rare event. Even less now that I live in the UK! Have stayed a loyal fan through thick and thin from that original moment way back in primary school...

 

[Smudge]

from a.non footballing state brothers and sisters all followed diff teams .. mum hated sport .. watched keith grieg win a brownlow as a 7 yo in 73 ... loved something about it so i followed ..

On SM-G930F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[RobZombie]

Not Jonas. Clue: Premiership player.

As far as I can tell there was only one player on the '87 list left from '77 and two who would hang on until '96.

Edit: My mistake, 2 left from '77.

 

[RobZombie]

For my part, turncoated from * on Sep 27, 1975. Having moved back from Sydney only a year or so before, didn't have much footy in my life until then. Was absolutely captivated by the GF and I guess vaguely aware than North were the sentimental favourites. Cable was my first favourite player.