Jack Green
All Australian
- Feb 14, 2018
- 692
- 580
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
- Banned
- #426
Hard to argue it hasn't been painful but no -one can ever take away those great victories the true supporter feels at the game. The WC/Saints game this year at Docklands winning from 5 goals down to storm home , being such an example. Only 14,000 there but the stands by the end of the game were rocking!!Ah St Kilda, the club i was a hairs breadth away from supporting as a child.
My dad is an absolute mad St Kilda supporter. Saw their sole flag in 66 and was absolutely convinced the glory days were just around the corner and that Plugger was the best AFL player on earth (to be fair, at the time he might have been!)
All that changed when the great Ross Glendenning did something that changed my life one afternoon. We ran into him in a hotel lobby in Melbourne. Now me being 4 years of age I had no idea who he was, but my parents certainly did. Subsequently, they got talking with him.
At the end of the talk, he looked at me and said:
"Who do you follow in the footy mate?"
"Um.....I don't really follow anyone"
"Well then why don't we sign you up as a west coast supporter!?"
So he took our details and a few weeks later a little jumper and a little footy came across from Perth, and I can say I have followed the eagles since day one.
So to Ross, wherever you are thank you for saving me from a lifetime of pain. Had that not happened I almost certainly would have been a Saints supporter and at 40 years of age, I still wouldn't have seen them win a flag
I've personally witnessed 4 Saints grannies without victory in my lifetime like a lot of passionate Sainters my vintage. But no- one can ever take those famous victories away and the joy and euphoria of seeing the team you love have a great win against the odds!! And I suppose if supporters of the successful clubs question how people passionately support a non-successful club, therein lies some of your answer!