Last weekend my Vets footy team headed out to Marysville for an expected victory. We were undefeated, and they had been cobbling together a team week to week for some very heavy defeats. It was a weird feeling for me, having experienced the other side of that scenario for the previous season. My side had really battled for numbers, and had not been able to get a team together for this season.
After my switch of club it had taken me a bit of adjusting to not only being competitive each week, but winning. I’m happily used to it now, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel playing against a side that, like me four games ago, was facing that awful prospect of getting thoroughly belted. It’s a belittling thing not even being competitive, knowing each game is for personal pride only, to try to win as many individual contests as possible. Having no prospect of winning is not fun; having no prospect of losing is not even in the same category, but it is still a strange thing to have hanging over a sporting event.
When I arrived at the ground I was met by a seriously impressive construction. The club rooms are state of the art, with the exception of a lack of a scoreboard. An odd oversight, no doubt, but you take the good with the bad, and there was much more good than bad. The ground was a bit undulating, but it was broad and long, and should provide a fine setting for footy.
I was the first of our team to arrive, with the bus lagging back on the Black Spur. I entered alone and couldn’t believe how well appointed this country town’s sports rooms were. If I were a local, I would play there just to use the facilities. So the Vets team couldn’t raise a full side, as unusual as that seemed considering the rooms available to them, at least the juniors and seniors would have every reason to play. A strong country sporting club is always good for the town, right?