So the legend goes, Tony Lockett once quipped to a critical football journalist “well, everyone’s a Monday expert”.
Melbourne singer/songwriter Mick Thomas thought so much of the line that he took it and turned it into a hit song for his band Weddings Parties Anything.
It does capture in very succinct language much of the froth and bubble around the analysis of the game.
Statistics, moments and incidents can be skewered to the whim of punters and journalists alike to fit the storyline we want. It is the age of the critic.
In that light, I just want to offer up a moment from Sunday’s stirring win by the Bulldogs over the Essendon Bombers for us to ponder. Tory Dickson’s chase down tackle.
How significant was it in the context of the match and how significant might it be for the rest of the season?
Let’s first tread with caution, shall we? For a moment let’s just ponder the possibility that it was a really great effort. A determined solo run in pursuit of a quick opposition player that was rewarded.
At the time of the free kick there was just under eight minutes left on the clock in the second quarter and already the Dogs were in control on the scoreboard, 46 to 29.
The pragmatist in me, in all of us, might be content to just leave it there. A great tackle, a nice moment, but nothing more significant than that.
So why, some days later, does that tackle feel like a defining moment for this Bulldogs team of 2018? It’s a feeling that’s been hard to shake this week.
The start of the season was such a jolt, the nerves before Round 3 were so heightened, that I may have been looking for a sign to ease the tension in my soul.
Have I projected this moment in the game to fit my desire for the ‘comeback Bulldogs’ narrative? Maybe, but abandoning your judgement feels immoral. The weekend felt good.
Here’s what I know. Chase down tackles like that are rare diamonds and they are statements.
It requires an intense level of concentration and desire. A chase down tackle in the open field like that signals to everyone on that field that there’s a standard to meet. The bar just went up.
The truth is, we can never know how deeply the impact of a single act on a football ground reaches, but it was a great sign.
And there were many others. Bruce Springsteen sings “you can’t start a fire without a spark” and he wouldn’t lie to us. Let’s hope the boys can keep the fire raging against the Swans this week.
After a bumpy fortnight, a group of people came together as victors in the bowels of Etihad Stadium to stand in a circle, arm in arm to sing their song and show the world what they are all about.
They rose above the froth and bubble that engulfs the game from week to week. A club united. Back on the winners list. From afar, it was inspiring to watch.
