I admit it. The main purpose of traveling to Melbourne for the weekend was to see Collingwood play at the MCG. Nay had never been, so it was a great excuse. But that was Sunday.
On Saturday I decided to show Nay a little bit of the ‘countryside’ close to Melton. We drove to Woodend and visited a micro-brewery, which serves ‘paddles’ of beer for tasting. The glasses, seven in total, sit recessed in wooden paddles that have labels to show what each beer is.
After a short browse, we then drove back to Melton via Wombat State Forest and the quiet hamlet of Myrniong.
That evening we ventured to Olympic Park to watch the all-conquering Melbourne Storm play Manly. It was their last ‘home-and-away’ game. My sister TJ and her boyfriend Craig have taken to rugby league and they certainly picked a good year for it.
Tickets were easy to get, despite being a small stadium. It seems that despite having won a premiership in 1999, and being the short-priced favourite to claim it in 2006, the Storm can only attract a modest crowd (by AFL standards).
It was a great game, peppered with some rowdy banter from the Manly supporters in the corporate box behind us.
The following day, Nay, Craig and I (poor Daniel was ill in bed), headed to the home of AFL – the mighty MCG. It’s the first time I’ve been since the new stands have been completed. It’s like a modern-day colosseum.
We spent the game surrounded by families that had large numbers of children – I don’t recall seeing creche section on the tickets. Some of children in front were playing game boys after half-time, others constantly ate food dished out by the mothers.
The game itself went as predicted, with Collingwood’s skill and fitness showing in the last quarter. The downside of the result – Collingwood now plays Western Bulldogs in the first Elimination final on Sunday. The result of this game is sure to please one half of the family and disappoint the other. As a result, we’ve decided to remain silent before and after the game. For the trivia buffs this is the first time in 32 years the two teams have faced each other in the finals (read more).
