Went to the game on Sunday and was surrounded by the biggest lunatics known to man.
You'd swear the Carlton supporter behind me had played 400 games, coached 500 and umpired a few hundred, too. This bloke knew everything - or thought he did - in all his loud and obnoxious glory.
All the while I'm sitting there cool and calm while surrounded by hot-under-the-collar fans. Personally I couldn't have given a rats which way it went. With the Saints on top most of the arvo, it was going the way I thought it would. When the game got tight late and when we got in front, I didn't care too much - in fact, I knew we would get done at the death. Then when it was snatched away, I shrugged while everybody around me completely melted down. I had a good laugh at that - at one point I had to try not to laugh at the carrying on. But really, some grown adults at the footy should be embarrassed by their behaviour. There were bins being kicked on the way out and all sorts.
To tell you the truth, most (all?) of me was looking forward to the relief of this season being over. When Port won later that night, I didn't exactly do cartwheels. The tedium is prolonged by a week - or a fortnight at least with this pre-finals bye.
We'll be straight out, I'm aware of that. And of course I'll support and watch the match. As someone so aptly pointed out on here recently - that's what supporters do.
The loss won't sting per se, much like Sunday's loss didn't. To me, the bigger picture stings much, much more - the dreadful waste of a season after sitting second for two months.
But it is what it is.