I finally did it, went to an AFL game and now I know I’ve been missing out. It was a great experience made all the better by the company.
David and I went along with Lauchlan, Michael, Tim, Jared, Peter and Pet to the Geelong vs North Melbourne Round 11 game at Telstra Dome. Had it just been David and I, I think we would have become fearful for our lives during the 3rd and 4th quarters when the North Melbourne supporters around us started to get a little restless.
One thing noted about the spectators at such an event is the total lack of emotion during the first quarter, regardless of their team’s performance, sure they cheer as a goal is scored but overall there is little movement amongst the crowd. The emotion builds as the game goes on. Whether fueled by the closeness of the game or the mid-strength beer kicking in, as we enter the third quarter a swell of “ooohhh” issues from the crowd when ever the ball changes hands. A louder and more pronounced “aaahhh” is heard when a single player makes a long run with the ball.
By the end of the game I was cheering along with them, feeling like an interloper and a little self conscious the first couple of quarters I was quite subdued.
The game was awesome and quite tight. Some Kangaroo (North Melbourne) supporters behind us were a little rowdy. Calling out the usual taunts, how the Umpire is Blind, how unfair it was when North Melbourne were pulled up for a push in the back when Geelong (according to them) were doing it all day. The best was when they called out that they should even the teams by getting some of the guys in red off the field. Obviously they were feeling that Geelong was getting a little help from the umpires. I guess that’s what all good spectators feel when their team is losing.
The stand out spectator for the match was Tim, our photo editor at work, who screamed out his hate for Cameron Mooney every time he scored a goal. Tim’s the guy who has to go through all the photos our photographers capture and I’m guessing that as a North Melbourne supporter he will be cringing a little come Sunday when he goes in to work. His reaction to each goal was hilarious, I would thoroughly recommend going to a game with Tim if you get a chance. He definitely made my first game a memorable one.
At Telstra Dome, and I assume all AFL games, they have a rule about letting in professional cameras. While I dream of one day owning one, at the moment I don’t, so getting my little 400D into the ground was no problem, which is just as well as I had just come from work and had it on me anyway.
As I had the camera there, I snapped a few shots and note with dismay that the 400D is NOT built for low-light distance shots. I bumped the ISO up to 800 and notice that grain became a factor. But all in all, if you don’t look too closely and don’t view them at full size, some of the photos turned out ok.
First game a success, it is nice Geelong won. I think I’ll be going back for more.
Well done to the boys from Geelong who have just defeated Port Adelaide 163 to 44, making it the “most lop-sided grand final of all times”.
I know it’s a lame name but I still love him. My little Touchy is a 16GB iPod Touch just purchased today.
In what may be a scary thing for my friends and family, I think I finally understand the rush of supporting a team and to be honest I’ve only just started!