When Steve Bracks renamed Spencer Street Station he envisaged that the newly christened Southern Cross Station would resonate with Victorians, proclaiming “...It stands for our federation because it's the heart of our national flag … and it also stands for democracy and freedom because it flew over the Eureka Stockade…” As a Victorian, I just thought the roof was pretty cool and yeah, what Steve said....

So with Bracksey’s sentiments in mind, I exited Southern Cross Station and walked along the pedestrian bridge on my way to the game last Saturday. Looking towards Southbank I could see Eureka Tower standing proudly in the distance. Its gold crown (representing the gold rush) sparkling in the twilight. The red stripe at its peak serving as a reminder of the labour that stirred during that infamous uprising. Well, that's according to Wikipedia anyway...

Clearly this historic event means a lot to Australia. This country is all about humble beginnings and in our short history there's no better example of that than a bunch of gold diggers protesting against mining licences and their persecution by authorities. Okay, okay - maybe the Coogee Bay Hotel poo gelato incident is up there too.

Inside the stadium, 22 players were locked in battle. Our team went a goal down through a Sydney corner. The Blue and White Brigade, as they have always done, tried to ignite our troops with a series of chants and songs. The Eureka Flag was also proudly displayed.

That’s why the FFA’s announcement this week regarding the Eureka flag made no sense. Ordering Melbourne Victory to instruct their fans anyone flying the Eureka flag would be removed from games and have the flag confiscated, ignores both the flag’s historical significance and its meaning to the Victory. Adam Tennenini, leader of the Blue and White Brigade summed it up best: "We see it as a symbol of unity and respect among all supporters. It's a true Victorian symbol as well.”

Hear, hear, Adam. We have embraced the flag as our unofficial emblem - it represents our passion for the club and the game and is part of the reason we have the best atmosphere in the league. Plus, it’s blue and white. Victory’s colours are also blue and white. Ahh, it all makes perfect sense now... Thankfully, after a chorus of disapproval from the club, Victory supporters and numerous other groups, common sense prevailed and the FFA avoided further embarrassment by quickly rescinding the ban.

For patches of the game, we showed some digger fight. Evan Berger had some dazzling runs. He has the makings of a fan favourite with his willingness to take on a man (he just needs to beat him consistently or learn to pass more). A John Aloisi goal of the year strike sealed it for Sydney (well, that’s obviously what he thought based on his celebration. Take it easy, big fella). Some strong saves from Michael Theoklitos prevented it from being worse.

After the final whistle, the banter between fans continued for a while. Eventually though, the Victory singing started to fade as supporters made their way home from Southern Cross Station. The Eureka Flag was folded and carefully put away in preparation for its return at another home game. It is an ever present symbol of our town and our club and should always be displayed proudly.

* I’d be interested to know your views on other examples of where a common sense approach would have resulted in a better outcome for football.

Tristram is a Victory fan and wishes he could say that a knee injury curtailed his promising football career.