Our family gained a new hero last week; his name is Troy Hearfield. That's his picture up on the kitchen noticeboard alongside Olly, Timmy and Lisa De Vanna. Making his debut for The Mariners against Scottish giants Celtic, Troy's sweet strike was a healing balm after months of licking our Grand Final wounds.
Having endured many long, lonely weekends without the A-League, it's a wonderful experience to watch your team face one of the world's most decorated football clubs and see them find the quality and determination necessary to beat The Bhoys. This was surely a moment of unmatched pride for all Coastie supporters, not to mention another step in the meteoric resurrection of Graham Arnold.
But the best part of the night was undoubtedly the Celtic fans, a glorious sea of green and white who brought the stadium to life with the sheer joy of their singing and chanting. They were even generous enough to provide half-time entertainment with a series of pitch-invasions to a bagpipe soundtrack. And being a friendly bunch, I'm sure they'll forgive the new version of "Just Can't Get Enough" we sang all the way home. After all, aren't we all part of one great, happy "football family" ?
I certainly feel a kinship with other supporters but what about the wider football community ? If the past few weeks are anything to go by, the "Australian Football Family" is starting to look like a pretty dysfunctional one. Just when we thought we could take refuge here from the ludicrous sight of Sepp playing Lady Macbeth ("out damned spot ! out, I say !") we're confronted with a series of Aussie football catfights and disturbing revelations on almost a daily basis.
Looking for good news stories on The Matildas or the upcoming A-League season I've been confronted at every turn by unpleasantness : Lucas Neill was allegedly 'revolting'; Robbie Slater was 'gobsmacked' by Awaritife's new job while Ben was supposedly 'turning a blind eye' to rorts. Even the thrilling prospect of Kewell's homecoming quickly turned from being 'the saviour of the A-League' to being 'too greedy and past his prime.'
Enough already ! Thank God for The Matildas who've brought pride and dignity back to Australian football.
The latest controversy involves Les Murray and Jesse Fink (author of thought-provoking blog "Half-Time Orange") who's made allegations of editorial pressure at SBS.
Now most football scandal ends up as tomorrow's chip wrappers but when SBS or the FFA start being mentioned it really begins to worry me. As a football fan, I have always been a passionate supporter of SBS and their commitment to the game is surely without question. And when the FFA calls me "a valued member of our football family" I'd like to think it's not simply a cynical marketing tool.
Like many other supporters my commitment is to my club and the green and gold, regardless of what happens off the pitch. But the one thing I desperately need from those in positions of power in football administration and the media is absolute fairness and integrity. I want to know that the FFA treats all A-League teams equally, that its actions are always for the good of the game. I want the football media to freely discuss issues without fear or favour and to celebrate the achievements of all our family members with equal enthusiasm.
Maybe this is asking too much. The Australian football family is a relatively small one and perhaps we're all too closely interrelated - like a bunch of weird hillbillies or the House of Windsor. Everyone is someone's old teammate/relative/gaffer while possibly having a long-standing grudge against someone else. Indeed, 'they're holding a grudge' is the standard response of anyone in the football community whose actions are called into question.
How can the average football fan tell whether comment is unbiased or not, whether 'scandals' are revealed in the public interest or motivated by less honourable motives ? We're left with the unpleasant feeling that we can trust no-one, even those who supposedly act in our interests.
This induces a climate of paranoia and suspicion among the football community rather than a sense of family togetherness. If we want to build a real happy family (rather than pretending to be one) we need the FFA to show a genuine desire to lead the way. We need to focus on the important questions (Joeys : what happened ?) in a reasoned and intelligent manner and celebrate 'our' successes enthusiastically rather than lap up the latest gossip.
That's why everyone in "our family" should have celebrated with Troy Hearfield, why I stood up at Bluetongue and cheered loudly for Mitch Nicholls when he played with Olly's Roos. (A strangely cathartic experience). And that's why I'll focused on the Magnificent Matildas rather than sharing my exclusive story about the A-League player, the ferret and the jar of Vegemite.
Besides, I'm saving that anecdote for my tell-all book (RRP $29.95).
