The long and brutal wait is finally over. Okay, it’s not that bad, as we do enjoy an off-season that includes both summer and the seasonal cricket that comes with it, but there’s always a little part of us that is awaiting March.
Why? Because footy’s back, of course! Yes, it’s the time of year when our favourite clubs get back onto the field after picking up some awesome talent and hopefully giving it a better slog than last year (unless you’re a Pies fan, of course).
We’re absolutely pumped for the new season as we’re sure you are, too. There are always plenty of reasons to be, and here are a few of them to get you excited for the year ahead:
- It makes you want to play, too
The promise of a new season invigorates any future, present and even past-AFL hopeful into heading to the AFL store, picking up some quality training gear and getting onto the field themselves. The new season and all the buzz that surrounds it is when you are most likely to see families having a kick in the front yard, mates having marking comps in the park and local clubs eager to get their players match fit after what could have been an indulgent off-season.
It’s the time that truly invigorates our passion for the game, that makes us want to grab the footy from the garage and take it out to the street, to work on our handpass, freekick, specky, whatever. The new season makes us all want to play and this is an exciting time for any footy footy player!
- It gets you & your mates together
Perhaps the last time you saw your mate was when your teams played in round 16. Thankfully, they’ve been drawn together in the first round, giving you two the perfect opportunity to grab a couple of tickets, catch it at the pub or get the barbie going at home to enjoy what appears to be the thing that draws you together after all this time.
We’re mucking around, but seriously, footy is one of Melbourne – and Australia’s – great social events. We know this because we know that our less-footy-fond mates even enjoy getting down to the pub and cheering on our teams despite the fact they say, “nah, I hate footy”. Sure you do, but you don’t look like you hate it so much now that you’re two pints deep and the Sainters are three points down with a free in front of goal and a minute on the clock.
That’s footy: it’s exhilarating, it’s enticing, it can win over the snootiest of anti-AFL cosmopolitans. It has the ease of ability to do that – we’ve all seen it happen time and time again and this season promises to be no different.
- It brings with it a sense of hope
Well, unless you’re a fan of a couple of particular teams which will remain unmentioned here (you already know who you are). Yes, each new season and every first round brings with it the hope of a new era, a new time in which your team takes it to the next level, steps up to the hype and shows their faithful that, yes, they are the real deal.
It’s the most exciting sports time of the year for footy fans (apart from Granny Day, of course), and we can’t wait for the opening round of 2024!
