Round 20: Realism

"What's going to happen here? Are our boys going to find something and win two premierships and win the respect we've deserved and searched for? Or are we just going to fade out?" – Mark Thompson, August 9 2009.

There it is; the $64 million question, voiced as succinctly and as meaningfully as possible, by the one bloke who’s in a position to answer it. And while his answer seemingly puts all the responsibility squarely back on the players, it all depends on how you take it: To paraphrase Sidney Dean, “you can listen to Lips but you can’t hear him.”

Thompson was speaking at the GFC 150 year anniversary celebrations, which, depending on your perspective, makes it either a flippant, preaching-to-the-choir type crowd pleaser or a most public of call-outs by a coach to his players. Robert Walls, for example, took it as uncertainty; as a sign of weakness. Stephen Quartermain, on the other hand, saw it as an uplifting call to arms spoken from the heart. Andrew Bews compared Thompson to Sir Winston Churchill. All valid opinions when considered from each biased perspective.

As for my bias, the cynic in me suggests that on such an occasion it seems likely, almost expected, that the coach would speak in glowing hyperbole only, wanting to keep the spirit high amongst a crowd primed and ready to receive the good word.

The pessimistic side of my psyche thought it’s possible that Lips, maybe after a couple of chardonnays, let some honest doubts slip. It is worth noting that the language he used (“… find something”) suggests that the remedy to the current form slump will take a pretty big effort. Also, the choice of the term “fade-out” is interesting, as it implies a continuing, inevitable decline and not merely a dip in form or the result of a few injuries.

But I'm also part romantic, and that part was transfixed as Bomber spoke, heart-rate rising, neck hairs standing to attention and my non-existent hay-fever suddenly on the verge of playing up (if you know what I mean). I imagined the players in that room, surrounded by 150 years of small town pride, regret, expectation and most of all hope. I reckoned they could build the banner out of bricks this week.

In the following days, Lips admitted that his speech was premeditated. Does that make it any less believable or any more valid? Was it a heartfelt, last-chance plea or a choreographed piece of theatre?

Geelong could not have gone through their 2008 experience without learning something about premiership football. Was the lesson better injury management; about not carrying sore bodies into finals, about getting players right for September, even if it costs games in July and August? Or was it that sometimes you do need a plan B and that it pays to keep something up your sleeve?

I reckon there's a few things about to become clear down at Geelong, starting with the players responding in the only form they can.

But then again, I’m an optimist.


Captain: Adel, Coll, Kan, WB, Geel, Fre, PA, StK.
Season Tally: 110-42 (Miles in front Sheahan)

Mrs Watson: Haw, Coll, WC, WB, Syd, Mel, PA, StK.
Season Tally: 100-52 (Also miles in front of Sheahan)