- Joined
- Feb 16, 2008
- Messages
- 11,057
- Reaction score
- 292
One of the greatest joys being a Bulldogs fan gives me, is the way we embrace each others happiness.
If there's a story on a fan doing it tough and they get some luck, we're all over it congratulating them on their success. If some fans drive 1000's of kms to watch a game, we're on it to applaud their efforts and it uplifts us all.
We watch the Bulldogs Army on TV, we see their posts online and the hordes of pictures of smiling faces and we point and go "SEE, those are MY people !". We walk down the street and come across a total stranger wearing Bulldogs colours, and that alone is good enough for a G'day or a knowing nod of approval with a wry smile. We know, that they know the deal : "Another one of us, another less of them".
Maybe it's my foggy memory, but to me it seems like finals time in recent years has evolved to the next level.
2009 : From the wooden spoon, I watched us emerge from the depths of the 2008 where only the most dedicated fans still showed up, and become a force to be reckoned with in 2009 only to fall at the GFQ with over 35,000 of our own behind us. We followed our fallen back to Belmore and greeted them home with open arms and chests filled with pride.
2012 : On the crest of our Dally M success and our charge to the GF, Belmore became a focal point for September. Cafes. Pop-up stores. A convoy of vehicles, horns and flags using the main street as a drive-through religious experience !
2014 : Repeat of 2012 but more people. Add the novelty of charging from 7th place. Those who missed out last time made a trip this time. Some who came last time, made multiple trips this time.
It's got to the point where in September, Belmore is the epi-centre of our identity. Fans from far and wide will flock to be part of it. And for those who cannot be there due to circumstances of distance, they can live vicariously through the pics and experiences of others like us here.
Over the last few finals campaigns, I've been really proud by the way our community of fans embraces it : We talk a lot of crap on here about expectations, winning ratios, comparisons to other teams, etc. But somehow, all of that doesn't seem to matter when September gets here.
In the last few weeks I've seen videos of Tahir and Rob in St.George country looking for their fans, I've seen a stream of pictures of our mascot trolling Roosters fans, our jersey at Allianz, and articles claiming we'll outnumber their fans on their home ground. Not to mention the video of the boys dancing that's popped up today. It takes my mind back to last year where we had some lunatic traveling around rival grounds to erect our flag with a portable drill and some well placed screws ... it's almost as if it doesn't matter what result happens. The big day will come, the match will be played and whatever will be, will be. But in the meantime, we're gonna milk as much fun out of September as we can.
Shit like that just makes me day, and reminds me I'm a fan of the right club.
September should be celebrated.
Our fans do it just right ... :thumb:
If there's a story on a fan doing it tough and they get some luck, we're all over it congratulating them on their success. If some fans drive 1000's of kms to watch a game, we're on it to applaud their efforts and it uplifts us all.
We watch the Bulldogs Army on TV, we see their posts online and the hordes of pictures of smiling faces and we point and go "SEE, those are MY people !". We walk down the street and come across a total stranger wearing Bulldogs colours, and that alone is good enough for a G'day or a knowing nod of approval with a wry smile. We know, that they know the deal : "Another one of us, another less of them".
Maybe it's my foggy memory, but to me it seems like finals time in recent years has evolved to the next level.
2009 : From the wooden spoon, I watched us emerge from the depths of the 2008 where only the most dedicated fans still showed up, and become a force to be reckoned with in 2009 only to fall at the GFQ with over 35,000 of our own behind us. We followed our fallen back to Belmore and greeted them home with open arms and chests filled with pride.
2012 : On the crest of our Dally M success and our charge to the GF, Belmore became a focal point for September. Cafes. Pop-up stores. A convoy of vehicles, horns and flags using the main street as a drive-through religious experience !
2014 : Repeat of 2012 but more people. Add the novelty of charging from 7th place. Those who missed out last time made a trip this time. Some who came last time, made multiple trips this time.
It's got to the point where in September, Belmore is the epi-centre of our identity. Fans from far and wide will flock to be part of it. And for those who cannot be there due to circumstances of distance, they can live vicariously through the pics and experiences of others like us here.
Over the last few finals campaigns, I've been really proud by the way our community of fans embraces it : We talk a lot of crap on here about expectations, winning ratios, comparisons to other teams, etc. But somehow, all of that doesn't seem to matter when September gets here.
In the last few weeks I've seen videos of Tahir and Rob in St.George country looking for their fans, I've seen a stream of pictures of our mascot trolling Roosters fans, our jersey at Allianz, and articles claiming we'll outnumber their fans on their home ground. Not to mention the video of the boys dancing that's popped up today. It takes my mind back to last year where we had some lunatic traveling around rival grounds to erect our flag with a portable drill and some well placed screws ... it's almost as if it doesn't matter what result happens. The big day will come, the match will be played and whatever will be, will be. But in the meantime, we're gonna milk as much fun out of September as we can.
Shit like that just makes me day, and reminds me I'm a fan of the right club.
September should be celebrated.
Our fans do it just right ... :thumb:
