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Women In League: Former Bulldogs cheerleader Darcie McDonald tells her rugby league story
Always a happy Bulldogs cheerleader.Source: Supplied
Darcie McDonald from Fox Sports@darciemcdonald
July 20th, 2017 4:11 pm
- Darcie McDonald is a former Bulldogs cheerleader and a contributor to foxsports.com.au. In celebration of Women In League round, this is her rugby league story.
IT’S hard to pin point exactly when my love of rugby league started.
It could have been as I was dragged out of Saturday morning ballet classes to go to my brother’s local footy games, or it could have been when I (unsuccessfully) tried out for my school team as a 10-year-old.
But I think it may have been when I truly realised the effect the game has on fans, when I saw my older brother cry for the first and only time, at the 2004 NRL Grand Final.
It sounds cliche, but to me rugby league is more than just a game. It is historical moments that are engraved in our memories, the rivalry between friends, the topic of banter on a Monday morning and the community of fans that turn up every week that some of us call family.
I was born into a fanatical Bulldogs family; my grandfather was one of the original season ticket holders at Belmore Sports Ground and he is what began a blue and white bloodline that’s filtered through my family.
LIVE stream the entire 2017 NRL premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >
Supporting the Bulldogs has always been a family affair.Source: Supplied
He passed away in mid-2004 and still to this day I am adamant he had a hand in the Bulldogs’ grand final win later that year.
For me, like so many other league fans, there was no choice in following another code.
I was carted to Belmore as a newborn decked out in blue and white booties knitted by the ladies who sat next to us, we didn’t know these ladies personally but the mutual love of the game made them extended family.
I spent my weekends growing up skipping birthday parties to watch my team. My family and I hopped on the supporter bus (or plane in some cases) to travel to every away game - the 2002 Bulldogs v Knights thriller at what was then known as Energy Australia Stadium will forever stick out in my memory; I could even tell you what colour singlet I had on underneath my jersey.
In my happy place, cheerleading for the Bulldogs.Source: Supplied
As I became more invested in the game, I had an urge to be a part of it, though as I had previously discovered actually playing rugby league wasn’t my calling.
I set my sights on becoming a Bulldogs cheerleader and voiced that in my Year 6 yearbook when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Most children don’t get to live out their dreams, but I was lucky enough that my dream was slightly more achievable than being an astronaut. I went on to become a cheerleader for the Bulldogs for five seasons and in my final year I captained and coached the squad.
Rugby league has been a major part of my life; the experiences it has given me are second to none. I could write for hours about incredible moments like cheerleading at the 2012 and 2014 grand finals only to break down in tears on the sideline in the dying minutes as I watched my team lose.
The memories I have of lining up at fan days as a child just to get signatures on my jersey so I could show them off at school mufti days are something I’ll cherish forever.
www.foxsports.com.au
Darcie McDonald from Fox Sports@darciemcdonald
July 20th, 2017 4:11 pm
- Darcie McDonald is a former Bulldogs cheerleader and a contributor to foxsports.com.au. In celebration of Women In League round, this is her rugby league story.
IT’S hard to pin point exactly when my love of rugby league started.
It could have been as I was dragged out of Saturday morning ballet classes to go to my brother’s local footy games, or it could have been when I (unsuccessfully) tried out for my school team as a 10-year-old.
But I think it may have been when I truly realised the effect the game has on fans, when I saw my older brother cry for the first and only time, at the 2004 NRL Grand Final.
It sounds cliche, but to me rugby league is more than just a game. It is historical moments that are engraved in our memories, the rivalry between friends, the topic of banter on a Monday morning and the community of fans that turn up every week that some of us call family.
I was born into a fanatical Bulldogs family; my grandfather was one of the original season ticket holders at Belmore Sports Ground and he is what began a blue and white bloodline that’s filtered through my family.
LIVE stream the entire 2017 NRL premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >
He passed away in mid-2004 and still to this day I am adamant he had a hand in the Bulldogs’ grand final win later that year.
For me, like so many other league fans, there was no choice in following another code.
I was carted to Belmore as a newborn decked out in blue and white booties knitted by the ladies who sat next to us, we didn’t know these ladies personally but the mutual love of the game made them extended family.
I spent my weekends growing up skipping birthday parties to watch my team. My family and I hopped on the supporter bus (or plane in some cases) to travel to every away game - the 2002 Bulldogs v Knights thriller at what was then known as Energy Australia Stadium will forever stick out in my memory; I could even tell you what colour singlet I had on underneath my jersey.
As I became more invested in the game, I had an urge to be a part of it, though as I had previously discovered actually playing rugby league wasn’t my calling.
I set my sights on becoming a Bulldogs cheerleader and voiced that in my Year 6 yearbook when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Most children don’t get to live out their dreams, but I was lucky enough that my dream was slightly more achievable than being an astronaut. I went on to become a cheerleader for the Bulldogs for five seasons and in my final year I captained and coached the squad.
Rugby league has been a major part of my life; the experiences it has given me are second to none. I could write for hours about incredible moments like cheerleading at the 2012 and 2014 grand finals only to break down in tears on the sideline in the dying minutes as I watched my team lose.
The memories I have of lining up at fan days as a child just to get signatures on my jersey so I could show them off at school mufti days are something I’ll cherish forever.
Women In League: Former Bulldogs cheerleader Darcie McDonald tells her rugby league story
Living my dream: Why it’s more than a game
www.foxsports.com.au
