Last weekend, the Sydney Swans were crowned the AFL Champions in a thriller against the West Coast Wiggles, er, Eagles. This weekend, it's the ARL, with the West Tigers taking on the North Queensland Cowpats, er, Cowboys on Sunday night. Rugby League isn't the only sport that's ending. It's the change of seasons for a number of other athletic pursuits.
The Spring Racing season kicks off this weekend, with the running of the Epsom Handicap, the various Cups with the penultimate, the Melbourne Cup, there is also the A-league, the English premier league, domestic and international cricket, basketball, the local rugby union Grand Final on Sunday, golf season, the Bathurst 1000 motor racing, surf life saving carnivals, iron man races; finished is the netball (yay, Swifts) the International Rugby Union - let's not and say we did - the end of the tennis season, motor bikes, Formula One... and so much more.
This nation of ours has a ferocious need for sports and to achieve much in the chosen field. When the cricketers lost the Ashes, there were howls of outrage, calls for sackings and general ruckus. Sure it hurt, but, dare I say, it wasn't the end of the world. We'll get the Ashes back. Rugby Union? Okay, we didn't win any international games *wince* and our Super 12 sides were below par - except NSW. We'll improve before the World Cup. Soccer? We're going along nicely in the world rankings and our boys in the Under 17s World Cup are doing well. Hell, it's been thirty odd years since the Socceroos managed to get to the senior World Cup round.
For those of us who have given up sport and now watch with a sigh of 'when I was playing' being an armchair critic is fine. This summer, I'll be watching cricket, soccer, the Melbourne Cup... anything that happens to be on the teev. I'm one of many who will. Others will be taking their youngster out for street or yard cricket, will be playing touch footy down at the local sports field or taking their kids to their summer sporting venue. Why? Because this sporting nation prides itself on developing young talent. Because this sporting nation is a beach culture and loves the outdoors. Because this sporting nation, no matter who and where we are, loves a good, fair game.
Because we're Australian and 'too much sport is never enough'.
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