I went to the footy last night. AFL, a match between Sydney Swans and Geelong. From memory this is the second time I have attended an AFL game. It was held in the rain at Sydney Cricket Ground. We had general admission seats, right down near the fence, right near long legs and sweaty bodies when they ran past....and right out in the rain. We were near to the goal posts, so could see the action when it was at our end of the field, otherwise the players just looked like a wet jumbled scramble when play was at the far end. This was when the guys with us watched the action on the big screens, and I watched the people around me.
The last time I went to a footy game was in Victoria. The crowd seemed to be more serious then, intensely watching play, more involved in verbalising support or vitriol for the players. Here where we were sitting the mood was like a big pub, with people hanging out to watch the game, have a drink and chat with friends, and then hit the clubs later. Die-hard AFL supporters were dotted through the crowd, but were definitely in the minority. A group of girls arrived and sat in front of us. University age, all trendy young things, none of them wearing anything that demonstrated support for either team. They complained about the wet seats, settled themselves down and proceeded to share gossip. They could have been sitting on the train instead of at a football match.
The rain that had been bucketing down all day had eased a little before the game started, but another cloud blew in and a haze of water fell in front of the lights. Beautiful in a way, if we weren't sitting out in it getting soaked. Immediately the girls in front of us put up four umbrellas - effectively cutting our view of the nearest half of the oval. There was a sudden howl of protest from behind us. I turned and saw three lads, two dressed in Geelong colours and the third supporting the Swans. "Go git yurself some ponchos why don't ya!" one of them barked. I later overheard that his name was Luke, and the more beer he drank the less likeable he became. The other two guys mumbled and grumbled agreement. One of the girls turned to respond, she had the slight twang of an American accent.
I lost interest as the rain got heavier and went to stand up the back under shelter for a while - since I couldn't see much past the umbrella's anyway. I came back when the rain had slowed to a fine mist that drifted overhead. I noticed that a deal had been struck in the umbrella situation. Somewhere three of girls had found some garbage bags and wore them like a weird kind of nuns habit. Two others had gone and purchased ponchos. The other three had moved to another row and were huddled under their umbrellas. The three lads seemed mollified, two of them slurping beers from their plastic cups and grunting. The other was talking with the girl with the American twang.
The game continued, less and less points were scored as it went on due to the difficulty of playing with an oval-shaped ball that bounces unpredictably and when wet and covered in mud is basically impossible to grasp. I listened to the conversations around me. The lads were from Victoria. They drove up after work yesterday. That explains why they looked haggard, with bloodshot eyes hanging out of their sockets. I was blaming the beer and poor genetics. Loud-mouth Luke continued to try to provoke the girl sitting in front of him. The second guy (the Swans supporter) settled deeper into his poncho as Geelong's lead got bigger. The third guy continued to talk with the girl with the American twang.
Their conversation had moved from casual to flirting, the girl running her hands through her hair, the guy leaning forward over the row of seats that separated them. Eye contact. Intense talking. The Swans got a goal just in front of us and the crowd rose to its feet, cheering. Not these two. Oblivious, they maintained eye contact and continued talking. Their friends started to notice. Luke commented dryly to his mate "Err he's chasing some pussy." I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but ever-helpful Luke informed the girl in the row in front of him that they were driving back to Melbourne on Sunday - gotta get back for work yer know...
Too much beer gets in the way of many good things, and the guy had to go to the toilet ("off for a piss" announced Luke). He walked in my direction and I watched her eyes follow him. He was back ten minutes later. She was watching the game. I wondered if the pause would be permanent. Nope, barely 30 seconds after he sat down again she turned around to face him and the conversation began anew.
I am not very good at concentrating on a football match that I can barely see through the rain, especially when there is something more interesting happening right in front of me. I watch them and invent futures for them. They leave the game together, find a pub and talk all night. He decides that she is more important than any job and tells his mates to get stuffed and drive back to Melbourne without him. Or they leave the game, go to her place (conveniently near-by) and she quickly packs a bag and joins them for the drive back to Melbourne. Luke drinks too much beer and passes out on the back seat and they talk and talk all the way to Melbourne, where a weak sunrise shines on Port Philip Bay.
Amid the smell of beer, meat pies and chips (so cliche, but really, that is all you can buy at the footy!) the game finally ends, the crowd flat because Geelong lived up to their song "We are Geelong, the greatest team of all!" People packed up, scrunched their poncho or garbage bag rain coats under the seat and left them there with other rubbish (micro-business note, could we do biodegradable plastic footy ponchos maybe?). The girl and boy kept on talking. The seats emptied around them. Their friends got up and left. I had to get up and leave. I watched them while I walked in the crowd. Their eyes were bright. Their hair dripping from the rain. He stood and leaned over her. I couldn't see what she was doing. Exchanging mobile numbers? A first kiss? A good-bye with regret?
Maybe they are still there, enjoying the deliciousness of finding someone new, someone who likes you, someone who is really interested in what you think. Finding that in a crowd of 25,000 people it is possible to really connect with the person sitting right behind you. That someone special is sitting there....just by chance?
