Last Saturday I went to the football (Rugby League for those of you with different definitions of the word ‘football’).
It was the first round of the season, and a Wests Tigers home game! This was close to perfection. Home game…first game after 6 months of no NRL, so along I went. Dressed in a (new) jersey and jeans to cheer them on at the stadium.
How awesome is this jersey?!
Watching warm-ups
The first half was amazing football. Truly amazing. Attack and defense were the best I’ve seen in…well, I can’t remember how long. The scoreboard reflected this incredible display. Half time and we were up 28-4!!! It was then that I did the unthinkable…I got excited.
As the second half started, we lost our excited confidence. The other team started scoring and our defense started lacking. A lot. During the final 40 minutes, a friend and I joked around that the medics would be better placed in the crowd, reminding hyperventilating Tigers fans how to breathe again.
However, as the 2nd half progressed, we did come away with a win. Just. In the final minute, a try was scored to increase our lead to a measly 8 (remember we had a 24 point lead) and we ended up winning 34-26.
This may seem sad to supporters of other teams, or those who don’t follow the NRL, but as a Tigers fan, this is our life. Ups and downs. Going from “OMG we have this!!!! We can’t be beaten!!!” to “Ummm….is this the same team?”
As long as we remember how to breathe (which is a hard task sometimes!), and try not to get excited too early…it’s sometimes ok in the end.
Here’s hoping the remaining 25 rounds of the 2016 season aren’t too taxing on fans. Plenty of great wins would be appreciated, but I won’t hold my breath for that one…just yet.
The Nat Diaries 
This is exactly why I can’t watch Tigers games. I’ve followed them since I was 4 (I was originally a Balmain supporter before the merger) and I still believe the excitement of the 2005 finals series was a contributing factor to my daughter being born 3 weeks early in October 2005!!!!
Oh wow!! I definitely think the 2005 finals series contributed to your daughter’s early birth!!