A chance that came from nowhere

DESPITE not even being guaranteed a finals spot, I’m already well ahead of myself in my preparations for a 2019 AFL premiership.

This weekend my beloved Western Bulldogs will play a must-win match against the Crows.

When dad and I decided to venture to Ballarat for the game a few weeks ago, a finals berth still seemed quite unlikely.

I thought it would probably be a relaxing affair as we’d have no hope of playing finals.

Instead, it’s going to be one of the most stressful, highstakes games I’ve been to.

In the past fortnight the Dogs have, to my delight, smashed Essendon and Greater Western Sydney.

Now, they just need to knock over the Crows in Ballarat to ensure they stay in the top eight.

And considering back in 2016 we won from 7th, I can’t see why we could not win a flag from eighth.

On that fateful day in 2016, when the Doggies finally broke their decades-long premiership drought, I was sadly stuck in a Tasmanian newsroom. My dad and brother found it highly unlikely earlier on in 2016 that the Dogs would go all the way. So months prior they had booked a holiday, and they cheered the Dogs on from South Australia. And given the Dogs’ wildly inconsistent form during recent years, we had little reason to believe that there was even a chance they could be in the Grand Final this year. So on that day, and for much of the finals, my dad and brother will be trekking in remote Nepal. I doubt they’ll even be able to check the score.

But if, by some miracle, the Dogs make a grand final, you can bet I’ll do anything not to miss out on being there this time.

And if we taste success against the Crows this Sunday, I’ll do everything I can to be at all our finals games.

It’s been a tough few years to be a Dogs supporter.

Although I may have doubted them at times this year, particularly after losses to lowly sides, their recent form has been blistering, and an absolute pleasure to watch.

I will head into Mars Stadium at the weekend with hope in my heart, an anxious knot in my stomach, and of course, my Marcus Bontempelli badge stuck to my forehead.

Go Dogs!