It’s a long journey from the bedroom to the footy on game day, says Eddie Betts
Radio Nova919 is giving listeners the chance to win $30,000 to solve an Eddie Betts mystery word puzzle. We have NO IDEA what the answer is but could this 2016 article, written by the great man himself, hold the key?
At 6.55am my son Lewis, who has usually climbed into bed with us at some stage during the night (I’ll write another article about the friendly ghost Charlie Cameron left at our house) will kick me in the head with his foot.
I will roll over and grab my phone and google “paw patrol 60 continuous minutes”. This is every parent’s go-to: 60 minutes of continuous advertisement-free programs.
I will hand him the phone and then try get back to sleep for at least half an hour.
I will have dreams about Paw Patrol.
Ten minutes into the continuous Paw Patrol shows, Lewis will announce that he is getting up and wants me to get up with him.
Anna doesn’t really show any sympathy for me on game days and there’s no “get out of jail for free” cards handed out to me, even if it is game day.
So up I get.
At 7.10am I have three Weetbix (not sponsored, but wouldn’t mind if they did sponsor me) and some sugar carefully placed on top — kids, don’t put sugar on your Weetbix as there is no going back once you have had sugar on them.
Lewis has two Weetbix with me and we sit up at the bench together and usually watch more episodes of Paw Patrol together. Ryder always saves the day!
Being a Brunswick fella, I love my coffee, so I always have a coffee before I play. I use full fat milk and then add more sugar — sprinkle the sugar on top and then stir half a teaspoon in. I always drink the coffee with the spoon in.
About 8am, little Billy and Anna usually come out to join in the breakfast party. Lewis is like every big brother is and I will now spend the next two hours umpiring, penalising Lewis for tackling his brother without the ball, or telling him to get out of his brother’s back.
Billy is learning to kick the footy and we don’t have a no-ball rule in our house (shout out to the property owner — we will paint the walls) so the kids start up, kicking the footy into the pretend goals on our doors. Billy is going to be tough. Big bro shows no mercy.
Lewie and I head out of the house about 10am to go for a walk over to the Lockleys footy sometimes I have practice shots of goals from the boundary, maybe watch the juniors and one year I even “coached” a young side to one of their first wins. I am one from one. So I might just retire from coaching with those stats.
We go for a stroll, I have a stretch and sometimes Anna and Billy come over and join us.
At lunch time I always head down to my favourite Subway (shout out to the cool staff there) and order a chicken fillet, no sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion on wheat bread. I sit in the car and eat the entire foot-long in peace and then head home.
Game day with kids can be unpredictable and I am not bothered if things come up with the kids that I need to help out with. Some days I will go along to Lewie’s friend’s birthday parties or even spend three hours at the GP as one of the kids has a pain in the stomach.
Having kids brings footy into perspective — it is my job and it is my passion but life with the kids and family is above everything else, it keeps me completely grounded.
The dogs don’t show me any mercy on game day either so in the afternoon I will take them out for a run and pick up 20 dog poos in the backyard, chuck them a big bone each and then start preparing.
I am used to Melbourne traffic so I like to leave three hours before the game starts. So I start getting ready four hours before the game starts.
I have a shower, interrupted by Lewis and he usually jumps in with me, he likes to go through the entire squad and tell me their numbers and positions. Lewie loves Rory Sloane, Eddie Betts (yeah he doesn’t realise I am his dad) Tex and Rory Atkins.
I pack my bag — my Aboriginal flag jocks, Adidas shoes and game day socks. My other gear is already at the oval waiting for me.
Anna runs around packing dinner, 50,000 snacks and drink bottles, knitted things, toddler things and gets them ready for the Crows Creche. The kids get to go into a crèche with all the other Crows staff and players’ kids — trust me, it is madness when you go in there, there are footies and kids everywhere.
We always get out the door with three hours before the game — the car ride in goes a little like this:
“Dad, I took my shoe off.”
“Dad, do you think Thommo will kick three goals tonight?”
“Dad there’s a cat on the fence and it is orange”
So my “pump-up” country music is usually drowned out in the background. But that is OK; having a conversation with a three-year-old about Thommo’s chances of kicking a goal is much more inspiring.
I always stop off at the same Subway and have another 6-inch (same ingredients as before), sometimes I don’t even eat it but it is more habit.
When we get to the ground I unload the 50,000 toddler things we have packed in the car and usually I am carrying my bag and pushing the pram while Anna wrangles with Lewis.
We always go in together and sometimes Lewie comes into the rooms with me. I am usually the first player there and the two of us usually hang out up the top of the race and watch the curtain raiser — especially if any of the community teams are playing. I like to check out all the Aboriginal talent going around.
Two and half hours before the game starts I head up to the crèche and say bye to Lewis, Billy sees me and then cries as he thinks it’s his turn to come with me. Standard response.
Lewie runs off and finds his little Crow mates and is happy as Larry.
My mind now goes to footy but never far from my kids and family. I love my footy and I am serious about my game but in the back of my mind I am always playing for them, to make them proud and lead the way for them in the future.