Maddern v Molloy: Battle of the famous footy fans
Bec Maddern and Mick Molloy will support rival teams on Saturday, and while Maddern looks forward to what she hopes will be a Grand Final fairytale, Molloy looks back at the chaotic celebrations he’ll miss if the Tigers get up again.
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BEC MADDERN – GEELONG CATS FAN
I have a long family connection to the Geelong Cats. I had no choice to follow them, or else I would have been ostracised.
My great grandfather Harry ‘Nipper’ Marsham), on my mum’s side, captained the side back in 1917. My stepdad (Rex Gorell) was on the board for 10 years, and this is my 10th year of being No.1 ticket holder.
The Cats are a very special part of my family, it’s everything to us.
I have a good feeling about Geelong this weekend because of the way they’ve played in the last few weeks. If they can emulate that form, I’m confident we will win the Grand Final.
But whoever takes away the premiership this year deserves all the glory and all the praise. There has been so much sacrifice, I think it’s going to mean even more than past premierships.
What gives me a feeling of concern can be summed up in one word: Richmond.
They’re an experienced side, they know how good it feels to hold that cup, and one person does worry me a lot, and that’s Dustin Martin. He plays fantastic finals football.
We’re going to have to nullify him if we’re to get the premiership cup.
But the biggest story of the season belongs to Gary Ablett Jr.
I’ve known Gary a long, long time, and he is one of the most beautiful people you’ll ever meet.
He came back to Geelong from the Suns, and said it on the record, “I came back to win a premiership.’
If we win the cup it’s a fairytale come true, not only for Gary Ablett, but for every single Geelong fan.
I don’t have a bet going, or a dare to cut my hair (if Geelong loses), but I will confidently say this: Patrick Dangerfield to win the Norm Smith Medal.
MICK MOLLOY – RICHMOND TIGERS FAN
I will watch the game on my own with a bubble buddy if I’m lucky.
I’ve got a good friend I’ve been going to the footy with since grade 5 so I dare say I’ll sneak him over here and we’ll watch it together in front of the telly.
Have you ever seen Melbourne like it? It’s like a ghost town, the MCG is dead, it feels like the day after a nuclear bomb or something.
Good luck keeping them out of Swan St. They’ll have to block the whole thing off. It’ll be madness. 2017 it was like we’d won the war.
All the Richmond fans were like six deep outside the pubs and couldn’t get in. So they just went into Liquorland and just started drinking all the stuff and treating it like a venue.
And when the cops came they started singing, ‘oh we’re from liquorland.....’
I was down there and then I went into my favourite hangout, Demitri’s Feast and everyone started bashing on the windows and (the owner) Jimmy kicked me out.
It was like the pied piper with 200 people behind me and I didn’t want them to know where I lived so I just kept walking around followed by Richmond fans.
I’m very confident, in fact I think it’s time for a second team out of Richmond.
Why are we so good? Benny Gale’s prediction. 2016 was a really bad year for us.
We didn’t make the eight and it was all starting to implode a bit.
There was a change at board level, Balmey came in and there was a whole raft of assistant coaches who came in and overnight it turned around and it was the start of a modern dynasty.
The idea that we were in 2017 winning a flag would have never occurred to anyone.
We’ve been pretty dominant since then and we’ve lost one serious game and that was the prelim against Collingwood.
Apart from that, four prelims, three grand finals, it’s a pretty good return.
It’s fun to watch and I don’t take it for granted. When you’ve had such a bad run as we did you want to remember this forever.
I’ll be proud of them win, lose or draw. It’s been a little great ray of sunshine in an otherwise pretty crap 2020.
My boys are eight so I’ll get them around. What’s really annoying is I got season tickets for me, my friend and my two boys. I was so looking forward to going and watching with them. We could have all been sitting there watching and it would have been so special.
Just another kick in the pants from 2020.
I don’t want to get greedy though, but back to back to back has a nice ring to it.
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