Jeff Kennett: Footy has the power to light up our lives and unite us

These days we are often confronted by stories of chaos, violence, misery and death and we don’t hear as much of the good things that happen in our community, but footy is a unifying force with the power to lift our spirits and inspire us, writes Jeff Kennett.

Changkuoth Jiath of the Hawks celebrates victory after the first AFL game played in snow in Canberra. Picture: Getty Images

I’m convinced Australian rules football plays a significant social role in our society because it allows us to talk about things other than work or family issues. There’s also the pure enjoyment it gives supporters of all clubs across the winter months.

In short, football is good for our mental health.

I have often been critical of the way the game is played today, the changes in the rules each year and the challenges those changes create for the umpires. But let me give you three examples of how the game has produced great moments recently. While these examples involve my club, Hawthorn, I am sure every club delivers the same to their supporters each year.

Shaun Burgoyne breaks the record for the most games played by an indigenous player in the game’s history with 373. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Friday, August 2: Shaun Burgoyne, who played with Port Adelaide before joining Hawthorn in 2010, broke the record for the most games played by an indigenous player in the game’s history: 373. It was a celebration of a great man’s extraordinary effort, not just for the length of his playing career, but also for his talent and values as a strong, down-to-earth family man who is raising four beautiful children with his wife, Amy.

What I found particularly heartwarming was the support and love extended to Shaun the week before, as well as on the day, he achieved the record.

That support came not just from his teammates but from indigenous players from other clubs, past and present, who gathered to celebrate Shaun’s milestone. It was all captured in a wonderful video available on the Hawthorn website: news/video-watch champions celebrate a champion.

For me, our code at its very best.

Friday, August 9: Hawthorn travelled to Canberra to play Greater Western Sydney. GWS was tipped to win and the weather was tipped to be cold. In fact it was more than just cold. It snowed for the first time during an AFL match.

I watched from the comfort of my lounge room in Melbourne, but what I thought was memorable was the players’ and coaches’ obvious enjoyment. They looked happy. They were having fun.

Football has become so serious that I think too many people involved get little pleasure from it. The proof of that is the number of players who suffer from stress and anxiety as a result of performance pressures and the expectations and scrutiny placed on them.

Yet in freezing weather, with snow on the ground, we saw exuberant young men enjoying themselves. I am sure their enjoyment at playing in such unique circumstances was a major part of Hawthorn’s success that night. But for football in general, it was a wonderful occasion with the game being played as it should be.

Jarryd Roughead of the Hawks celebrates a goal during his final game against the Suns on August 18. Picture: AAP

Sunday, August 18: Jarryd Roughead played his last game for Hawthorn in Melbourne.

At Marvel Stadium at 4.45pm on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon, more than 30,000 supporters turned up to salute and thank Jarryd for his 15-year career at Hawthorn.

I have never witnessed a game like it. The crowd stood as one when Jarryd ran on to the ground. They cheered when he scored his first goal and again rose from their seats and cheered his next five goals. When the umpire failed to award him a free kick, the Hawthorn supporters roared their displeasure as they did when his teammate, Jack Gunston, intercepted a ball that was a certain Roughead mark and potentially his seventh goal for the night. It was pure entertainment, exuberant and passionate.

And when the game was over, the supporters stayed until Jarryd had left the ground.

Another wonderful happy occasion. Another illustration of the great pleasure our code brings to so many people and how important AFL can be to its supporters.

As I said, every club will have similar occasions, but to have witnessed three such events in a short period of time is remarkable for all the right reasons.

These days we are so often confronted by stories of chaos, violence, misery and death and we don’t hear as much of the good things that happen in our community — such as the three games I have written about, the kind of memorable occasions that lift our spirits and provide perspective.

Shaun Burgoyne of the Hawks runs out with his family in his record-setting match against North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

Like me, many readers will have visited Hong Kong as I have done many times over the past 40 years. The community has seen great change, particularly in its leadership. But I was disappointed to see the violence there that is dividing the community.

It would be a pity if the Hong Kong we have known for years was to lose its unique status in the world as an entry point to China. It is a community that exists under the title One Country, Two Systems.

Hong Kong, like Singapore, has a big Australian ex-pat community whose future must be in doubt if the current differences cannot be resolved peacefully.

What disturbed me more were confrontations in Melbourne last weekend as some members of our Chinese community confronted each other.

Many people settled in Australia to escape brutal regimes and war-ravaged environments or forms of religious or political suppression.

They came to Australia for the opportunities they did not have in their place of birth.

But the issues of one’s homeland should not be fought over on our streets.

One of Australia’s greatest strengths is its multiculturalism. Our streets must not become battlegrounds for disputes elsewhere.

For now, stay well and enjoy the good things in life that make you happy.

Jeff Kennett is a former premier of Victoria and president of the Hawthorn Football Club.

@jeff_kennett