The heaven and hell of being a Saints supporter
St Kilda takes to its first final in nearly a decade carrying the burden of past failures but buoyed by the hope that the AFL’s most unsuccessful club may have finally turned a corner. It’s all part of the exquisite pain of being a Saints supporter, writes Sophie Welsh.
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Saturday afternoon marks an interesting milestone for us tortured St Kilda fans.
After nine years in the wilderness (and by this I mean Seaford), the Saints play finals, taking to the field as a team brimming with new talent and hope, but carrying years of old trauma and history.
We know how this can end. We know heartbreak is not only possible, but probable. We’ve seen St Kilda choke many times, both when the stakes were high and when there was nothing to lose.
We’ve seen capitulations in Grand Finals, and against wooden spooners. We’ve seen disgraced players, discarded coaches and deserted heartland.
We’ve seen moments of greatness, glimpses of frustrating potential then immediately lost in a sea of disappointment.
We’ve seen off-field controversy unmatched by any other club, although some have certainly given us a run for our money this season.
The added minefield of strict coronavirus restrictions would have resulted in PR nightmares for any St Kilda team of years past,
St Kilda fans held their collective breath this season, clicking into every article teasing an ‘AFL club COVID breach’ expecting the worst.
Traumatised by years of sex scandals, incendiary episodes and drug dramas, St Kilda fans are used to seeing their beloved club in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Instead, we’re one of only a handful of clubs not to fall foul of the AFL’s pandemic policies.
The club’s new squeaky clean off-field image made it through the toughest and perhaps most scrutinised season in the AFL’s history.
Maybe there’s a genuine shift in off-field culture, or maybe it’s just the social media team.
The new crop of players have brought excitement back into the team.
The St Kilda archetypes are back – the dashing midfielder with a deft sidestep, the tall full forward carrying the expectations of supporters on his young shoulders, the hard-as-nails halfback with a tendency to fall foul of the tribunal.
Even hearing Jack Steele’s hoarse voice in a post-game interview in round 17 harked back to Lenny Hayes winning the Norm Smith Medal after the drawn grand final in 2010.
Oh man, don’t even get me started on 2010 and the dark cloud that has hung over every St Kilda supporters head ever since.
Only St Kilda, whose fortunes seem to be permanently and irrevocably terrible, could fail to win two grand finals in the one year.
Whatever footballing gods there are, St Kilda has done something to piss them off.
But has the curse finally broken? Maybe, maybe not.
To me, it doesn’t even matter.
Making the finals after nine years of false dawns and unrealised promises is the first bit of real, tangible progress.
At the start of the season, one question was on everyone’s lips: It’s a new year, but is it the same old Saints?
Whatever happens on Saturday afternoon, we can finally answer that question.
We’ve already exceeded expectations, and performed objectively better than in the past nine years.
We’re among the best eight teams in the competition, no longer cellar dwellers or wooden spooners. Our first round draft pick will be lower than we’re used to, and we have an All-Australian player in our midst.
Before the ball is bounced in our first finals game in nearly a decade, Saints fans won’t have to steel themselves with resolve and prepare for bitter disappointment.
Instead of worrying about what happens if we lose, excitement will build with the thought: ‘What if we win?’
And that’s more than we’ve had in years.
Sophie Welsh is a Herald Sun digital producer, and has witnessed St Kilda lose in three countries and two Grand Finals.
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