Barack Obama's election night speech:
What Ross Lyon's speech should be to St Kilda fans today."What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek; it is only the chance for us to make that change."
"What began nine months ago in the depths of October must not end on this June night. This great start alone is not the victory we seek; it is only the chance for us to claim that premiership."
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Still with me? Good. Well done. You're smarter than George Bush (he's bidding on guns on eBay). Here we go:
I WAS asked today why St Kilda fans aren't going around giving it the big talk, and then Joffaboy's thread kind of rammed home that it needs to be explained - in its own space - why there's not the frenzied talk that we had five years ago.
Firstly, we know footy. We know that Geelong lost twice last year. Once during the regular season. Once in the Grand Final. Whave they to show for it? Nada - except a desire to win something this year.
We also know our footy club. We've had amazing starts before. What have we to show for it?
This friggin' DVD:
See, there's this little thing called the last day in September. But if you don't win finals, you won't get there. We're 0-3 from our last three Preliminary Finals. It doesn't matter whether you're 22-0 or 12-10 - if you're five goals down with two minutes to play, you're in strife.
The H&A season, to me, is merely jostling to get organised for September. If you're not in the hunt, you should be playing kids until you have a squad capable of winning something.
You have to be in the top four. That's it - because you need to be playing in Preliminary Finals. Realistically, you need to be top two (but this season will probably be an all-Vic top four, like last year). We'll get that, which is great.
Unfortunately, here's the reality of football: winner takes all. The Brisbane Lions NEVER won the minor premiership under Leigh Matthews, yet are one of the greatest teams ever.
In very crude terms, the H&A serves two purposes: to weed out the crap teams and act as a barrier draw for the good teams. A good barrier is essential to success, but it is no guarentee of that. You still have to hit the straight with gallons in the tank.
This is why I believe our supporters are not getting ahead of themselves. Equally, I think they know that the team simply has to find another 10-20% in September. Why? Because everybody else will be lifting 10-20% in September. Maybe more.
I cannot imagine anything more distressing in footy than winning every game EXCEPT for the big one. Sure, a wonderful year. But you're chokers. Not champions. Not the best. Not good enough. That's effectively the Geelong of last year. Maybe Geelong of this year. Maybe even us.
So, if you're one of these people who wants to whip up mass hysteria, or simply someone who wants our fans to get more excited, be patient. We've been down this track before. We know where the jump over the creek is. We'll get to the creek - that's the easy part - but each year, only two teams managed to get through it.
We have to be one of those teams. And then we need to have enough energy to fend off the other mob who made it across.
What if Ross Lyon can eek out another 15-20% from this team before the end of the season by pushing this team to go a little further? Could that be the difference between a losing Preliminary and a Premiership? Maybe.
That's the thing. We can't relax. The job isn't even half done. We haven't even played our biggest threat. Can we get excited? Sure. Can we get pumped up? Absolutely. But get excited about the challenges we face and the manner of our efforts so far, rather than what we are yet to achieve.
I'm ecstatic that we're in a position to challenge. Fantastic. Brilliant. Amazing. Marvellous. Unexpected. And all the rest. I'm enjoying it immensly and I hope you are too.
Now, we need to plug another win against Carlton next week and get to the break. We need to get there, recharge, refuel, and sort ourselves for a tilt at what we really want.
So if there's a minor criticism of Gwilt, Blake, Clarke, Jones, etc - don't take it as though that player has been singled out because he has ugly hair. It boils down to this: we can pick 22 players each week. That's 22 opportunities for a match-winning (or saving) performance. 22 links in the chain, spokes on the wheel, etc. You can't really afford a rusty one.
It's fair to say that being 11-0, fans should be completely content and satisfied. And, to be fair, we all are. All of us. We couldn't be better than 11-0. However, could we be playing better as a team? Could other teams improve in between now and September? Could we be caught on the hop when it matters most?
The answer is yes. That's why we need to keep improving. Just that little bit. Maybe not every week, but we need to keep showing that we are a strong team that is hungry to win games at the start of the season, in the middle of the season and at the end of the season.
Always hungry. Never satisfied. The job is half done.
I'd hope Ross believes that we can overcome our supposed 'choker' status; that we can better ourselves, and realise this is just the start, not the end of what we hope is a journey that yields what we are planning for...
I hate to substitute the word "America" for our club, but Barack has it just about right...
"For that is the true genius of St Kilda – that St Kilda can change. Our club can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."
We're turning at half-way in the marathon in front. The challenge now is to stay there.