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We watch the last quarter from the Sandringham social club, a modern building at the city end with a long, curved wall of glass looking out on to the bay. After the game, players and club officials come along, speeches are made, each club thanking the other for the game. I meet Sandringham coach Paul Hudson, son of Tasmanian football legend Peter Hudson. Paul Hudson's career didn't match his father's but he played 245 AFL games with Hawthorn and the Dogs. That's a lot of AFL football.
But the longer I am in the Sandringham Football Club social rooms the more I gaze out the long window. I live in Melbourne and scarcely think of Port Phillip Bay. Seen from here at sunset it is a vast mass of shining grey water, grey sky above it with a thin band of orange light at the horizon. It's an experience, going to the footy at Sandy.
I loved this article, as this year I've actually returned to the Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval to watch a couple of Sandy games.
It's part of the trying to re-gain my love for the game of Aussie Rules, NOT AFL, which at the moment is sadly lacking any enthusiasm amongst a lot of us I suspect. I still carry my love and devotion to the St Kilda Football Club, but the state of the game at the moment is leading to a sense of I'm watching rugby.
But I digress... this is a story, not about stats, not about percentages, not about inside 50s vs outside 50s, nor was it about stoppages at 3.6 per minute blah blah blah, it wss about the community feel of the game, special mention to "Can Hill" and having first attended my first game at Sandy way back when Terry Wilkins, Alfie Beus and alike were playing it took me back to those epic Sandringham vs Port Melbourne games when you were guaranteed to see the Port supporters come out swinging in the outer as the game got tighter.
