Essendon Week

Red and Black? Nat Martin goes WHACK...

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As you get older, and somewhat wiser, I feel as if your maniacal passion for things does start to fade somewhat due to the responsibilities of your life.

People only have so much mental energy to commit, and their ability to feel really strongly about particular things is somewhat stretched.

In the last five years or so, I’ve gotten married, bought a house, had a child and am about to welcome my second into the world.

I’ve found, like everyone, these responsibilities being as important as they are, make trivial things seem less important.

The biggest compliment I can give the Essendon Football Club is my absolute unbridled loathing for them hasn’t changed, at all.

Everyone who follows footy has that team that they just can’t have.

For many Hawthorn supporters it’s the Cats, and don’t get me wrong - I strongly dislike them - however there is a part of me that has to tip my cap to them at how well run they are. I’m self aware enough to know the dislike is based on mutual respect at some great battles over the years at the pointy end of the season, and also that they simply have had the wood over us for the best part of a decade now.

Then, there is this lot.

I have absolutely despised them since we nearly pinched the 2001 Prelim off them as wild underdogs, aided by a freak Paul Barnard bounce, a Trent Croad set shot that was five metres too far out, and a Darren Goldspink umpiring performance that Hawthorn supporters still shake their head over. I was eight, cried, and a lifelong hatred was born.

This is a mob that haven’t been relevant in deciding who wins the comp since I was in Grade 4. I turn 33 in August.

The club blew themselves up, seemed to blame everyone else in the aftermath - overlooking the fact they were as well governed as Venezuela - whilst we were busy winning flags. They were lucky not to be kicked out of the comp.

The chronic victim mentality.

84/85.

Sheedy getting a police investigation launched in the 80’s into us committing the heinous crime of using smelling salts.

The aforementioned 2001 prelim. The Sewell hit.

Their fan base’s almost psychotic obsession with our coach, because he accepted a Brownlow that was taken off a player who admitted to taking a banned substance on live television.

When we lost that 2017 Round 1 game, which should’ve been our night to welcome back Roughead from cancer, but was apparently a celebration?! of their players returning from a WADA imposed drug ban. They put that game on the wall of the Hangar, which is a pretty accurate reflection of their last 25 years.

Gary O’Donnell regularly tweeting more about Hawthorn than his own side. Go have a look at him ripping into Massimo D’Ambrosio after the Prelim last year, I’m glad footy finally gave him some joy.

The list goes on.

Every football club has their crazies (including us), and social media brings them out.

However, as anyone who’s had the misfortune to spend time online during last year’s trade period would know, Essendon fans are a rare breed. Twenty years of generational trauma has done some seriously weird things to that mob.

As I alluded to earlier, objectively this is all a bit silly, as it is only a game. But this is what makes footy good. Footy doesn’t matter, but it does. This is what makes you feel alive. I’m sure one of the Essendon fan channels are relaying a similar sentiment about us this week and play on to them.

A very well-known sports media personality who is a big Hawthorn man once told me he hates them ‘More than Putin’. I’ve often said if they folded, I’d go on a week-long bender.

I’m not sure either of us are joking.

The Zach Merrett saga irks me more than it should, because objectively even I believe they played us, and we were quite naive. It would’ve been absolutely hilarious to take their captain off them, but instead we gave them somewhat of a galvanising moment that potentially could’ve been avoided. I honestly wouldn’t have minded as much, if it was anyone else.

I’ve been worried about this game for months. It has a scent to it, that they have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I am concerned they bat deeper where we struggle (on ball), even though I believe we have them covered at both ends. Their crowd will rise with any sniff they get. It’ll be hostile. I want their hope snuffed out again, and them all cast into the pit of misery for another winter.

We need to win tonight. We need to fight back. We are copping it from quite a few angles at the minute, and I feel as if we need this win, even more so given it’s against this mob. Good simply must triumph over evil.

Go Hawks.

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