|
Written by the Cowbell-loathing Fan in the Stand
|
|
Tuesday, 25 July 2006 |
|
No Bay fan with blue and yellow blood running through their veins will ever forget when we whipped a cocky Waikato to keep our Ranfurly Shield in 2004. Even in the depths of last year, our hard-fought victory in Hamilton was one of the few bright points of a disappointing season. This weekend we'll be heading back over the Kaimais to try to complete the hat-trick. It really is a no-lose situation for Bay fans. Another victory and those bragging rights will be sweet indeed. If by some unfortunate combination of bad luck and awful refereeing we were to lose the game, then who cares? It's only a meaningless friendly and our real winning streak is retained.
There is a hate-hate relationship between ourselves and our cowbell wielding neighbours. Due to our geographical connection, we are partners in the Super 14 Chiefs franchise, the franchise formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs and known these days as the Woeful Chiefs. Their lack of success is directly linked to a Waikato-biased selection policy, a fact clearly proven during the 2004 season when David Hill was finally ditched for Sir Glen Jackson and the Chiefs stormed into the semi-finals for the first time. In recent times, there has been a steady stream of Bay players heading west to Waikato. Mysteriously they were then awarded Super 12 contracts having been ignored when playing well for the Bay. The new Bay Rugby Academy seems to have halted this trend. There are many other reasons to dislike our neighbours. There is the “chainsaw guy” perched atop a cherry picker who is allowed to distract opposition kickers from his lofty perch. As this reflects the forestry tradition of the Waikato, surely over in our thermal wonderland we should be allowed to lob super-heated rocks at the opposing kicker. Those cowbells! You can spot a Waikato fan easily – he is the one who complains of a sore wrist rather than a sore throat after a big game. We hope to see the Bay colours out in force for our outing to the “House of Cowbells and Fog”. Remember that many of the Waikato players are going overseas at the end of the year so this could be your last chance to watch household names such as David Hohneck and Sean Hill. Those of you who ventured out in the cold to Blue Chip Stadium last Friday night may be worried about Steamers prospects for the season. We firmly believe in looking on the bright side so … 5 reasons for Bay fans to be cheerful.
- We aren’t peaking too early.
- All Blacks call-ups look unlikely.
- The new jerseys look nice.
- Jeff Ierome doesn’t have a season-ending injury (yet).
- Western Bay Finance is no longer the major sponsor.
|
News and Opinion 
