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Seven magnificent goals in the last quarter transformed the game being played in Australia’s own ‘Meh-hico’, all Carlton lounge rooms into a rip-roaring, hog-swallowing Cantinas and this year into a possible blockbuster! Yes, yes one game does not a Maize crop grow but we’ve gone from beans to steak in the blinking of a bull’s eye.
It wasn’t just the goals that transformed the game though, or should I say, the goals came about because the players, all twenty-two of them lifted, put their bodies on the line, ran like road runners in the desert rather than slipping in the wet as had been their forte in the first half of the game, and hit more targets than Billy the Kid!
So lets put Port Power in the position of Calvera the evil Bandito, there were million of Port supporters, they owned the town, and their players (bad men in teal rather than black) had bushwhacked us for the first three quarters with our own players (in white of course!) playing the part of the traitorous villagers handing the town over to them.
To go against Calvera all twenty-two players lifted but there were seven, seven magnificent players who got us over the line, for no bounty, for nothing more than the four precious points.
Chris ( Yul Brynner) of course was played by our own fearless leader Chris Judd. The similarity might begin with the absence of hair but that is not where it ends: Fearless, but deadly in tight situations, both willing to contest to the end and never take a backward step.
Vin (Steve McQueen) our very own Bryce Gibbs. Quiet, methodical but never, never beaten by the Apache Broken Finger (Chad Cornes). In fact, Chad’s one piece of good work came about because he was not contesting against Bryce who won every other battle they had. A great game.
Bernardo O’Reilly (Charles Bronson) Played by Marc Murphy. Tough as nails, likes the hard stuff - when the going gets tough the tough gets going and Marc’s last quarter was a ripper. The only debate here was whether Marc was Charles Bronson or one of those reckless, fearless kids that led to Bronson’s chest of bullets.
Lee (Robert Vaughn) Played by Jordon Russell. In the first half JR’s two mistakes meant he must have wanted to play the coward and hide himself away, hands shaking, the gun no good, the aim gone. But, like Lee in the end, when the team needed him, JR forgot all about the shakes, lifted his head and went for it, and what a last quarter he gave us. If Custer had have had JR there would have been no Custer’s Last Stand but Sitting Bull’s Rout instead! Well played JR, flashy, full of courage and physical commitment. JR is fast becoming a favourite of mine. He cops a lot of stick from supporters but the lad never stops running.
Britt (James Coburn) played by Kruiserrrr! Britt had a knife, fast as any broken treaty, cut you to the quick, and The Kruise put Port to the sword! 3 goals, a great goal square grab and he should have had a fourth but it’s a long way down to the ground (it seemed he was trying to reach the ball from a horse). The kid is an up and comer, star quality all over him.
Chico (Horst Buckholz). In the movie Chico was a kid who had no place riding with the gunslingers. He came from another land, knew nothing about their ways but in the end Chico proved his worth. When the heat was on, Chico just loved being in the kitchen and a certain Meh-Hico lass (but that’s another story – which Hollywood of course went and made – see the Return of the Magnificent Seven). On Sunday evening Chico was played by the big Irishman, Setanta. He was brilliant all evening, repelling again and again the advances of Calvera and his men.
Finally we come to the seventh man, to Harry Luck, a man there for all the wrong reasons, a man given to his own personal wealth (i.e. full forward goal kicking machine.) Fev looked all at sea, out of sorts, a white man looking for a corner in a tepee. But Fev is much, more these days than just a full-forward. He is a leader. Just as Harry, when the chips were down, rode in to save Chris so, too, Fev played a different role. He led the Port backmen away from the hole and let the Kruise have the space necessary to deliver the killing blows.
There were others of course, AB who just tackled and worked all night, Simmo’s run and that goal to put us in front, Waitey cutting through the centre like a hot knife through butter, T-Bird obliterating Motlop and so on. In the end everyone played their part. Even me and Keith on the couch, riding every bump, jumping up at each goal and screaming at every umpire non-decision – Fev has no Harry Luck when it comes to arms being chopped, getting held, etc etc etc….Who writes his damn script?
So this week we take on the black and white bars, the cakewalk (re keystone) cops, the butcher to our Sundance, the horse to our cavalry. Oh we will do them all right. We will do them like the North did the South. This will be our Gettysburg address and the streets of Collingwood will weep at our return!
Fev for seven
JR for BOG
and the Bluebaggers to make it two from two against the old enemy this year!
Go Blues!
Please Note: the views expressed in the above article are solely the opinion of the author and do not reflect the opinions of the Carlton Football Club or those employees of the Club. The Carlton Football Club would like to acknowledge the tireless work of those supporters who contribute to carltonfc.com.au.
