I’m going to try and catch the Eels game tonight, particularly because it’s make-or-break time for them for this season.

I lost interest in all this stuff for two reasons:

1. the Eels’ overall performance has been abysmal (and the Bulldogs’ even worse), and
2. study and other  annoyingly practical concerns have dominated my attention.

But now that things are marginally exciting again, I may re-cultivate an interest…

UPDATE! The Eels won 40-12. It was a great game with a bit of biffo and an attempted decapitation. Unfortunately, Mateo buggered his knee in the final minutes; still, all hope isn’t lost for the season at least.

What do I know about rugby league? Not a lot (though more than I did a few weeks ago), but I do know that tonight’s game — Eels vs. Knights — was nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat stuff. It all culminated in a 24-23 victory for Parra over Newcastle, with the final deciding point scored by a field goal during extra time. The whole thing was amazing to watch.

Sure, there were some pretty big stuff-ups, but… at the end of the day, I don’t really care.

This is, of course, in direct contrast to the rather tedious (and embarrassing) Warriors vs. Eels game last Sunday. When the game is good, it’s gripping, but when it’s bad (i.e. one-sided, particularly if your team is on the wrong side), it’s coma-inducing. But I suppose that’s true of most forms of entertainment. (I wanted to self-immolate while clawing my eyes out when I went to see The Matrix Reloaded, for example.)

Next Saturday, it’s Cowboys vs. Eels: surely an easy win?

Last week I watched the Warriors vs. Eels game, and a few thoughts came to mind:

1. the Eels defence was pretty appalling at times, at one point totally opening up for the Warriors to score a try;
2. during the second half, the writing was well and truly on the wall, making the game more-or-less an exercise in monotony from then on; and
3. the Auckland crowd were terrible, booing, etc. and trying to be as obnoxious as possible.

The result: the Warriors won 30-16, though Parra didn’t let the game end without putting up a fight, scoring a converted try in the closing minutes.

Tonight it’s Eels vs. Knights — the Knights have won both of their games in the previous two rounds, but if Parra want to retain at least a modicum of dignity, they’ll put in all they’ve got for this. I’ll be watching carefully.

With no hint of bias, I’m tipping the Eels to win.

In other news, yes, Dion has been replaced by a pod-person — stay tuned!

What a game!

The Bulldogs thrashed the Eels in the first half of the game, 20-0. How could we recover from that? One of my companions, a died-in-the-wool Doggies supporter, let me know in body language (if not words) how dire things were looking for my team. “I’m so glad I’m came,” I said sarcastically. “It’s humiliating.”

And yet somehow… miraculously… the Eels came through, totally dominating the second half to win 28-20. Can you believe it???

To quote the Sydney Morning Herald:

The Bulldogs had looked to be coasting to an upset win at the break but the Eels came from the clouds to score five unanswered tries and record their second biggest comeback ever.

It was the biggest lead the Bulldogs have surrendered in their history.

The strangest thing is that the game took place almost entirely in one half of the field — the opposite half to the one we were sitting in. Clearly, the players were trying to avoid me. Maybe they could sense my lack of footy fanaticism.

Photos:

This afternoon I’m going to that long-awaited, much anticipated Eels vs. Bulldogs game at ANZ Stadium (which is also where I saw The Police perform in January).

Now, technically the wiring between the ventilator and the external battery isn’t “fixed” per se, but by using some insulating tape, my stepfather has patched things up nicely — nicely enough for me to be able to drive into Homebush and brave the crazy Bulldogs fans (and we all know how crazy they really are, particularly those weirdo face-painters).

Who will win? I’d like to say the Eels, but the chance of there being a riot will decrease with the Bulldogs winning, so maybe I should hope for that instead.

Addendum: TAB odds have Parra to win. I’m packing heat just in case.

Remember The Last Boy Scout, that shitty Tony Scott movie starring Bruce Willis? I do, particularly the opening sequence where a player in the NFL pulls out a gun and starts shooting the other team’s players on the field. I also remember Billy Thorpe covering the theme song (”Friday Night’s a Great Night For Football” I think it was) for the Channel Nine NRL Friday Night Footy promos.

The connections don’t end there…

Now that three Parramatta Eels players (Jarryd Hayne in particular) were fired at in Kings Cross early this morning, I’m expecting some Last Boy Scout-style gunplay at the Eels vs. Bulldogs game I’m hopefully attending in a fortnight. Luckily I’ll be wearing my bullet-proof Eels-supporter vest to the game and carrying an assortment of medieval weaponry with me, but others may not be so fortunate.

Who would’ve thought football could be so exciting?

I used to be a bit of a snob.

Well, I still am, I suppose….

However, I’m much more balanced than I used to be — living in your head all day every day gets old after the first 30 years or so. I’m much more interested in experiencing life now than simply observing and analysing it.

So, life for me now is about achieving goals and experiencing new things. Maybe I’ll swing back a bit eventually, but at the moment I’m adventurous, social and surprisingly non-geeky.

So what might I be doing in mid-March? Attending an Eels vs. Bulldogs game, that’s what. This is particularly thrilling because not only are Bulldogs fans notoriously rowdy and dangerous, but also because the Eels are their traditional rivals… and I’ll be supporting the latter team.

That’s right, folks — I’m embracing my westie roots.

While we’re at it, I’m outing myself as a wog as well.