Saturday 12th August 2023 will be a simple case of where were you? From 5 pm onwards, everyone around the country will know where they were when the air vibrated from the sheer euphoric joy from one code in sport, and then later that night, a smaller yet similar vibe emanated from another code. But for both games, Tony Gustavsson summed up what most in the football world (soccer) and the footy world took their pride in their team and made the most spine-tingling yell at the final siren.
Gustavsson, emotional after the incredible performance of the Matildas, encapsulated what the whole country felt – heart and soul and passion. That it was just about winning the game, but it was more. It was what each team member could bring to the team individually and as a whole. It was their heart in playing for the team. Their soul was left on the field, and their passion to win and succeed made the difference between devastating defeat and euphoric victory.
That was exactly how Carlton supporters felt at the siren on Saturday night. It was how I felt on Saturday night.
It made no difference if you were at the game or not. It made no difference if you watched on a screen or were at the ground; for both codes, it made a difference that you supported.
Gustavsson, emotional and charged, thanked those at the Matildas game and around the world. That we, the supporters, can take pride in being a part of this win and bringing their heart, soul and passion in the support of the Matildas.
Carlton, on Saturday night, delivered their heart, soul and passion. From the very first bounce to the very last kick, the team put their heart into the team and the club. Their soul on the field and their passion to play a game they always felt capable of. It was inspiring. It was exhilarating. It was emotional, and it was, for me, one where I felt like calling every commentator, media person, and supporter who turned on the club and said in their faces – I told you so!
If you are a follower of the code, any code, you don’t just look at what you expect throughout a season or even a tournament; you look at what growth the team has in its bid for ultimate success. By looking, really looking at how Carlton started the season and then wound up before the Bye, you could see that they had the capacity to attain success, yet the heart, the soul and the passion were just not there. But I knew that, given time, given a bit of a shove, each component would seep into their mindset and this heart, soul and passion would emanate at game time. After the Bye, this is precisely what transpired.
It was not that one player who stood up and carried the team but every player. This is what makes a team successful. Knowing that you may not be considered the best, you can be the best because you have the three things that teams strive for – heart, soul and passion. Complacently, being thrown into a sense of expectation gives you nothing but failure. You don’t grow. You don’t push yourself to be better; you rest on your laurels, expecting that the success of the past will ensure success in the future. It doesn’t. It never will.
I am a proud and emotional Carlton supporter. I am a determined and, right now (and this goes against my being), an arrogant supporter of the club for the simple reason that – I always knew what the team was capable of and what they could achieve. They just lacked their heart, soul and passion, but I knew that in time, this too would come.
I never gave up, and on Saturday night, neither did the team. The pride and emotion shown on Michael Voss’s face and the other coaches’ prove that they all knew what the team was capable of and what the result could be. It is there on the faces and reactions of the players and there on the faces and reactions of those supporters who stood by the club in a very dark time before the Bye.
Writing this, I am filled with emotion and pride in both codes. I am so proud of the Matildas for what they have accomplished so far. I am so proud of the Carlton team and what they have achieved so far. My heart, soul and passion for the club have never waivered and never will. But I always knew, and I always believed.
GO BLUES!
All images courtesy of the AFL.
SPORTZ 