Wedgie wrote:Im very interested in what it was like to be there today atmosphere as that hasn't been encountered at a stand alone SANFL game since the late 90s, haven't had one real insight yet but am dying for one, come on Sturt and Glenelg fans, get your journalistic skills together and inspire us, PLEASE!
AT the very least, where's some pics?
Well I'll try. I got there about 15 mins before the first bounce, and parked about 500 metres further down the road I normally park. Even way back in the suburbs you knew the crowd was gonna be huge- people were converging from everywhere. People in the front yards were yelling "Go the Bays" to me (I still find it so hard to believe that people living that close to the game dont attend!). Walked behind the southern goals through the primary school, where a few blokes were getting their last pre-$5 cans down. Even from walking through there the crowd didnt look that big, however, when I got out to Brighton road it was a different story. The queue to buy a ticket into the ground last year went frm the oval to Brighton Road. This year the line went from the gate, to Brighton Road, and then down to the corner across from the Holdy! I kid you not, never has a season ticket been more advantageous...
Went in and stood along the members wing with Tee (a well respected Sturt supporter

) for the first quarter, the crowd was solid but still didnt seem huge. Pretty healthy dose of Sturt supporters where I was standing. At 1/4 time I ventured to the hill for a beverage, still managed to get through to the bar without too much hassle (Kudos to the bar staff in Snouts Bar for opening the middle window for beers too, made it as quick and painless as it could be for getting a beer). The crowd had swelled markedly half way through the second quarter (Obviously the previously mentioned line had finally managed to get in). I dont think the TV coverage did the crowd justice, as it looked reasonably well attended on the outer wing, but the members side was very solidly packed. Great atmosphere on the hill- cheers to the Sturt boys near us who gave as good as they got, had some really cracking banter with them. Crowd was suitably subdued during the third quarter, as the teams slugged it out. But the last quarter cheers when the Sturt boys missed their shots at goal were loud, and Mouses goal in the last quarter was the loudest cheer I have heard at the bay since Michael Aish got pinged holding the ball in front of Snouts Hill in about 1990 (cue spelly, it was the game where Norwood kicked 10 in the first quarter but the bays still won)!! I think the most pleasing part from a Bays fan's point of view was that there was obviously a lot of "Non SANFL" people there who will come back after being involved in a day like yesterday. And the number of kids kicking footies after the game was amazing- got to be good for the SANFL. Standing on the ground having a chat after the game, there were still about 2000 people at the ground half an hour afterwards-well done to the GFC for providing a great facility where parents can have a drink post game and keep an eye on the kids kicking footies.
Phew! A great day to be at the footy.