By Kanau Sion.
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| Me & Joanne before the game- NIB Stadium |
Joanne and I were at last night's (Friday 24/06/11) memorable NRL match between the mighty Brisbane Broncos and the South Sydney Rabbitohs here in Perth's NIB Stadium. Memorable for a number of reasons.
First of all, it was Joanne's first time to watch any NRL game in person, let alone the NRL players of the Broncos and the Bunnies whom she'd only grown accustomed to seeing strut their stuff and ply their trade on TV. I partly take the blame for not ensuring she got a chance to watch any Perth sanctioned NRL game since we moved here to Perth four years ago, especially given that I had watched all those and also that I had done the same in my formative years in the East Coast and New Zealand.
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| Joanne supporting the Broncos |
I put my hands up and admit fault but give myself credit for this also. How many people easily and willingly admit their shortcomings and indiscretions? I am inclined to think otherwise. Second,we were soaked real wet by the huge deluge right before the game started as most fans will attest. It was the biggest deluge of the year and we all never anticipated something of this on the night. From home we darted our way in our car to Oats Street train station, ducked under our umbrellas to the platform and hitched a ride by train to the city's Claisebrook train station-- the nearest to the NIB Stadium only to be met by a sea of rugby league die-hard fans seeking shelter there and anticipating the thunderstorm to cease soon. After about 30 minutes of waiting in vain we gave in to the rain and reluctantly made tracks along with others towards the stadium. Most stands in the stadium including the southern end were open areas and so we had to brave the constant heavy downpour and just soaked it up with the rest of the crowd for the entire night. Third, we were not the only Papua New Guineans in the stadium. There were so many others...some familiar faces, others new to us but we had all converged from different suburbs in Perth and other country areas of WA to watch the sport which is number one back home.Some wantoks brought their buai and daka to the stadium to chew and keep warm. I learnt from them later after the game that everyone had gone not only to watch some of their NRL heroes but especially to see, perhaps for the last time, the soon to retire Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and incumbent Australian captain Darren Lockyer. We all shared the same feeling.
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| Game in progress- Broncos vs the Bunnies |
Although I dread the idea of actually being soaked by the heavy cold winter rain, like others, I had to just bit my own complaint, brave the cold winter downpour and just soak it up with the rest of the crowd because this was an all too important match to watch and one not to be missed -- importantly to allow my wife to scream, yell, jump in support of the Broncos the entire time. I must admit I could hardly recognize her voice as my wife's own after the match, thanks to her own screaming in support of the Broncos.
There were so many errors including dropped balls, awkward kicks, and missed tackles because of the rain. There were pools of water everywhere on the pitch which made it easy for players to lose their footings and commit simple errors. Regardless, that was the order of the night. After a hard fought battle and of course accompanied by Joanne's screaming in support of the Broncos, the Bunnies managed to just edge their NRL rival with a 4 point advantage wining the game 16-12.
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| I'm with Adrian Nogurumo and son Wayne |
It was sad for us to witness Locky and his team lose and it was even more disappointing for my wife who screamed all night long only for the Broncos to succumb to the bunnies. Joanne lost her voice in the process. She was not only screaming in support for herself but also representing both her parents in Port Moresby (PNG) who are avid and loyal Broncos fans. Finally, it was time to go home--first by walking in the rain once again to the Claisebrook platform for our train ride to Oats Street train station, and then outward in our car to the warmth and comfort of our home. It was a night to remember and indeed, an experience truly memorable by all accounts.
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