If you've been with me this long, you already know that I'm no footy expert! If you're new to my site, the disclaimer is at the bottom of the page! Please read it so you know where I'm coming from!!

Whether you're new to the sport or a seasoned veteran, your comments and questions are always welcome! Send 'em to me and I'll share them here!

Hmpf.

It's not such a bad loss as losses go, however. We were missing Stafford and Coughlin, and we were playing a very good West Coast side. If we had to lose, this one is a loss that's not too terribly painful.

And besides, the way the game unfolded was a surprise to me and made for a lot of fun! (For those who don't know the Seahawk-side of me, I'm an eternal optimist and I can always find fun in a game!) Wanna hear?!

The game came on in the middle of the night Kansas time. I thought about setting my alarm clock but 4-something in the morning isn't my time to shine. However, I was awakened a few minutes after 5:00am with the news that I should prepare for a severe storm. Spring is the traditional tornado/thunderstorm season in Kansas, and the weather alert radio had sounded with news of a storm that promised to be a wild one. We weren't in a tornado watch but we were expected to have 70 mph winds.

I got out of bed to make sure everything loose on the deck was secured. I figured if I was up, I was going to have the footy on, so before I went outdoors I pulled up the live scoreboard from AFL.com and saw that ... HOORAY! Richmond was in the lead!! We were two minutes into the second quarter with a slight lead, but we were winning! That put a spring in my step! The score was, um, well, (Can anyone read my chicken scratches at 5:15am?) I must have still been half asleep but I think the score was 4.4 West Coast to 6.1 Richmond.

I went out on the deck to secure the smoker and the cushions from the deck furniture, came back indoors only to see that West Coast had kicked a couple of goals. Boo!

I went out front to make sure there wasn't anything left loose on the front porch. I picked up a tennis racket and a hand air pump, came back inside and discovered that West Coast had kicked a couple more goals! Unbelievable! The score was 8.5.53 West Coast and 6.1.37 Richmond. I'd been up about 30 minutes and our Tigers had done nothing!

With the house secure, I cracked my window a bit and crawled into bed to wait for the storm while listening to the 6PR Internet audio broadcast of the game. With thunder in the background and the spattering of raindrops beginning to fall, the announcers told us about Richo's "long mongrel kick" to goal. My heart sunk.

With thunder booming and rain falling heavily, Krakouer lined up 20 out from goal on a 45 degree angle ............. and hooked it. KA-BOOM went the thunder.

I hadn't given up on our beloved Tigers, although I was about to give up on the storm. The thunder, lightning and rain came but the winds thankfully had gone missing. Richo lined up 40 out from goal -- like Krakouer he was on a 45 degree angle .............. and he sprayed it. I sighed a heavy sigh. At half time the score was 9.8 to 6.5. I decided to take a nap during the half time break.

I have no idea what time I woke up or what happened while I slept, but somehow I managed to write down on my piece of paper that the score was 15.13.103 West Coast to 10.5.65 Richmond. I don't recall turning the computer off or crawling back into bed, but I remember thinking that the score probably wasn't going to look any better in the morning.

It didn't. :-)

BUT...thanks to the threat of a storm that sounded fierce enough to warrant a middle-of-the-night wake-up call, I got to follow part of the footy game! And anytime that I get to have my footy, I'm a happy camper!

It's Memorial Day Weekend in the States as I write. As we celebrate with traditional barbecues, family get-togethers, graduation celebrations and parties, may we also pause to remember those we've loved and lost, and those who have served our countries so faithfully in the recent engagement in the Middle East. Whether they're Aussies, Yanks or Brits, I salute them and their fallen comrades.

Disclaimer: This site is intended for those of us who are relatively new to Aussie Rules Football. I don't claim to be an expert -- in fact I'm as green as they come! The ideas expressed are accurate to the best of my wee, limited and infantile knowledge! Please keep in mind that my comments come strictly from listening to the game, not viewing it. I'm putting a lot of weight into the way it's called.

Thanks so much to the Tiger fans from Australia who have taken time to write! It's been great fun and I love hearing from you! That said, kick back and have some fun with me as we go through a season of Aussie Rules Football!!