It may surprise many of you but I’m no expert on viruses. I barely understand anything more complex than the tens timetable.
I’m not even an expert on anything, even AFL, something anyone who reads my columns knows all too well.
But I do know that any pandemic is a worrying thing. People can say ‘this is just effecting old people’ but then, a lot of people are old, and despite their demographic status, they are still people.
Therefore, if we have to shut things to protect people, I understand.
I’ll fall in line, panic buy toilet paper, even consider beginning washing my hands.
But a winter without footy?
This is going to be tough. I’m not sure how to handle it. I’m not sure I can handle it.
I know it’s not a sure thing, but with the news the NBA is being suspended it seems that little bit more likely.
Many would rightly say that as a Melbourne supporter, the idea of me being unhappy about the AFL season being cancelled is odd.
It’s like a duck being saddened by the idea that duck hunting season may be cancelled.
There are many times in my lifetime that a few rounds in, I’ve wished the season would be cancelled. Last season, I don’t think I even got to round two without wanting that.
Footy however is so much more than winning and losing. It’s the closest thing I have to a social life. If I didn’t have footy, I’d probably never leave the house, something that will now be seen as an important skill.
But winter revolves around the footy, like the moon sets the tides, footy effects the timing of the week.
Monday is when we dissect the weekend’s events in forensic detail, Tuesday the media analyse all the issues they invented on Monday, Wednesday we start to worry about who will be fit, Thursday is when we wonder why our clubs make such terrible selection decisions, then there’s the games themselves, when we invest more emotional energy on a group of twenty-year-olds we don’t know, than we do on our own family in decades.
That rhythm could all be gone, and I’ll be crushed.
Some would say, ‘you need to get a life’ and they’d be right, but I’ve tried with, at best, mixed results.
I’m not arguing this shouldn’t happen, what would I know, I’m an e grade blogger.
What I’m saying is that while there are bigger things going on, the Coronavirus reminds me of how much I love this game and how much I’m going to miss it if it’s gone, even if it’s just for a short period of time.
COMMENTS
jane OReilly
Mar 12, 2020
Totally agree
Garry
Mar 12, 2020
Titus - I am not as fanatical as you and my mates but I agree - what will I do on a weekend if I cannot hear the roar of the Carlton faithful when Crippsy kicks another goal!!!!
Jane Catania
Mar 12, 2020
🙉
Michelle
Mar 12, 2020
Too horrible to contemplate. Foxtel will make a fortune
Atho
Mar 12, 2020
The whole Coronavirus is a conspiracy created by Collingwood, The Eagles and Essendon to prevent a season which would have inevitably resulted in a much improved Carlton side winning its seventeenth Premiership.
Anthony
Mar 12, 2020
It's a plot by the Adelaide Crows to avoid showing their terrible game-plan
Steve
Mar 12, 2020
I'll return my stash of date rolls if it will help save the season!
Kath
Mar 12, 2020
Or we could choose to repeat previous seasons. Which, as a Dockers supporter, doesn't really help much...
Shayne Martens
Mar 12, 2020
well if they do play and the crowds aren't allowed in get Foxtel to dub in crowd noise at the appropriate time and make sure the cameras only focus on the ground. No one would be any the wiser!
Tony
Mar 12, 2020
Footy doesn't 'effect' - i.e. cause the timing of the week. Footy may 'affect' it, but if the AFL gets cacelled just go to the SANFL, VFL, WAFL, country, amateur or any other league for your footy fix. Problem solved
Scott McKenzie
Mar 12, 2020
Id be happy to settle for a 3 or 4 week delay to the start of the season will give Aaron Naughton time to get fully fit.
Matt Gready
Mar 12, 2020
In the event of a season cancellation, I propose we broadcast a full previous season. Simply run a poll, with voters to nominate which year they want replayed. Whilst it will be hard for the media to offer a lot of insight week to week, the arguing about the choice of the year played should keep us content for the year.
Ian Huitson
Mar 12, 2020
You had better pray for an early snow season Titus!
Abigail
Mar 12, 2020
I propose a 12 round season. Every week will be a floating roster, like the last week of the home and away season. The round will consist of any teams with enough fit players to play. Over the 23 week season we might just get 12 completed rounds. Clubs will be able to manipulate the draw by declaring they don’t have enough fit players whenever they are drawn to play Richmond.
Steve
Mar 12, 2020
The games can be played in empty stadiums. Rugby League does it all the time.
terrified
Mar 12, 2020
There may be people now considering contracting the coronavirus as a viable option to missing one whole season of football. For three years before his death, my grandfather always blamed West Coast Eagles beating Carlton in a final as the date he started to go down. I think that was probably one of WCE first finals and maybe Carlton's last. It was certainly one of pop's last. [To be fair, after pop's death, Carlton did win that one flag in 1995].
state of origin
Mar 12, 2020
Abigail's idea has merit. Maybe a season comprised of weekly State of Origin games using only fit and flu-free players available from each team.
Beau from Beaumaris
Mar 12, 2020
Hopefully, Titus, Melbourne’s round 1 v Weagles will be played in an empty stadium. Would spare us from the ferrels and just possibly not having them intimidate the umpires and have them influence the game.
Jimmy
Mar 12, 2020
They shouldn’t play in front of empty stadiums. It is too big an advantage to the Suns and Giants, who are used to it.
BeeDoubleUDee
Mar 12, 2020
Maybe now we’ll get a true, even draw with just 17 rounds played where everyone plays everyone else once!
Nah, surely not. AFL couldn’t arrange anything even remotely fair...
Mad Dog
Mar 12, 2020
Games will be played, but without any crowds attending.
It IS a plot by West Coast, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane to deny Collingwood and Richmond the crowd advantage of their
17 - 20 home games each.
Between them they have the dollars to have created COVID-19 in a lab.
(West Coast particularly are LOADED, and given their 2018 GF win, are clearly blessed with some heavy hitting pure bioscience expertise which got them past their travel schedule that year).
But cheer up pussy cat and maggie supporters! You still get to play your seasons at home in Melbourne.
Cotso
Mar 12, 2020
Won’t worry norf, they’re used to playing in front of noone
Bundyjack
Mar 12, 2020
Olympic Gold medal to Titus..... comedy in front of a empty stadium, Adelaide does a Stephen Bradley to be in front at the finish line, Ben Cousins admits to everything, John Elliot buys up paper bags, confused by the shortage of toilet paper.
Could be a normal season after all
Usain Bolt
Mar 12, 2020
How about the season being a lightning premiership featuring all clubs on the last day in September?
Billy Duckworth
Mar 12, 2020
Geez, how soft are these youngsters ? Van der Haar and Dermie must be weeping.
Sure, a few oldies might carc it in the Long Room, but their children would be delighted to split the South Yarra mansion.
The virus is win-win. And bring back Danks to solve the problem.
Stuart
Mar 12, 2020
Imagine if games were played without any spectators... Oh, hang on... I think we have a precedent: Dockers vs Suns
Sean
Mar 12, 2020
Can’t help but think this COVID-19 was made up to stop the Tiges going back-to-back.
What a cruel twist of fate it would be if Melbourne were 10-1 at the midway point of the season only to have it cancelled though.
Stu
Mar 12, 2020
So we all go to local games - until they get critical mass and are cancelled. Then amateurs, then to the local u8s...
Leanne
Mar 12, 2020
Imagine not hearing the Richmond crowd chant "Yellow and Black" after a winning game.
johnno
Mar 12, 2020
How's your maths Mad Dog?? 17-20 home games!! Surely you're thinking Richmond & Collingwood, hang on, wait, you're a pies supporter right?
This isn't going to end until we all get the virus.
Johnno
Gramma Nastee
Mar 12, 2020
This is just AFFECTING old people. If it was "effecting" old people, the world's population of octogenarians would be expanding at an exponential rate.
Andrew
Mar 13, 2020
Yes amidst this uncertainty we can take reassurance that Dusty will still win the Brownlow and Norm Smith without a ball even being kicked in anger this season
Territory Half Full
Mar 13, 2020
I ponder - if Melbourne lose another game and no one is there to see it, did it really happen?
Do I feel sorry for your plight Titus? not really and perhaps you could spare a thought for the Collingwood faithful, whom unlike the Melbourne fraternity are unlikely to contain any one from the medical profession and thus extremely vulnerable at this time as a collective. Always look at the positives.
Josh
Mar 13, 2020
Surely the best way to keep people at home is to give them something to stay home for and watch on TV?
Frank LeFaucheur
Mar 13, 2020
Yes Titus - it’s not a matter of life and death, it’s MUCH more important than that!!
Billious
Mar 13, 2020
Joffa was smarter than us all he went to live in Hawaii fully knowing we would all be watching it on tv and his coat couldnt attend matches. No point banning Collingwood supporters what virus could live in such an environnent with 50,000 one eyed one toothed semi humans screaming "ball".
Mike
Mar 14, 2020
This season is looking very bleak and I'm struggling to contain my despair.
What do you normally do, Titus?
Mad Dog
Mar 14, 2020
JOHNNO
You need to re-read my comments.
Your insult (calling me a Collingwood supporter has been noted. You will be first against the wall when the revolution comes) is beneath human dignity.
Helen
Mar 15, 2020
Without footy, what will I talk to hubby about? And work colleagues? This could be a deal breaker.
Johnno
Mar 18, 2020
Mad Dog, I apologise unashamedly. my bad mate. It was the virus that made me do it. 17 rounds now, I wonder how they're going to make the pies & tiges play away in Perth? It will never happen.
Mad Dog
Mar 19, 2020
Johnno
I have decided to spare your life.
STRENGTH THROUGH IGNORANCE
Mar 22, 2020
2 things
1) ALL organised football has cancelled, so there's no VFL, SANFL, WAFL or even kids stuff to watch. No training either
2) If the government wants to keep money in the economy, they could ban pokies for 12 months. That would also help the unfair advantage enjoyed by clubs like Hawthorn and Essendon