JASON BARRY | Victorian Leg Tennis | Contact
“How good is the other Football?!” Brisbane resident Darcy Salmon (32) shouted at a group of strangers sat across from him at his favourite local pub on Caxton Street this afternoon.
Several of the sports bar’s 13 TV screens were showing a replay of the preliminary final match between the Brisbane Lions and the Carlton Blues, where of course their local heroes had got up in convincing fashion and punched their ticket for an entry into the Big Dance.
“It’s coming home!” He shouted with his beer held aloft.
The Advocate can report that the group sat across from him appeared confused by Salmon’s statement. After all, it is well understood that the game of AFL was born and raised way down in the weird southern state of Victoria.
“It’s coming home!” He repeated joyously, this time hopping up off his bar stool to do a little Irish-jig.
The Advocate had to ask Salmon just what he meant by his statement, to which the happy fellow paused jigging momentarily, asked: “Isn’t that what people say when the Cup comes home?” Before we could respond, he took up our reporter’s hands and forced us to Irish-jig along with him.
“Up the Maroons!” He shouted at the group next to him in what one could only assume was still in reference to the Brisbane Lions.
By now, the group of strangers didn’t care that he didn’t appear to know much about AFL, his joy was too infectious.
“It’s coming home!” He sang again, egging on the rest of the patrons in the venue to join in the chorus. “It’s coming home!” The crowd repeated in unison, without a care for the fact that the home of the AFL Premiership Cup is definitely not Brisbane or anywhere else in QLD.
Despite the historical inaccuracy, and also the fact that we are not talking about Football – Football (i.e Soccer), the Advocate is now convinced that the AFL premiership cup is indeed coming home.
C’mon Fitzroy (Queensland)