Sunday, September 13, 2009

The season's over

Of the many changes Rugby League keeps making, the one they got right was the play off system. Each end of season is now packed with dramatic matches on which the whole year turns. Swinton just managed to sneak into them, then failed heroically in their elimination fixture at Oldham. But what a game! Length of the field tries, dramatic mistakes at crucial times, no little skill and tough, bruising tackling as players gave everything. Both sides had to fight back from deficits and the result was in balance until the final hooter.

Sport can do that sometimes, leave you with a smile on your face, even in defeat, and fill you with admiration for human endeavour and the exercise of skills that you could never hope to possess. It has its own aesthetic. I have booked my Grand Final tickets; one day, perhaps, it will be for Swinton ... well sport is also a vehicle for dreams.

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