My LFC Experience: Day 4 "The Hangover"

I tried to sleep in but still rose at the normal time. It wasn't due to a hangover though, it is because I need more than a week to reset the body clock. Unlike the movie I can vividly remember every great moment of the night before and will talk about it for years to come.

Today was a day to explore Melbourne a bit and due to poor information from people withing the public transport system in Melbourne we got to explore a little more than we expected. Why is it that people in Melbourne are so grumpy? After a few days in a climate where the sun tries to battle through the clouds bit decides it would rather stay out of the cold and it starts to become clearer. I would be grumpy too if it was cold & miserable looking every day.

If you don't think that weather can make you grumpy then take a trip to Melbourne Zoo like we did today. Many animals just couldn't be bothered to come out of their warm little hiding spots or if they had no where to hide looked more miserable than me with a really bad hangover. It must be said though that we had a great time at the zoo and all credit must be given to the people who work there.

From there we went to a different zoo and one that can cost a lot of money. The Crown Casino. We were not here to lay down the preparation for a hangover but I did certainly sample a few beers. After some good wins early on the pokies it was time to indulge and treat my beautiful wife to a meal at a fine restaurant. We had reservations for Rockpool Bar & Grill, a Neil Perry restaurant, and it did not disappoint. From the moment we were taken to our table the service was first class. The food was devine but we made the mistake of ordering a starter, thinking the main would be a minimalist meal like you see served in so many top class restaurant. 

After the starter we knew we were in trouble as it was quite filling in it's own. When the mains turned up we were staring at dishes that had half a chicken and half a duck on them as well as a bowl of the best potatoes I have ever eaten. I would happily duplicate them but I would need to get hold of waigyu fat. The torturous part was watching my wife want to eat but not be able to and then even worse say no to dessert. 

After dinner were were so stuffed that we couldn't even think of walking back to the hotel so it was time to hit the tables. Seems the Tinman's luck shone through and even after spending over $200 on dinner we still came pretty much with what we started. Looks like tomorrow will not start with a hangover either.

My LFC Experience: Day 3 "You'll Never Walk Alone"

We set the alarm for 8am to ensure that we did not miss breakfast but there was no need. Even though the game was not for 12 hours we were up and ready before 8.

Before we set off for the game though we had some time to spend exploring parts of Melbourne. But where could we go that would be as memorable as watching Liverpool play? We went to Ramsay St. That's right. I watch neighbours. With my lovely wife we went on the neighbours tour and saw the sets & street that feature in the iconic show. You may laugh but if we did not go I may had been walking home to Bundaberg alone.

After the tour, and before a nice lunch we took in the hollywood costumes exhibition. Unfortunately they did not allow photos but it was a great experience to be able to see some of the costumes from many iconic movies. After a bit of nerve wracking jewellery shop visists it was time to kit up and head out to the MCG.

As a Queenslander I can only say one thing about the walk to the MCG and the wait outside the Don Bradman Entrance at gate 5. It was bloody cold. Is the weather ever sunny and pleasant in Melbourne? Maybe this is why I see so many cars getting angry with other people. I would be angry too if I never felt the warmth of the sun. But that is enough complaining about the cold.

We entered the stadium and found our seats before the pre-game function started. As you can tell by the photo we had pretty good seats. Before the game started the pre-game function allowed us the privilege of listening to and meeting a few well known name in footballing circles.

Craig Foster & Myself

Darren Burgess & Myself

Enough of the pre-amble though as like myself the only thing I am sure you are interested in is the game itself. From the moment it was announced the team was entering the field the crowd awoke and then the moment I had been waiting for occurred and it was greater than I had ever imagined. To stand up and sing with 95000 others "You'll Never Walk Alone" is one of the greatest moments in sport I have been part of or witnessed. I have been at Origins games and partaken in Queenslander chants but even the atmosphere of an Origin falls short on this moment. Never have I seen a crowd of such a size where so many are proudly & passionately supporting the same team. To those in the media who question why a game that is only a pre-season game can get such a turnourt obviously do not understand what passion is.

In the 31st minute the crowd got what they wanted. Crowd favourite Stevie Gerrard slotted in the first goal and the eruption from the crowd showed how popular Gerrard is with the faithful. With the score staying at 1-0 at half-time everyone was expecting Suarez to come on in the 2nd half. With this not happening, continuous chants for Suarez to be brought on were ignored until about the 70th minute mark. Suarez may have sparked up the crowd with the odd touch and setting up the final goal but most of the time he just didn't look like he wanted to be there. If he keeps playing with the same attitude I can see him walking on to another club sooner rather than later.

At the end of the night walking back to the hotel hand in hand with my wife in the large procession of 95000 people out of the stadium is was a slow but reflective moment. There may have been many police both on foot and mounted but the need was not there. This was a group all with the same passion and pride in Liverpool FC and a sign that as a Liverpool supporter you will never walk alone.

My LFC Experience : Day 2 "Are We There Yet?"

The first sighting of the Tinman in Melbourne

After waking up in the morning full of excitement, knowing that later that day I would be in Melbourne, it soon wore out. Yes I am still excited about seeing Liverpool play tomorrow but the journey to Melbourne was a frustrating journey.

Restless all morning we ended up being at the airport more than an hour early. But this is where the frustration with flying down began. Our travel agent had informed us we could take our bags onboard as we were allowed 2 each. What he failed to mention is that we had to keep our bags under 7 kilos. Not an easy task when you are packing clothes for a cold climate that a person from Bundaberg is just not used to. $80 dollars later and our bags were now being checked in.

We were about 5 minutes late heading out of Bundaberg but things were still on track. We knew we had 50 minutes between connecting flights so no panic had set in with this slight delay. When we noticed the plane was doing a u-turn at the Sunshine coast though, we knew something wasn't right. At this point the pilot indicated that Brisbane Airport was holding the flight up as it was not quite ready. A small delay but we would still have time to get out connecting flight to Melbourne.

When the plane did another u-turn again at the same point at the Sunshine coast we knew things we not going to schedule. At this point we were advised that we would be put onto a later flight to Melbourne as we would not be there in time for the scheduled flight. Seems all the negative things I have been hearing about Brisbane Airport and flight delays are spot on the mark. I was getting close to saying, "Are we there yet?"

We eventually got on the flight to Melbourne which was scattered with quite a few Liverpool supporters who were flying out of Brisbane. Economy is a seat I never want to fly in again as they are seats clearly designed for people who are no taller than 5'4 tall. Surely it is inhumane to make tall people sit in seats with such cramped leg room?  Although I must admit that the airline did get some credit when they did not charge for the beer. Maybe things were starting to look up for the day.

We eventually arrived into Melbourne, a little tired and a lot hungry. First thing though was to get checked into the hotel before finding a nice little restaurant to have an intimate dinner with my wife.  Walking the streets around the hotel looking for a suitable restaurant was a journey that really highlighted how many people are in Melbourne for the big game. There were people everywhere with shirts & scarves proudly displaying their passion towards Liverpool.

We eventually found a nice little restaurant and going by the number of people inside with Liverpool shirts on, it couldn't be too bad. Indeed it was a nice little intimate restaurant. We are now resting up ready for a big day tomorrow. I promise that on the way to the MCG I will not say, "are we there yet?"

My LFC Experience : Day 1 "Just Look for the Guy in the Liverpool FC Shirt"

Liverpool Football Club are in Australia for the first time to play an exhibition match against the Melbourne Victory at the MCG and I am restless and excited in Bundaberg wishing I booked flights for today rather than tomorrow. I have waited a long time to be able to see Liverpool play and now I know that I am, the moment can not come quick enough.

On the 10th May 1986 I stayed up late to watch my first FA Cup Final live on TV. Little did I know at the time the impact this moment would have on my life. I was 12 but I can still remember the night and the excitement of the game. Up until this point all I had seen was a 1 hour highlights package every weekend. I knew enough before the kick off that I was going to support Liverpool, plus they had an Aussie in the side.

Fast forward 27 years & am I still supporting Liverpool and always will. As soon as I heard that they were coming to Australia I knew I had to go. After all I may never get the chance again. I booked the best tickets I could afford, organised the parents to look after the kids (they live in another city), booked the accommodation and ensured the most important thing was done. Get my wife excited to go to the game. That wasn't hard, once we decided to stay in Melbourne for 4 nights without kids and have our longest holiday without kids in 14 years of marriage.

Since I bought the tickets I have been mentioning the game to everyone and those who tune into the pubcast will now how much I have been looking forward to the day. Almost every picture taking during a recording will show that I am wearing the red of Liverpool. When we promote the pubcast at one of the 2 venues it is recorded it will always be advertised as "Just look for the guy in the Liverpool FC shirt."

So today we will pack ready to fly into Melbourne tomorrow. Jamming in all the clothes required for a colder climate will be tricky. In fact we had to go out and buy clothes for the trip as it doesn't get cold enough in Bundaberg to warrant such clothing. After all it is always beautiful in Queensland and perfect the next. Except when the town is in record flooding.

The clothes are packed, the LFC shirts are packed, the LFC scarves & beanies are packed and most importantly the tickets are packed. Tomorrow will be a restless day once once we are in the air it will be the start of a trip of a lifetime. I will be keeping a diary every day of the trip and the experiences from a viewpoint that I expect no other person to bring.

As far as I know I am the only sports writer/blogger that has facial agnosia and if there are others out there I doubt they are also Liverpool supporters. I am also the only writer/blogger going to the game from Bundaberg. I will be at one of the Cocktail Fuction in the Lindsay Hassett Room which will give me the opportunity to meet many people but if any of them are well known I will not be able to recognise them. I will be relying solely on either someone else introducing me or my wife pointing them out. Considering she does not watch sport I am not very reliant on that front. So if I relay any stories of people I meet, players past & present , celebrities and interesting people it will rely on a lot of luck.

As you can imagine having facial agnosia also makes large gatherings makes me very anxious. If anyone wants to try and catch up with me during the trip the one thing I ask is do not say "Just look for the person wearing the Liverpool FC shirt".

Pubcast Episode 30

The 30th episode featured the Tinman, Shabadoo, F1 Adonis and virgin pubcaster Phil. It was great to have Phil on board and as a former rugby player of reputable background his insight was well worth it. Hopefully we will be hearing more of Phil in future episodes.

We start with coverage of gallant loss by the Queensland Firebirds in the ANZ Championship Netball final.

From there it is in to a lengthy coverage of the Origin and the domin8ing effort by Queensland.

The Ashes is on the radar but are the Aussies really worth talking about?

After a break we come back and let Phil loose as we talk about the rugby & in particular the Reds.

The world game is covered as the Tinman talks about the upcoming LFC game at the MCG.

The awards wrap it up as usual and it is no surprise that we finish of with You'll Never Walk Alone.

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The Aussie Sandflies

We started the season to have fun. We ended up making the finals due to a forfeit. The Aussie Sandflies tried their best but came up short of making the Grand Final. 

We arrived at Beach 365 knowing we needed to win 2 of 3 round robin games to make the final. After losing the first game it was always going to be though. We fought back hard in the 2nd to walk off the court with a win. Going into the 3rd game though it was against the odds as we squared off against the top side. Once the Tinman went down with an injury in the first half it was always going to be a tough ask and the Tinman himself will tell that this was the reason that a win was not achieved. It may be quite the opposite but history is written by those with blogs and this will remain as the founding truth to the story. 

Here is a great short film put together by the Shabadoo on the night to showcase the talent on the team. Talent might be a stretch but it is a sign of how we try and have fun when we play.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/I-D1K2nuT2o" width="480"></iframe>

Thanks for a great season everyone

We start again next season but will be know as FTW. This may change if we can get a certain sponsor on board.

Pubcast Episode 29

Another Grand Edition of the pubcast was recorded at the Grand Hotel Bundaberg with The Tinman & The Shabadoo. The F1 Adonis was present but was not quite ready to see if the Pirelli tyres would hold up.

As the preview indicates we covered State of Origin game 3, the NRL.  Just who will fill in for Paul Gallen everytime NSW need to cry to the ref? How bad did the Queensland sides play alst weekend. The Wallabies & the final Lions Test match, just who was worse? The Wallabies, James O'Connor or the French ref?. And of course the Ashes is a hot topic with at least one Aussie doing well. The same cannot be said for the umpires or DRS though. The Queensland Firebirds are in the Final on the weekend as we cover a few topics there.

The Aussie Sandflies have also made the finals at Beach 365 and hopefully next week we will be announcing a victory.

The Awards are no surprises this week with commentators in Rugby and cricket getting Marto nominations, the French ref from the Lions Test was a unanimous decision and a certain player from Manly gets the Fail.

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Pubcast Episode 28

Settling in at the Coral Cove Bar & Bistro this week saw the Tinman & Johnnyjojoshabdoo cover the issues in sport this week.

A short look at Origin 3 was on the agenda before looking at the off-field issues that are troubling the NRL. What is it with Manly & NSW players at the moment? A few refs look like they need re-training as well.

With the Wallabies getting up over the Lions with positive attacking rugby it shows that even when the referee is doing everything possible to help the tourists that the right result can still happen.

We paused for a moment (to listen to a song) before giving an update on the state of the Australian Cricket side and the positive effect hiring Darren Lehmann has had with the optimism of Australia winning the Ashes.

Our sponsored local netball representative, Calista, dropped in to say hi, which is maybe what the driver of the bus for the Australian team in the Tour de France was doing when he got the bus stuck on the finish line.

Always time for an update on how the Aussie Sandlies are going at Beach 365.

The awards always wrap it up and beside the normal, Bryce, Marto & SSO Fail nomination we have added a Harden Up Award.

And what did we have to say about this picture from an AFL game?

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