The Hangar sat baking in the sun on the flat Tullamarine plains. I sought the only bit of shade available at the doorway of the Sheedy Cafe contemplating an egg and bacon wrap which is the best item on the menu. I tip a little pepper onto the plate and alternate the hot taste of the pepper that I have dipped with a swig of diet coke. I was pondering why it’s an egg and bacon wrap but when it’s fried it’s always bacon and eggs when my reverie was interrupted by a shadow falling across the table.
There stood my good friend, the ace reporter Tiffany. Yet if she was reporting anything today her skimpy outfit left no place where she could conceal a notepad or even a pencil. It is that time of the year when the sun comes out and the girls trot out their “little pink dresses” and in this case it was the skimpiest I had ever seen although in fairness it was accompanied by by a frilly pink sun parasol and a huge pair of pink framed sunglasses which Tiffany removed as she sat opposite.
“You’ve been crying Tiff” I said contemplating her smeared mascara.
“Shut up Jackie - anyway I’ve stopped now. Those boys trusted their leaders as good people do and they were let down and deceived.”
“There’s no doubt about that” I replied “and so were the supporters. Now we’re left with the “Dirty Dozen” and a mess to cope with.”
“Well as I recall Jackie Lee Marvin’s Dirty Dozen were heroes who fought valiantly against the forces of evil and like the Rats of Tobruk turned the derisive sobriquet into a badge of pride.”
“That’s true Tiff - the way I see it is that now it’s like Davy Crockett and the Alamo - huge forces are against us and we have lost a third of our army before the battle starts but we have to try and hold the fort for another eleven months before help arrives.”
“Well Jackie they fought valiantly at the Alamo until they were overwhelmed and I suspect that’s what will happen to us but in the end although they lost the battle they won the war and Texas became a great state and America a world power.”
“That’s a good way to look at things Tiffany but how can we help?”
“For starters Jackie you can write a training report and then another and another and other blitzes can do the same reporting on all that’s positive, all that shows signs of hope for the future. We can’t dwell on past injustices we must focus on the future and support the players and each other.”
Well Tiff’s idea was a good one but the players have been given the day off so there’s no training today but as I was writing this Karma Bomber and Muriel Street Bomber walked in and hugging Tiffany more than I thought was necessary they sat down and joined in the conversation.
Muriel said “If we can’t report training let’s discuss what’s likely to happen.”
Here’s the topic we came up with “We’ve lost height but not a lot of speed.”
Do you agree? What are the ramifications?"