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This is a chapter in a book of short football stories called The Greatest Game.
It was written by Gerald Murnane, published by William Heinemann Australia in 1998/9.
It tells of a small boy who had football cards of every VFA & VFL team, and his dreams, based on the club colours, of what those suburbs of Melbourne would look like.
He particularly liked the colours of Oakleigh (Violet Crumble,opulence and wealth) and Northcote ( green paddocks, wattle).
Many years later, as a father of two sons, and a disillusioned VFL suuporter, he noticed in the paper that Northcote were playing at home.
He took the boys along, looked over the fence at the Merri Creek and surrounds , and saw that his dreams of green fields and wattles was true!
They bcame avid Northcote supporters and it goes on to describe some of the games they saw and the supporters in those days.
It's a lovely nostalgic piece of writing. I weep every time I read it!
Highly reccomended, especially to Northcote, Oakleigh and Camberwell fans.
