One of this white man's fondest memories was around this time nine years ago when he stood dumbfounded in a marquee tent next to Phuong surrounded by hundreds of manic Melbourne Storm supporters absolutely going crazy as we celebrated the Storm's first National Rugby League premiership. Remarkably they won the championship in only their second year of competing in the NRL. Only a month or two prior to that, Phuong had attended her first rugby league game at Olympic Park. That in itself was a remarkable achievement as contact sports, especially a game as brutal as rugby, are not at the top of the Vietnamese sports appreciation list! So on that grand final day we congregated with many other Storm members who could not travel to the live game in Sydney at the club sponsored event. Molly Meldrum was there amongst the pandemonium, along with his cowboy hat which at some point was removed from his head and filled to the brim with champagne. It was a night to remember...Nine years on this white man keenly hopes again for more Melbourne Storm success as they face a grand final rematch with the Manly Sea Eagles. Victory over Manly in last year's grand final was sweet - it certainly removed the bitterness of Storm's grand final defeat the previous year to the Brisbane Broncos. But what is just as sweet is to see Melbourne, a rugby league team battling in the heartland of Aussie Rules, dominating a 'foreign' football code and, by being so successful, annoying the living daylights out of nearly every New South Welshman and Queenslander. Most rugby league traditionalists up north often confess that they don't even believe Melbourne should have a team in the NRL. So this white man says to all of them - chewy on your boot and may the Storm serve it up again tomorrow night and bring the cup back down south of the Murray!
Melbourne Storm...Melbourne Proud!
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