Note to self: cab drivers know what they’re talking about

Bring on season 2012!

Yes, I know it’s only Round 1 and while I’m every bit the passionate Hawthorn supporter, the Hawks’ loss to Adelaide on the weekend is not the reason I’m already contemplating next season. The fact that Buddy kicked 2.6 on Saturday night suggests he’ll probably kick 6.2 next week.

Rather, I look forward to 2012 because that’s when the new, yet-to-be determined television broadcasting deal will take effect. And, if Andrew Demetriou is to be believed, we’ll be able to watch almost any game live from almost anywhere in Australia.

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I’ve had just about enough of the currently sub-standard coverage of Aussie Rules in the northern states, where television programmers see more merit in showing re-runs of ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad’ than live coverage of our great Indigenous game.

Last Thursday evening took me to the ‘boom-town’ of Gladstone in Central Queensland to speak at a conference the following morning.

Having already prepared my presentation as much as I needed to on the flight from Brisbane, I planned an evening at one of the locals, to enjoy a quiet meal and an ale or two while watching the season opener between Carlton and Richmond.

On the way in to town, the typically friendly Gladstone cab driver recommended I go to The Queens Hotel where the steaks, he assured me, are hard to beat.

In my experience cab drivers always know what they’re talking about, on pretty much any subject. Take politics, Aboriginal land rights or Australia’s asylum-seeker laws for example. Always an objective, balanced and considered opinion is given, and often without even having to be asked!

So, ignoring the cabbie’s advice I bypassed the Queens and headed up the hill to the more salubrious Grand Hotel.

Upon my arrival I was quick to ask the bar staff if they could switch the channel on any of the 100 or so plasmas from the cricket, the NRL Footy Show or MTV, to the footy.

The first two young ladies I spoke to didn’t know if they could show the AFL. Actually, I’m pretty sure they didn’t know what AFL was. Either that or they couldn’t believe some bloke had the gall to ask if they would put it on.

“Its on One HD”, I told them.

Overhearing our conversation the bar manager quickly chimed in with “we don’t have HD here”.

Now this is a town which one of the many brochures claims is ‘Australia’s 21st Century Industrial City’ where millions of dollars worth of dirt is processed and exported around the world every day, where blokes get paid more to drive a forklift truck than some dentists, doctors or barristers earn in a good year.

But no digital TV at the Grand! And I’d already ordered my meal, so no footy for me.

I promptly downed my steak and three or four beers before heading back to my room. On the way I caught a glimpse of the dying seconds of the Blues-Tigers match through the window of The Queens. It seems that The Queens would have been the better option after all.

I should have listened to the cabbie.

Yours in all things footy,

Sasha Lennon