It’s the words every sport nut has heard at least once on their life. “Get over it, it’s just sport,” the better half says as I mope through the door after the Hawks’ loss to Sydney last Sunday. You’d think after marrying a then sport’s editor 15 years ago she would have understood, but alas not.
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Losses like that hurt fans, but once you kick the cat and mutter a few swear words under your breath life returns to relative normality. For the record, I don’t own a cat.
It got me thinking, if that’s how a die hard fan feels after a tough loss, then imagine how it feels for the players, coaches and the staff? For a moment I put myself in the shoes of the Illawarra Mercury’s own Illawarra Hawk Cody Ellis. Here’s a young man, a young father even, plying his trade in a game he has grown up with. The son of a gun, Cody’s old man is a legend of Australian basketball but Cody has made his own way. He is a proven consistent performer in his own right.
To do his job, Cody spends his time in Wollongong while his little boy and young wife remain in Perth for schooling and family support. They will travel to the Gong for a few weeks over the Christmas break. That’s all. Having spent a couple of months commuting from Tassie on first moving to the Gong, I get a sense of how hard that must be. At the most difficult time we all seek solace and comfort in family. Cody can't do that in a physical sense. His nearest and dearest are 4000 kms away.
Yet you rarely see Cody without a smile on his face. Despite not seeing any game time now for three straight games, he was the first one off the bench cheering his team-mates and waving his towel in support on Sunday.
Cody, much respect to you and the way you approach your team and your life. Your little man at home has a super hero with a super attitude for his dad. Any family would be immensely proud of you and we are proud to have you as part of the Illawarra Mercury family.
