I arrived at the Gabba to pick up some rare free tickets courtesy of the Brisbane Cheer Squad President (how sweet is that? Thanks again, I owe you one) and settled in from 3pm onwards as the anticipation started to grow.  A tour through the visiting teams warm up rooms and acclimatising to the Gabba with nobody else in sight was an ideal way to pysche myself up for what lay ahead.

A warm up match between Mt Gravatt and the Lion Cubs made up somewhat for the freezing conditions that I was totally unprepared for.  A reflex mark whilst tripping over the esky, saving my better half from taking one on the noggin in the process and suddenly I thought my luck might well be in for the night.

My first excitement came from hearing the Blues song echoing around the Gabba when the boys came out and praying that I might hear it again a couple of hours later. From the opening bounce it was apparent that we were looking at a Carlton team that had come ready to play and felt confident they had a game plan to take it up to the reigning premiers.  Within the first minute McKernan pulled down a strong mark and while he missed what should have been a certain goal, hopes were high for a competitive game.  Maligned players Justin Murphy and Ryan Houlihan showed they had learned a lesson from their recent demotions and senior players Adrian Hickmott and Brett Ratten were leading from the front as the Blues went out to an early lead.  The Lions came back hard towards the end of the quarter but the reborn Blues defied critics by leading at quarter time.  The highlight and the lowlight of the first quarter occurred at exactly the same time when Carlton earned themselves a 50 metre penalty and a shot at goal only to have the decision reversed when Franchina smacked Akermanis on the back of the head.  Silly undisciplined play but let's face it, we all wish we were the one doing the smacking!

The pattern continued in the second quarter with the Blues kicking away to a 20 point lead before the Lions again reeled them in to hit the front at half time by 2 points.  What was really standing out was the amount of holding decisions being paid in front of goal.  All sense of logic had now left my head due to the fact that Carlton were still in the competition and my sworn vow not to get excited about our chances until the final siren had sounded had been long since broken.  Yes, they had sucked me in again.  A Brisbane goal with Macca at full stretch trying to get a touch on it and I was leaning over the fence letting the goal umpire know just how how much of a "(expletive deleted) pygmy" he really was.  Of course the cold light of day has made me see the errors of my ways .... well actually I had a laugh and knew about 2 seconds later that I was dead wrong but that blind hope is a powerful emotion!

A Micky Mansfield cameo provided two third quarter goals and punctuated a period where Carlton replied to everything the Lions did.  The Blues once more gained the ascendancy raises expectations further but for the third straight quarter the Lions responded and not only closed the gap but manufactured a 7 point lead.  Emotions were at fever pitch and with a loud Gabba crowd (or at least the one's within earshot) calling out to  Macca and Braddles with complete disrespect,  combined with the crowd lifting Akermanis goal and the arrogance of Des Headland, I was searching for something special for the Blues to shut them up. It was not to be .....

From the outset of the last quarter, the Lions received a handful of free kicks mostly around the centre area and mostly when the Blues were in possession.  The decisions were probably there and let's face it, I wasn't in an objective frame of mind anyway.  The Lions were able to keep the ball in their forward 50 for the opening half of the quarter and the dam finally burst.  Bam, Crash, Kapow .... I blinked and it was the Lions by 37 points.  With my head in my hands and the chants of Lion's fans ringing in my ears as to exactly what orifice Carton allegedly take 'it' ... I lamented a game that we did not deserve to suffer a bad loss in.

But these Blues are starting to learn, starting to find cohesion, starting to believe that they can fight and they can prove a few points. To their credit they fought the game out with Justin Murphy and Corey McKernan having a purple patch in the final stages of the game.  The margin was always going to prove too much but I took some solace in the fact that one of the people behind me that had previously been chanting for Macca to "grow some hair" (what a rip snorter that was), started muttering to a friend nearby that the Lions historically lose these close matches.  Well we didn't kick another goal after that and neither did the Lions but the jibes and the mood of the crowd has subsided from one of sheer gloating to a consensus of relief.

Late in the night number 43 for Carlton kicked a further 6 goals, sprayed another 2, and sconed a couple of Lions fans on the back of the head.  Unfortunately it was only me in the madness of the after game kickathon in the 1000 man a side version of the game but still one couldn't help but think that the real number 43 could have proven the difference in the real stuff on the night.

Off we trudged on the long walk to the nearest public transport, freezing cold, dejected ... but proud.  A token cry out a car window at me "Carlton suck", was greeted by an equally imaginative "Up yours" by myself (I really need to work on my comebacks), but by then my mind was already looking forward to next week and a clash with fellow under achievers and great enemies Richmond.

I can't leave you without at least making a mention of a player whose career has mirrored the Blues season to date.  Accused of arrogance and having experienced a fall from grace much like the Navy Blues as a club, Jordon Doering seems to have learned from his mistakes and is slowly starting to win back some respect and become a team player.  I see good things for him in the weeks ahead and I feel sure that the Blues as a club are on a fast learning curve and will do everything in their power in the next 9 weeks to earn back the pride and respect they are renowned for.