27 January 2008

Brumbies Hat or Gumbies Hat 2008?

| Kramer
Join the conversation
16

I have just received my 2008 Brumbies season member’s package – nearly 6 months after paying for the renewal, and 1 month before the start of the new season. A bit disappointing guys.

Now, that I have that off my chest, here’s the Brumbies 2008 season members hat. A vast improvement over the 2007 member’s hat. The Brumbies logo makes a grand return to prominence. All of the previous hats have been cotton, whereas the new one is nylon – so I guess it will breathe better and wick away sweat, as I fume over the ref’s incompetence. The nylon is semi-perforated, so those of you who are follicularly challenged may get sunburnt through the hat (although I put sunscreen on my head anyway, as I have been burned through the hole at the back of the hat numerous times).

Brumbies Hat 2008

Thanks to Joe & Max for modelling the hat – without too much grizzling.

Join the conversation

16
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Growling Ferret – I’m inclined to agree, but was hoping they may show something creative to compensate for the loss of ageing star quality. If you’re going to have a tough year, why not have one where you win four games by playing beautiful rugby, rasther than four or five by being even duller than the opposition? There is no doubt there remain some excellent players in the squad when all are fit (Shepherdson, Chisholm, Cambell, Smith, Tawake, Gerrard, Ashley-Cooper, Mortlock, Rathbone) and some who can become so (Salvi, the Faingaa brothers, Lealiifano).

Fossils such as I can remember the exquisite backline work that shredded good defences and the recognition that good rugby can be a game of taking a lot of low percentage shots on the basis that some will come off, and that proportion will increase during a game. Remember the days when an attack would be launched from nowhere, using any available string of players as de facto backs? The defensive technique of minimal commitment and maximum speed was effective against the lumbering high commitment style most teams did. But the game has moved to something closer to the leaden predictability of rugby league, and it needs a new style to take it back to where it should be.

The Brumbies built up enormous intellectual property in the MacQueen days; the public followed in droves. It stayed, and was used, but did not increase under Jones. Nucifora lived off its capital, and tried to adapt it to the fact everyone else was adjusting to it. Fisher simply failed to add to it or use it, and he has now lost Larkham, the player still capable of pulling a sparkling individual gem from nowhere.

One of the best (junior) coaches I have seen told his average team, on a day they were facing annihilation by good opposition, that they should use the match as an opportunity to try things they always wanted to try. They lost, badly, but every one of them stepped up and tried to add something. They became better by being freed up. Maybe it’s such a year for the Brumbies. A year of dull failure should be the end for Fisher – a year with as many shining moments as possible will bring the people back and might save him.

Holden Caulfield12:16 pm 29 Jan 08

VP, yep agree with your verbology, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. And you could probably read your mail after the fact. It’d be kind of like reading tea leaves, if you follow me. Eew!

Growling Ferret12:08 pm 29 Jan 08

No Gregan, no Larkham, no Paul, no chance of winning = nobody turning up to games any more…

The Brumbies are no longer the hot ticket they were 5 years ago – the game has got boring, the stars are all gone. Its following the pattern of the Raiders – once the success is gone, the fair weather Canberra supporters leave as well.

I always used to park on Dryandra St in O’Connor, and walk over the ridge (it’s a lot shorter than you’d think – probably closer than Fern Hill).

I’ve also decided not to renew my mebership this year. Doing the maths, a basic membership works out to be a good deal only if you manage to make it to all the games – miss one and you’re better off just buying tickets. Particularly given the dearth of quality home games this season, I just can’t see myself amking every match.

Sure you get a hat and other stuff, but I’ve now got 4 hats sitting in my cupboard unused.

And I’d like to second the complaint about the lack of quality alcohol. Things were OK when you could still get Extra Dry, but now the choice is Tooheys New or nothing.

HC – not unlike eating one’s words. I had thought the order of the verbs made it clear that these were separate acts – one cannot, after all, read something that has already been consumed. As to condiments – tomato sauce is the only accompaniment to most food sold at the games, but English mustard would help the flow of tears.

Holden Caulfield9:23 am 29 Jan 08

…by the time I had eaten and read my mail…

VP … Well I won’t be too shy to ask. What did your mail taste like and can you recommend any good condiments to go with?

hairy nosed wombat9:41 pm 28 Jan 08

Ah canberra, the car based society, al you people want to drive to the brumbies, despite most rugby clubs putting on free busses for the brumbies games.

so to all you people who park in the neighboring suburbs during the games i say this, take a FREE bus instead.

The many people I cannot stand include those who park at Calvary – it’s hard enough to get in and out during Brumbies or Raiders games and to find the parking has absolutely disappeared was worse.

I usually park at Fern Hill and walk down. Its funny watching people fight for position, driving slower than I am walking back to my car.

You really think nylon breathes better than a natural fibre?

GnT – My intent, probably, would have been to get the season ticket, notwithstanding the bad things. But the bad things made it a more marginal call, which was decided by fate, or AustPost or whatever mailing service was used or whatever. I hope you and your small people have a wonderful time at the games.

Brumbies…*yawn*

Obviously ant knows nothing about fabric breathability. Breathability of fabric means how well it wicks moisture away from your skin to evaporate into the air. Cotton has about the worst breathability of any fabric – it really holds onto moisture. Ever tried waiting for your jeans to dry? Most synthetic fabrics have excellent breathability – think polar fleece jumpers, which dry super-quick. Modern nylon fabrics are highly breathable.

VicePope – don’t pay for parking, park at CIT for free and walk! As for food and grog – smuggle in your own! Oh, and I’m sorry for having to squeeze past you to go to the loo, but after being either pregnant or having small children for the last 4 seasons, toilet/nappy/feeding breaks have been essential.

I was pretty fond of the cotton caps, although it tended not to react well on the rare occasion when it rained. But I shall not be a-Brumbying this year, at least not on a regular basis. It’s probably therapeutic for me to explain why.

Have held a season ticket pretty well since the thing started. Not missed a home game since 1996. Anyhow, this last year, I got to wondering about (a) February starts to the season when it’s just too hot, (b) the cost, (c) the fact that you pay for parking and through the nose for a cod-ordinary program (note spelling), (d) crummy and expensive food and expensive grog of a limited range, (e) idiots who stand in the aisles obstructing views and having conversations for twenty minutes before they realise they’re in the wrong block of seats, (f) people who get up and down eight times during the match for food, beer, the loo, (g)toilets out of the Zone of Death and (h) getting away afterwards in the Canberra Stadium 10,000. Oh, and Foxtel, and the fact I can watch in a club, having eaten and drunk real food and wine. I loved being there, but items (a)-(h) had me tossing mental coins.

And then fate intervened. My renewal package hadn’t arrived when I was aware that renewals (with the associated discount on (b) above, plus some stuff like a cap) were due. I worked late one Friday and found it in the mail that day, with renewals closing that same day. The opportunity closed by the time I had eaten and read my mail. (I know some who got their packages on the Wednesday before). I leapt to the assumption that Karma had decreed it would be no Brumbies for the Vice-Pope in 2008. I thought about calling and haranguing whichever call centre drone answered the phone, but could not be bothered to hear how deadlines were deadlines. The Universe had spoken.

Cotton breathes, nylon doesn’t. If you put holes in the nylon, the holes breathe, but the end result is still warmer (see crochet’d rugs with big holes).

I’m sad to see our footy clubs adopting american designs for their sportswear. That hat is direct from the US design dep’t for gridiron. I have a Patriots hat somewhere (hey, I watched all their games! I’m entitled) that is a dead ringer for that hat, except the Patriots one is blue.

Bring back team names based on where they’re from (Balmain, Canberra, Easts, Penrith etc) rather than this bland animal names crap.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.