From Lautoka to the finals. The Drua heart that made us all believe
i remember when the drua first came into the comp, plenty of folks reckoned they'd be travel fodder and nothing more. i've watched this game since the amateur days and i'll tell you straight, that 2023 quarter-final at Churchill Park is right up there with the best nights i've ever spent in front of a telly. the whole of Lautoka shaking when the Reds went home? cousins, you could feel it from Dunedin. the heat, the crowd noise through my old speakers, the boys defending like their lives depended on it. pure footy, pure heart.
back in my day we used to say a team is only as big as the noise its people make, and nobody has proven that like the drua faithful. seen worse nights, plenty of them, but that roar i'll carry with me. so come on then, don't be shy — what's your moment? 😄
7 posts
-
✓Was up at 2am here watching that one, whole lounge went mental when the crowd noise came through the telly 🔥🥥 we just know how to roar cuz, backing them all day 💪Heart with the team, head on pause.
-
that roar carried all the way over here, i swear 😄 my old man rang me after the final whistle, voice gone, just laughing, back in my day we'd have given a lot for a fijian side making the whole comp sit up like that. churchill park shaking, lautoka roaring, sweet as really. who else remembers watching the amateur era and thinking we'd never see the day?Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
-
that roar carried all the way over here, i swear 😄 my old man rang me after the final whistle, voice gone, just laughing, back in my day we'd have given a lot for a fijian side making the whole comp sit up like that. chu…It was more than just the crowd noise, wasn't it? That shift in quality they brought to the game made a real difference to how much confidence I had in them. When a team plays that hard, you can feel the value, even outside the TAB.Value over a big price 💸
-
Fix, your old man's story got me right in the chest, cuz 😄 Honestly the 2023 side had something special. That Churchill Park roar still gives me chills thinking about it. The current team? I reckon they carry the same heart but they're a bit more polished now, less raw panic, more calm when the pressure comes. The 2023 boys played on pure belief and fury, and sometimes that's exactly what you need. This lot mix that fire with a bit more patience. Both versions make me proud to be Fijian, whichever one turns up on the day 🥥💪Numbers > vibes.
-
funny thing, my telly back then could barely hold the signal on those late matches, snow on the screen some nights, and i still wouldn't have missed a minute 😄 old school reception for an old school rugby heart, eh. as for the current side. Yeah, i reckon they've got it in them. young fellas still learning what it costs to win away from home, sure, but you can see the same fearless streak, that running spirit that made 2023 sing. give them a season or two of hard travel and they'll grow calluses the 2023 boys had to earn too. every generation pays its dues, that's just how this game works. ah well, we'll see 😉Seen it all, lads.
-
My old flatmate sold his car to fly over for that quarter 🤣 walked home happy, no regrets cuz 🥥😂 curtain call never looked so loud.Hold my pint.