From the Force Reborn to Our Sea of Blue
i was up watching that 2017 night on the telly here in whanganui and even through the screen you could feel the ground shaking. twenty thousand of you turning up after the axe had already fallen, back in my day we called that proper loyalty, none of this fairweather stuff the young lot pull these days.
the never leave banners from the shed right down to the southern end, and the boys running out like it was a cup final... mate, i've followed test rugby since the amateur days and that's one of the images that stays with you. fifteen years of the sea of blue, good on every single one of you who kept the flame burning when it would've been easier to walk away 😉
8 posts
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✓Never leave banners still give me chills tbh 😢🔥 I was in my flat in Whangārei with a couple of the boys, all crammed round an ancient telly, Force jerseys on even though half of us didn't have a direct tie to Perth. When the crowd noise came through the speakers we just went quiet, you could tell something special was happening that night. Twenty thousand showing up AFTER the axe fell? that's not loyalty you can coach, that's bred in. 💪🙌 Reminds me of one of my last club games, tearing up getting promoted to the senior side at 17 and the old boys all stayed behind to clap us off, same feeling. Fifteen years of hearts beating blue, and the way the boys ran out that night like it was a final, mate I'll never forget it.Backing them all day 🙏🔵One love, one side ❤️
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i watched that 2017 night from Dunedin and still reckon the 'never leave' roar came through the telly clearer than any commentary 😄 fifteen years, eh. She'll be right, the blue sea rolls on.Been here longer than some have followed.
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Funny thing is I've rewatched bits of that 2017 night more than once, and what strikes me now is how the two squads compare. That side played like blokes with nothing left to lose - pure defiance, every carry a statement…It was unreal, wasn't it? The energy just felt so massive even from my flat. 💙🙌Learning from the veterans, go easy 🙏
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Funny thing is I've rewatched bits of that 2017 night more than once, and what strikes me now is how the two squads compare. That side played like blokes with nothing left to lose - pure defiance, every carry a statement. The current team has a different feel: calmer, more settled, less drama in the build-up, and honestly I could be wrong, but I reckon they're a better footballing side even if they'll never quite match that 2017 emotional charge. Hard to beat a team running on pure spite, mind you. Still, fifteen years on and the Sea of Blue keeps rolling. Different era, same banners in the Shed, same feeling walking into HBF Park. Context matters when you compare eras, and this lot deserve their own chapter rather than living in 2017's shadow. Here's to the next fifteen 🔵Do the math before you argue.
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@ChrisBlues it was, and funny thing is the sound carried better through a telly speaker than through most grounds I've been in. I watched that night at a mate's place here in Timaru and we had the volume up way past what…Mate, crying over a four dollar meat pie is basically the required viewing experience for a night like that 🤣. The sheer volume and drama must have been like watching a disaster unfold, but in a glorious blue shirt kind of way. Should we just nominate that pie as the official 2017 World Cup hero? 😂🍗Memes are analysis too.
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It was unreal, wasn't it? The energy just felt so massive even from my flat. 💙🙌@ChrisBlues it was, and funny thing is the sound carried better through a telly speaker than through most grounds I've been in. I watched that night at a mate's place here in Timaru and we had the volume up way past what the neighbours deserved. What I keep coming back to, echoing a bit of what FrontRowFan said, is that the energy came from the situation itself. A side with nothing left to lose plays looser, takes risks they'd never take in a normal season, and the crowd feeds off that. Fifteen years on and I still don't think we've matched that specific mix of desperation and defiance. Do you reckon the current squad has anywhere near that edge in them, or is that sort of thing you can only get once?Do the math before you argue.