This is the 29th staging of Essendon v Collingwood on Anzac Day. Age, far from wearying the occasion, seems to be adding strength and gravitas to it.
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One of the hallmarks of AFL footy is the communion of fans, who come together, divide for the duration of the match, then mingle again on the way home. This is especially evident on Anzac Day, which commemorates what holds us together as much as what sets us apart.
If the presentation was a bit too militaristic in the early days, it is now just about right. The motorcade of veterans set the respectful tone, the joint run-through augments it.
There are trappings, but they are not ostentatious: the feint outline of WW1 batttefield maps on Collingwood’s guernseys, the poppy them for Essendon, whose guernsey so lends itself to it.
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As for the game: the questions are, are Essendon really coming, and are Collingwood still there? About that, 90,000 will disagree agreeably.
