The Griffith Seamen

"Nicorette, Nicorette, you can beat the cigarette" , the cry rings out, the chant of 23 warrior fills the streets of Melbourne, enhanced by the sound of their footprints and a flash of green as they march to their destiny.

OK well maybe it wasn't marching so much as a slow jog in mild unison and maybe they weren't warriors so much as slightly intoxicated Griffith University students who were not so much marching towards their destiny as they were screaming slogans at smokers - but they were in Melbourne - make no mistake. This group of young men, this noisy bunch, are none other than "The Griffith Seamen", the AFL team representing Griffith University at the Australian University Games 2008.

An unlikely team, the Seamen were formed from a group of predominantly medical students, with only five of the 23 players having taken to the field in AFL competition before. When we flew down to the city of Melbourne, the home of AFL, as the only QLD team, no one expected us to be a threat to the locals. As it turned out, they would be right.

While the Seamen came to Melbourne to play AFL, the nightlife was just as captivating as the playing field for many with themed costume parties in some of Melbourne's biggest venues, the social program lived up to expectations, with players converted into a spaceman, a fluro mess, the 'no-Gary-no men' for the Nicorette ad and a strangely unsettling imitation of the child entertainment group 'The Wiggles'.

By the end of the week, despite putting up a brave fight on the field each day and usually taking the lead early on in the game, when the final whistle blew, the Griffith Seamen failed to win enough games to make it to the top of the ladder - but not all was a loss, at least we won the wooden spoon - surely that has to count for something.

Guy Gentle
Griffith University

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