Friday, 15 August 2003 12:00 AM
Inflated egos filled the room for the media launch of the Heidelberg Legends game. Despite the intense on-field rivalry and competitiveness between South Melbourne and Heidelberg United, the Legends from each side interacted and joked like old friends. Emcee for the night George Donikian told the audience of his own memories of the fierce battles between these two clubs, “South versus Heidelberg was as big as you could get”.
As each player was interviewed by George, overstated confidence shone through. South legend George Campbell remarked “we haven’t done any training but we’re always confident at Hellas”. Sensing another tough battle, Allan Davidson said “I hope I’ve got my shingurads on!”. While competitiveness between the two teams is still evident, winning the game is now about bragging rights rather than points. Throughout the night, all the Legends mentioned the importance of such occasions and thanked both South Melbourne and Heidelberg for organising such a special event. Respecting the past is a rarity in Australian Soccer and this is surely the first step to paying tribute to the Legends who gave us so many memories.