Fountain of Youth?

Cameron and Evan

The topic of the week it seems, yes, it does seem that there has been a lot of the banter on the side of the field, on the bbm group and in the changing room about the future of our beloved dynasty. Since 2006, ‘the seniors’ of our current team have steered us in the right direction, creating the image of the Cobras that draws so many people to love it, and lets not forget that emphatic victory in the final over the Nadeos in 2008, one that will forever be marked in Cobras history. So here we are in 2011, launching another campaign that will hopefully see us taking the trophy away from the Nadoes, and we could not have asked for a better start. With a perfect record so far and good performances in all the games we are looking to build on this positive start all the way through the tournament.

As I’m sure most of you have already heard, this past Wednesday night fines was truly special, not only because 15 guys finished 12 cases of beer, but it gave Warren Handley and I the privilege to be fines masters together. As two of the youngest members in the squad, we were both excited and nervous at the task ahead of us, as this was one of the most important rituals that make up the Cobras team. As I closed that door and looked around at the other 13 faces looking to us to start, I could not help but break out into a smile, not because of poen’s facial hair or that we’d tricked Mike Nel into staying when he was about to leave, but because I knew that there was no other place on earth that I’d rather be. It was the moment when we were all standing around my phone, waiting to send Warren Butler a voice message something like – oooooohhhh Wazz is fucking magic… - when I stopped to look around. Any person that didn’t know the Cobras walking into that changing room would have been amazed at how peculiar this group of individuals looked. 15 guys, ranging ages from 19 to 26 (I think) all huddled around a cell phone screaming their lungs out with facial expressions of pure love for what they were doing (plus callan and Poen weren’t wearing their shirts again and Army was chundering in the dustbin). But my real point is - that night there was no difference between a 19 year old and a 25 year old, no difference between guys who’d been in the team since the beginning or someone who was playing his 2nd match. It was just 15 friends - singing songs, having a good time and drinking a shitload of beer.

Now don’t get me wrong, Wednesday is still fresh off mind so I’m using it as an example but cases like Stefan’s birthday, anytime at the cottage, tin roof nights when people believing that Warren was my brother and Steen my uncle, shouting matches outside my house with Bug and Kyle or even the odd trip to Anton Taylor’s flat/lift are also perfect examples of how the Cobras has built memories and great times this year already. Is this not exactly what we are trying to achieve in our team? A bond between the older generation and the younger generation that is so strong that you’d think that we were all in the same grade together at school? That is exactly what we have achieved, and it is incredible to experience.


So yes, some of us may be getting older and starting to settle down - Steen seems to be settling down more than most – “I’m going to the chapel…” – sorry sidetracked, but seriously, the strength of the Cobras lies in our experienced players, in their ability to lead but as well teach us youngsters the ropes. The fact that there are no boundaries of age in the team has helped mould the Cobras to what we are today and what we will be in the future. As the weather man said, change is good and we should embrace it, but we must always remember who laid down the foundations in which this franchise has been built upon. Most importantly, together, we can win the whole thing this year. With the older guys leading from the front, and the younger guys filling in with them, who can stop us?

This is the man from the Greek Islands. Out.