By CHANTAL RUMBLE
October 4, 2004
JOHN Howard has learned one important lesson from football - watch
out for those last-minute field goals.
The Prime Minister shared his insight with St George Illawarra coach
Nathan Brown at a gala rugby league grand final luncheon yesterday.
The advice came too late for the ill-fated Dragons, who were ousted
from the premiership race last month when Penrith captain Craig Gower
kicked a field goal in the 77th minute of the qualifying final.
But time remains for Mr Howard himself to take heed as he moves into
the final week of the federal election campaign - a competition which
remains too close to call.
Yesterday, beneath a dizzying array of lights, balloons and banners
in the St George Leagues Club at Kogarah, Mr Howard - the number one
Dragons supporter - came face to face with his political rival,
Opposition Leader Mark Latham, who is also a dedicated Dragons fan.
With a media pack snapping at their heels, the two party leaders trod
cautiously on their small patch of common ground, careful not to
cross paths as they joined the annual grand final luncheon.
Mr Latham rolled in first with his wife, Janine Lacy, by his side and
immediately declared his lifelong allegiance to the team.
He was quickly whisked upstairs to join a throng of fellow Dragons
celebrities and fans, who had each forked out $100 for a ticket.
Mr Howard, arriving half an hour late, was greeted by a smattering of
applause from fans in the lobby before he too went upstairs to meet
and greet the guests.
During speeches, the rivalry of the two party leaders took a twist
when Mr Latham said the election battle would not be about who was
going to be Australia's next prime minister.
"The real struggle, the real contest, the real biffo is to become the
number one ticket-holder of St George," he said.
While football was the game of the day, the escalating political
contest was far from forgotten.
Mr Latham compared supporting the Dragons to being a member of the
Labor party.
"Since (the 1970s) in grand finals we've had a lean run for the
Dragons - we're a bit like the Labor Party, we've missed out a few
times," he said.
"But I know that'll be corrected in the near future."
Also, Mr Howard took the opportunity to announce that a re-elected
Coalition government would provide $8million to upgrade Kogarah's Oki
Jubilee Oval.
Mr Latham then told the crowd the ALP had made the same pledge
earlier in the week.
"I was very glad to hear (Mr Howard's) announcement just a few
moments ago because I was even happier when a few days ago our local
member Robert McClelland announced that a Labor government will
commit $8million to the redevelopment of Kogarah Jubilee Oval," he
said.
Downstairs, where punters gathered for a meat raffle or settled into
the long glittering rows of poker machines, the mood was far less
bombastic.
"Why would we care? We see too much of (Mr Howard and Mr Latham) on
television as it is," one punter said.
Copyright © 2004 Illawarra Mercury
