The Denham Experience

We arrived back from the morning experience at Monkey Mia to a caravan park decked out in balloons, prompting one of the kids to suggest that there was a party happening – until, that is, we cottoned on to the colours: purple and green on some sites, blue and yellow on others. Yes, that’s right – they were getting ready for what is locally known as “the derby” (that’s “–er-by” not “–ar-by” according to local lore – the biennial Frockers vs Weagles game) You have to experience one of these in WA to really understand. The papers have been deluged for a week – the first ten pages of the sports section, special lift-outs, and often front-page photo ops! It was the talk of the van park for the day, not to mention the blaring radios keeping all and sundry up-to-date with the progress of the match, and even in the laundry and showers the next day. (“How much do you reckon Worsfold was paid for that?” etc.) While these two teams carry one of the best home-ground advantages in the AFL, they also carry the weight of a lot of expectations.