We checked out of The Grainstore early and headed up to Leeds for the Manly game. After a brusque welcome at Novotel reception we were told our room wasn’t ready so we went for a walk around the city which was bustling for a Sunday afternoon. All the shops were open which is a change from France.
Going to see Manly play was a great experience. It was so exciting to be at a live game. We had other Manly supporters wishing our team luck and people chatted to us. We were totally outnumbered by the Leeds Rhinos blue and gold colours everywhere but Andrew had his Manly jersey on and his Manly scarf and the kids wore Manly caps. We sat amongst the 50 or so Manly supporters most of whom had flown over on a specially organised tour from Australia for the game.
It was a great game to watch, very entertaining and thrilling. The noise of the home crowd chanting their team songs and banging on their drums and cheering when their team scored a try was incredible. The Manly supporters made noise too but it couldn't compare to the crescendo of the home crowd. Both teams played well but I must say it was good to be on the winning side. According to Andrew, Manly dominated the game for the first 60-70 minutes but close to the end Manly let a couple of quick tries through in the far corner which made the finish closer and very exciting for the crowd. The atmosphere was competitive but we felt like we were among friends.
At the end of the game a Leeds Rhinos supporter sitting in front of us with his two young boys turned to Samuel, shook his hand and handed Samuel his Leeds Rhinos Gold Member's scarf with a commemorative game pin and said "Son, your team is the best in the world". We didn't know what to say. The crowd was very vocal but at the end of the game they were gracious losers and we had a good chat with a few of them. Andrew wore his Manly scarf around the markets the next morning and got a few "You've got a hide wearing that around here laddy" .
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