Portal Lyon- Home of the underground

Today on the way home from my internship I went and paid a visit to Portal Lyon in Providencia. I guess you would say the main parts of Providencia are shopping centres, hotels and restaurants. Portal Lyon is a bit different though. Whilst it's right next door to a Fallabella department store, it is really a whole world apart.

The reason I went there was to pay a visit to a bloke named Greg. He is an Australian guy who moved here about 5 years ago. Our good friend José Miguel collects little cars- matchbox, hot wheels etc. He has almost a whole room full of them at his house. So this guy Greg has a shop selling matchbox cars. I was hoping I would see some of the cars from my childhood, but my memory is a bit hazy to know what exactly I had. I know I had a Mercedes that was blue, a formula 1 car and a smashed up Porsche.

What he did have in the shop however, was the exact track I had as a kid, there was no doubting that. I realised I actually had two different tracks, this one- the beach style, which include a looping wave, and another one that had a loop followed by a jump. I didn't buy anything today, but that's not to say that won't be different in the future...What I really wonder is if my collection from my younger years is still around somewhere back in Bega.

So anyway I talked to him for a while, I was wearing my Raiders hat, and he showed me he had a Roosters bag (no me gusta!!!!). Then his friend from next door came in, that guy runs a music shop, mainly selling posters and some t-shirts, we got talking and he asked if I liked Toe To Toe. I said I did, and he said I was the first person he had met that liked Toe To Toe.

Then he told me he was in a band and they were playing on Thursday. So I will go and check it out, it's in Bellavista at Bar Uno. The band is called Bajo Tierra. He said they are just starting out, but he has been in quite a few other bands including Dentro De Nada who I have a feeling I have heard of before.

In saying that, I just realised I may have double booked myself. I have signed up to play in a pickup soccer match, using a website called Jogabo. I really like the idea of this website, which basically allows you to sign up for pick up games throughout the world. So they are having a game on Thursday night and proceeds of that will go to charity. So I will probably play in that. It doesn't start til 10pm, but the show probably doesn't start til even later. The guy in the shop, Juan Carlos he said it started at 10, but you can never be sure exactly what that means in Chile.

So anyway, the rest of this little shopping centre, Portal Lyon is filled with similar kinds of shops. Video games, tattoo parlours, skate shops, more shops selling shirts, records, CDs, tickets, etc. As I was walking around the circular pathway, I got thinking- I wonder how a shop selling Footbags would go...

By the time I got to the bottom I decided it would go pretty badly. As I continued my walk home a guy came up to me. He looked a bit shady and I was a bit concerned about being robbed. I think he wanted a light for a cigarette, or money to get cigarettes. I'm not too sure really, but I didn't have and wouldn't give him either if I did. There were no troubles and I continued on my way.

Tomorrow night will be the final of the Copa Sudamericana. "La U" won the first leg in Ecuador 1-0, even though LDU Quito had not lost there for a number of years in Copa Sudamericana games. They are in pretty hot form, and I have a feeling they are yet to lose a game since I arrived in Chile.

Leaving home

In our last few weeks in Australia, we are upholding the pacer lifestyle. This term pacer comes back to a spelling error during the "Danpacers era". A while ago I went up to Queensland for work, and in the time I was away, turned by two bedroom apartment into a sort of mini hostel.

So you know, what comes around goes around, so we are relying on our friends to give us a roof over our heads. We have been staying with Viv and Bret for the first portion of our stay, which has been really good, we can just walk to work etc. We don't want to impose on them for the whole stay, so today we move over to Caroline's house, multiple times Australian Women's Footbag Champion...

We will stay there for about a week and then come back here, then finish off our time in Australia with a stint and Grandma and Grandpa's in Sydney. Not really long at all to go to takeoff.

Let me remember how I felt just before leaving to go away to Queensland:

It has been great to have our friends help us out, and it has been fun to stay with Viv and Bret. We share some jokes and I have been reading various books that have been picked up from garage sales, borders closing down sales etc. I polished off Danny Buderus' autobiography, now I reading about "Laurie and Clyde", two of my heroes growing up, who I got to see in action earlier this year in Hay. You know, as much as these may be embarrassing to have in your collection, I actually really like to read these sports books, brings back a lot of memories.

Alan Tongue retires

Today is a sad day in Canberra Raiders history, to go on with the abysmal season that has been 2011, Alan Tongue has announced this year will be his last. He will go down a one club man, and one of, if not the most passionate player to wear the lime green.

Since his debut in 2000, the Raiders have not enjoyed the success of the early 90s, but there have been some good years and some bad years. Tonguey has been there through the thick and thin. Between 2006-2008 was probably his peak time, his huge tackle rates and support play and mainly, passion would sometimes singlehandedly get the Green Machine home.

Last year Tongue was injured for most of the year, but managed to notch up his 200th appearance for the club, to huge applause. In the final against the Tigers, especially with Campo busting his leg, Tongue scored a decisive try to keep the Raiders in the fight.

So many times he has played with a variety of injuries and played through the pain, he has been an inspirational leader and lead with his actions, but this year I think you could see the toll of all these tackles coming against him. Being overseas I will not get to see the last game at home. Unfortunately my last viewing was the shutout received by Melbourne.

I hope the Raiders will use Tongue in some manner of the field in the next seasons, he will be a great role model for the younger players. Alan Tongue is a different mould to most players. You quite simply won't see the same "bleeding green" of players like Tongue and Josh Miller in the next years at the Green Machine.

Fantasy Football

With the League season approaching, I have selected my players for the fantasy season. I always seem to lose interest midway through the season, so maybe if I analyse my progress, it will be a different story.

This is the squad I have chosen- I'm going to list it as if it was an actual team

1. N Merrit (Souths)

2. L Burt (Parramatta)

3. A Glenn (Broncos)

4. J Thompson (Raiders)

5. J Nightingale (Dragons)

6. K Foran (Manly)

7. S Prince (Gold Coast)

8. D Shillington (Raiders)

9. K Kingston (Penrith)

10. N Friend (Gold Coast)

11. N Hindmarsh (Parramatta)

12. T Learoyd-Lars (Raiders)

13. C Parker (Broncos)

14. A Tongue (Raiders)

15. J Warera-Hargraves (Roosters)

16. N Fien (Dragons)

17. L Walsh (Penrith)

Reserves

D Kemp (Broncos)

B Ferguson (Raiders)

J Carney (Roosters)

C Walker (Eels)

W Graham (Sharks)

M Masoe (Roosters)

G Eastwood (Bulldogs)

S Mataora (Raiders)

Obviously, Nathan Friend isn't my first choice when I think of props, but the hookers often have the highest score. This is in the Daily Telegraph supercoach competition. When asked how many times a week do I read the DT, the answer was a big fat zero.

I am hoping to do a Raiders related post each week, starting from the trial match in Bega, my hometown, which is on Saturday week.

Capital Pies

Without a doubt the best idea that has ever been thought of in relation to this zine.

In line with the beginning of next year's footy season, a special issue of Capital Eyes may appear: Capital Pies

It will be mainly about eating pies and going to the footy. I'm excited already.

My thoughts on Origin...

Current Origin forwards need to show the passion of The Chief et al

In the quagmire they called a stadium, NSW lost to Qld 28-24. It should have been nowhere near that close, but the Blues got a couple of late tries once the game was already lost.

There needs to be some changes made to the lineup for the next match. It will be interesting to see what the selectors come up, but the real change that needs to be made is right there, the selection team needs a makeover.

1. Hayne

2. Morris

3. Tahu

4. Lyon

5. Morris

6. Gidley

7. Kimmorley

8. Weyman

9. Ennis

10. O'Donnell

11. Hindmarsh (c)

12. Lewis

13. Bird

14. Tolman if fit or- Galloway/King/Douglas

15. Farrah

16. TLL

17. Mason

18. Watmough

19. Carney

The problem for NSW is they don't have any ORIGIN style props. No Brick With Eyes/Chief/Spud etc. They played with that huge intensity. And I think guys like Petro still do that.

Someone like O'Donnell, not sure if he's still injured, but he has a big level of intensity. There is no need to have a back on the bench, Luke Lewis is probably the most versatile player in the game today.

Perry and White both need to go, they were rubbish. The props are the reason why NSW are looking at so many successive defeats.

Hindmarsh NEEDS to be in the team. He is such an origin style player, I don't know why they don't pick him. I also like the idea of Gidley not being the captain (75% loss rate is not a great look). Also makes him easier to move on for the next game.

With Gidley in the halves, I think you need an extra play making option, so I chose Bird at lock.

I was watching footage of the all star match the other day, when Farrah came on, he really injected himself into the game. I would probably prefer him to play the whole game, but I don't think Ennis will be moved on.

Idris needs to go, his defence was woeful. Especially in combination with Hayne, that had a field day down that edge. Cooper did nothing either, no need for him to stick around. I don't think Watmough was so bad, and normally I am against Mason being in the team, but I think he's the kind of player who would hopefully step up in this situation. He, along with TLL can come on as prop or second row. I think if he's in there more as a prop, it will give TLL more of a chance to run on the edges where he's much more damaging.