Washington Minor, Hurricane Haines and I piled into Minor's pastel green Beetle on a sunny Sunday arvo and drove out to Lidcombe Oval for the eagerly awaited clash. We burnt a spliff on the way and, because it was a full-house, we ended up standing on the roof of the concrete toilet block at the northern end of the ground. It was, as a they say in the classics, a 'willing contest', the highlight of which being when Paul Merlo decked 'Rocket' Rod Reddy with a brutal coathanger. For his trouble, Merlo was given his marching orders, but, it being a Magpies crowd, he was received with raucous cheering as he disappeared into the sheds. Reddy played on with a sore head and the Maggies got the bickies. I have painted the game being played at night for dramatic effect.