heartbroken.

ah, sports. you know that song by Dionne Warwick from way back in the good ol' 80s - Heartbreaker? i have it playing constantly in my head as i write this. actually, i have it playing on my laptop as well. on loop. ha!

if you don't know what i'm talking about, i'll do you the favour of posting a YouTube version of the song right here for you, complete with tacky (well, actually, they're downright scary, but let me not be rude) album covers and everything.

hey - nice one, Dionne! i particularly relate to the lyrics:

"love is believin', but you let me down"

and...

"why do you have to be a heartbreaker, 

when i was being what you want me to be? 

suddenly everything i ever wanted has passed me by..."

yeah, sports, i'm talking to you.

now, before i go any further, please forgive the melan-drama (melancholy mixed with melodrama, in case you were wondering) that is going to be more than prevalent in this post. i'm just incredibly incredibly disappointed, and i guess my main way of dealing with major disappointments such as this is by trying harder than usual to be funny, often with disastrous effect. 

if you haven't picked up on this already, the Sharks lost. in the 2012 Currie Cup final. this makes it the THIRD CONSECUTIVE TIME they've been in a final and lost. in last year's Currie Cup final, they went up against the Lions who were strong favourites to win, having dominated most of the season. alright, i can concede that one. earlier this year, in the 2012 Super 15 final, they were honestly The Little Team That Could going up against the big guns when they faced the Chiefs away after having fought tooth and nail just to be in contention for the semis along with having switched time zones numerous times in the weeks leading up to the final - winning that game would've taken a minor miracle.

but this time round? we had no excuses. having played clinical rugby and dominated the standings for the majority of the season, along with having given solid game-time to new players like Cobus Reinach and Paul Jordaan who have shown immense flair; working steadily and doggedly towards a home semi-final where we emphatically beat the Blue Bulls, and with a side studded with players who have constantly been lauded as the Springboks' finest, as well as having beaten Western Province in every single match we've played against them this year up until now, we simply failed to pull through on the day.

and believe me when i say i'm devastated.

sports has a knack for doing this, though - for pulling the rug out from underneath you completely, socking you hard in the proverbial stomach. it's happened to me with the Sharks - the only team i've supported through thick and thin for eight solid years now - time and time again. and, as hard as it is for me to admit this now, in the throes of my despair, the best remedy to that gut-wrenching blow you're dealt is to get back up, time and time again, and start a new season with new hope.

so, although it smarts like crazy, i'll take Dionne's advice. after all, dear Sharks,

"it don't matter whatever you do...

i made a life out of loving you!"

here's to a good year, and to a new season.

BLACK AND WHITE... NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.