Dockers AND Roos - "Once We Were Titans!"
Oldest rivalry in United States heads into 22nd Match Up
Editorial by Peter Beare
June 24, 2004 
In 1997 as the game of Australian Football was developing from the cradle in the United States, the Nashville Kangaroos and the Cincinnati Dockers established the fiercest and first real rivalry in USFooty. The Roos, led by Coach John Nelson and star forward Adam Carter, were as physical and tough as they get - while the Dockers, being led by Richard Mann and Rueben Carter, were simply a class act. A van of 16 players hit the road from Nashville in May of 1998 to Cincinnati to play the first ever "home and away" series, with the Dockers winning by 40 odd points at home - then later that month the Dockers came to Nashville and the National Champs were handed their first ever loss as a club (by around 100 points).

After 1997 the rivalry grew with some tremendous finals match ups at the Australian Festival (won each time by Cincinnati) - some strong wins by Cincinnati in Cincy - and some large thumpings by the Roos in Nashville. The rivalry was one of the key sparks that really help develop the USAFL in the early days and extended way off the football field to administration competitiveness as well! This year's match up will be the twenty- second time these teams have taken to the field, with the Dockers leading the series 12-9. With this formula you would expect a match up like no other - but unfortunately you would be wrong......

As the caption goes - "Once We Were Titans" - Nashville Kangaroos and the Cincinnati Dockers find themselves winless in the Mid American League - with both clubs on shaky ground based on very poor traveling performances in the MAAFL. No doubt a win for either club would be a great boost in the arm - but as with the Kangaroos' early road trip in 2005 and both home games this year, the Kangaroos do not have the 14 players required to match up with Cincinnati (which is a guaranteed formula for failure in the Mid American League). Cincinnati forfeited their first travel trip of the season and may also be running low on numbers, although their recent match with Dallas would indicate the Dockers have some numbers and players (who just don't think they need to travel to play the game but clearly enjoy players visiting their respective city!). 

In fairness to both clubs - there are good chore players and coaches that are very dedicated to playing the game - but at both clubs to date that dedication cannot seemed to be passed down to the players easily or effectively. The clubs are both American run and coached and are 95% American in terms of players. Maybe we could be in an era where Australians need to continue helping clubs (well beyond their playing years). Of course St. Louis also is all American - so it isn't a case of it can't be done - more likely a case of how do we do it? You have to admire the dedication of the core group - who are always stepping up to meet their commitments... but what about their teammates? What kind of teammates watch their team go off to battle (to get their asses kicked) and just act like they aren't part of that team (today). Traveling 3 weekends in 52 weekends does not seem unreasonable with some basic planning! To the Dockers' credit in 2004 - they visited Nashville with 24 players - and of course then supported and attended the Kangaroos' post game function (which raises money for the club). Nashville returning to Cincinnati with 12 players just doesn't seem right!

The MAAFL, which was founded by Cincinnati and Nashville, was built on the simple principle that if you bring your team to our city - we will bring our team to your city. Unfortunately, somewhere along the road both the Roos and Dockers have been enjoying well attended home games - but simply not meeting obligations on the road. With a lot of buzz going on at the administration level of the Mid American League about new teams applying to join the league, one (or both) of these teams may not be playing in a league in 2006 if they don't start to get their focus together and actually sell their players on the commitment to regional travel. 

No doubt clubs will have up and down seasons and periods, but if ever there was a crunch time for both the Roos and Dockers it appears to be now - and as appropriate as it seems - they are playing each other tomorrow! I wait with baited breath to see how many players each team has - and what the outcome will be. Once it was the best rivalry in the US - and all about bragging rights. Now it's more about survival than bragging rights. 

For the sake of the game, lets hope both these clubs can figure out the formula.... before it is too late......