Man, I love Tate.
I didn't know what to make of him for the longest time other than he needed a restraining order against Francis Meli. Then he started producing plays like GC posted and I came around. He wasn't the most talented or athletic backs in the competition. He could make some of the most puzzling mistakes imaginable, but then he could go 90m and score one of the greatest ever Test tries.
The thing I admired the most was that in the big games, in the big moments, you could count on him.
Just like at the 2006 Grand Final try-scorers list.
Yes he could go to dummy half and put his foot on the sideline...
Or he could burn Brett Stewart in his comeback game at Brookevale.
It made being a fan exciting because you knew you were going to cop it, only to give it right back.
Although it hurts that Sproj brought up that 06 Tri-Series try again.
I'd never left a game early before, but it'd been virtually over at half-time and there were blues happening all around the stadium. Despite my best attempts to keep the group around because I could sense something amazing was about to happen, they'd heard it enough times that nothing was going to happen.
We were making our way to the bus depot when we heard the crowd go up as the full-time siren sounded. Gee, they must have been happy for that game to be over as well.
I've never been able to live it down since. Time to load up that 2006 GF try to ease the pain.