The Tues Crew

It’s a quiet and peaceful Tuesday morning just before sunrise. The waves created by passing craft gently lap the river banks underneath the Kangaroo Point cliffs. Sun glistens off the river and the surrounding buildings creating a picture-perfect postcard.

It is pure serenity. That’s until…

‘Jimmy!’, ‘Jimmy up!’, ‘When’s Jimmy getting here Chop?’ ‘Where’s the Doc?’

Welcome to the Team Chopper `Tuesday Crew’.

There’s ‘Iron’ Mike, chairman and author of the `Rules of Engagement’. The Godfather of the group.

His son Elliott aka the `E-Banger’/Goblett/G-String’ who delights the boys with stories about his relentless efforts for international relations.

The Dynamic Duo of physiotherapy. The Ministers for Pain, The Sultans of the Ultrasound. Michael `Boom Boom’ Burke and Chris `Big Johnny’ Gillies.

The Doc aka Dragon Talic who provides the laughter, the late arrivals and the best impersonation of the Count from Sesame Street.

The Great Ricco – The People’s champ. Don’t ask him for any help doing up a ribbon though. Go Patriots.

The latest blow-in is Greg ‘Oscar dela’ Davis aka. The Fernwood Fury/The Sunday Mail Snail. Thank god he can write better than he can fight. All the gear, no idea.

And of course there’s Chopper, the hustle behind the muscle.

Finally there’s Jimmy, aka any good looking sort that happens to run past the Tuesday Crew.

A good call will help you win the coveted BOG award (Best on Ground). A bad call will cruel your chances.

The only thing harder than the actual training on a Tuesday morning at 6am is working out the `Rules of Engagement’ which dictate who receives the coveted BOG gong.

Forget the Ashes, the NRL trophy, the Bledisloe Cup, any World Cup you care to name. The BOG is the one piece of silverware that matters.

Once the order of boxing is established by the alphabetical order of a random event in your life, it’s on.

If you train hard, weigh light, provide good `Jimmy calls’, do chin-ups, wrap your own hands, spar once a month, survive fabricated allegations of cheating, produce peace in the Middle East, solve the Global Financial Crisis and excel in the video review…the trophy is yours.

You have to knock the champ out to win.

Easy.

The decision of the committee (Chop) is final and debate will not be entered into. As sure as the sun glistening off the river the next morning, there will be blow-ups from those who feel robbed of BOG glory.

But they will return the following week, to wrap their own hands, train hard, weigh light, provide good Jimmy calls, fabricate cheating allegations, solve world issues, and see the Doc rock up late again.

A few sessions and we are almost looking as good as Chopper

Greg Davis | Sports Writer