David Mundy is clearly more prepared than most going into this weekend’s semi-final against Collingwood and the Magpie Army by admitting his own mum was a Pies supporter.
Yes, we’re still not over it… so we spoke to her.
“I’m going to smack David when I see him,” Karen Mundy said of him giving us her phone number.
As many do, Mrs Mundy’s AFL ties came from her own mum.
“I think just growing up I just went along with her,” she said. “If I asked what team I barracked for, until David started with Freo, it would’ve been Collingwood.”
But before you think David grew up loving the Pies too, it was dad John Mundy who instilled which team his kids would follow… and that was Geelong.
“They were the only games he took them to, so they basically had to barrack for Geelong.”
For Mrs Mundy, things changed when David was drafted to Fremantle.
“I was a bawling mess,” she recalled, adding that “John was OK.”
“I admit there was a Karen Mundy Crying Room at the airport for about five years. Every time I dropped him off I went to have a little sook.”
(These days she only has a ‘little sook’ over missing the grandkids. Understandable.)
But it seems David is wrong about his mum, who insists she’s a Freo supporter now – even telling me that even after he retires this year, she was going to remain following them “because you know a lot of the boys.”
Mrs Mundy did stop short at being a paid-up member, but she was still considering being a Victorian member.
“I’ll see how they go without David; they might fall in a heap!”
Um, your black-and-white is showing, Mrs Mundy.
Just for fun, how would she be if it were a grand final between the two teams?
“No, I’ll always barrack for David,” she said. “When he was in the grand final, it was the most nerve-wracking day of my life but there was no allegiance to Hawthorn, so that made it easier.”
However, she did quietly add that “the issue might be with John if there were a Geelong and Fremantle grand final.”
Hmm, interesting.
If it were a case of a grand final (which it won’t be), she suggested Mr Mundy might wear purple outwardly, but underneath… it could very well be a different story.
“He might have some Geelong socks on,” she deadpanned.
AFL habits are just lifelong and hard-wired.
Back to this weekend, and the big question was what colours she was wearing, and her answer was clear and staunch.
“Purple-and-white all the way,” she said.
“I may have some black pants on though.”
Ha, said like a true Pies supporter.
