Cats fan red-faced after tattoo blunder
September 29, 2008 - 1:47PM
Avid Cats fan Gino Corica was so confident Geelong would win this year's AFL premiership he had the result tattooed on his arm.
Mr Corica, 58, is now praying the Melbourne Storm takes out this weekend's NRL premiership so his mistake can be covered up.
The day before last year's grand final, Mr Corica got the Geelong emblem and 'Premier 2007' tattooed on his arm.
The Cats won that premiership, belting Port Adelaide by a whopping 119 points.
When his beloved team, which he has supported for 38 years, made it into this year's final, he decided to add '2008' below the 2007 tattoo.
"I thought, oh well, it worked last year. The only thing is this year, I did it two weeks in advance. That was probably the downfall,'' Mr Corica told AAP.
"I should have waited until the day before.''
There was no doubt in his mind the Cats would win for the second year in a row.
"How can you not be confident? They've won everything except one game, and the way they played, I mean, come on, they were odds on. I would've bet my house on it.''
But his certainty turned into a sinking feeling as he realised his team was losing - and the ridicule that would follow.
"I was at the game and all I could think of is, oh no, what's going to happen for the coming week?''
Friends, especially those who support Hawthorn, were quick to add to his embarrassment. The mocking calls were coming thick and fast on Saturday night.
One suggested he take an angle grinder to his arm.
But Mr Corica has come up with a solution.
"Melbourne Storm. I'll just pop Melbourne Storm underneath the '08,'' the Geelong Football Club member of 15 years said.
And the ever-cheerful home maintenance worker won't let a Storm loss get to him - he'll just wait for any Melbourne sports team to win a title.
Although his two children think the situation is funny, his wife hasn't been so forgiving.
"She almost disowned me yesterday.''
Mr Corica's misplaced optimism is not the first time a Geelong supporter has suffered a tattoo Cat-astrophe.
Last year, a Geelong fan holidaying in Thailand decided to get 'Day Premiers 2007' inscribed on his right arm.
The problem was, the tattooist misconstrued the directions and inked in 'Right Arm' with 'Gay Premiers 2007' below it instead.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/fan-redfaced-after-tattoo-blunder/2008/09/29/1222650964170.html
