Between The Stripes - Volume Two
16/04/2026
After Sandringham's Round 2 victory over Werribee, Jesse Wadeisha was one of the many voices left scrambling to figure out the words as the Zebras belted out the team song.
The energy in the rooms was infectious, with family, friends and staff alike basking in the achievements of the players, who kicked eight straight goals to none in the second half to seal a remarkable victory.
“It was exciting - it was so cool to see all the lads get around it, and it shows how much everyone cares,” Wadeisha said of that first win.
“It’s such a great community that we’ve built here, and everyone’s really bought into the whole process.
“It’s been so awesome to see the reward for so many people’s efforts, and you could really see just how excited everyone was, so it’s been good.”
But underlying that excitement, at least for Wadeisha, is a sense of disappointment, having been involved in the win only as a spectator, rather than playing his part out on the field.
That bittersweet feeling is one that is emblematic of the struggles the three subjects of Between The Stripes have faced in the opening rounds, with the trio yet to pull on the yellow, black and blue to compete for the four points, with the frustration further compounded by the fact that the Zebras have continued to defy expectations beyond the Werribee win, beating Brisbane on the road to notch consecutive wins and sit at 2-1 for the year through three rounds.
“Yes and no,” he said when asked if there any disappointments in watching on.
“Yes, because I feel like with my two setbacks, I’ve held myself back a little bit, so I was frustrated in a way because I wanted to experience that myself.
“But it’s such a good thing for the club, it’s hard to be mad or upset about it, because everyone else is so happy.”
Skipper Blake Watson knows the feeling all too well, with Sandringham’s first match as a standalone side in 26 years looking likely to coincide with his 50 game milestone in Round One, having chalked up 49 games in the Zebras colours by the end of last season.
But a hamstring injury in the final practice match against Frankston put paid to that, and also Watson’s own personal goal of getting his body back to full health and stringing together consistent games of football after missing a huge chunk of last season.
“It was incredibly frustrating to get injured, especially at the time I did as well, in the last practice match,” he said.
“But obviously the boys have gone really well, so full credit to them on how we’ve started the year as a whole.
“Those (personal) goals I suppose take a bit of a back seat when the side is going as well as it is, and you put all of your energy and focus into that, so it’s been really fun still.”
Like a true captain, Watson’s first instinct was to herald his teammates for their work when asked about his own struggles, but prompted further, he revealed there are definitely conflicting emotions when forced to watch on.
“Oh, I hate watching it,” he laughed.
“Well, not hate watching it, but you are absolutely filthy that you’re not out there and part of it, especially that first win.
“That was so special for everyone here at the club, so to not be a part of that was really hard and difficult to watch.
“But I’m just over the moon for everyone here at the club and everyone that’s worked so hard to get us to where we are, so I suppose that jealousy of not being a part of it is somewhat subdued by the enjoyment from everything else.”
It’s a common theme that Hamish Murphy can relate to as well, with a number of setbacks in the preseason leaving him searching for form in the early part of the year.
Being stuck on the sidelines has certainly ignited a fire within Murphy, though, who admits feeling slightly envious of those that took to the field for those opening few wins.
“Obviously you're happy for the club and the boys when they get wins,” he said.
“I think it’s probably more of an envy thing because you want to be part of it a bit more, so that's probably where the sort of struggle of emotions comes from, I would say.
“But you're not sitting there at the end of the day praying that they lose and things like that, because if you're doing that, then you're not in it for the right reasons.
“Ultimately I'm happy for them, but I think it’s more I’d like to be part of the win itself.”
Study has been a good leveller for Murphy, with his Master of Dietetics degree ensuring he is able to focus his efforts elsewhere rather than entirely on football, where despite itching to get his chance, he knows he needs to show a little bit of patience.
“I’m chomping at the bit to get back out with the boys,” he said.
“But I’ll just bide my time until the opportunity comes - it’s out of my hands for the moment, and I look forward to taking it when the opportunity does come.”
One thing you can guarantee is that when the opportunity comes this season for Murphy, Wadeisha or Watson, it will be a special affair, with club debuts beckoning for the first two and a milestone for the latter.
But even if they are forced to wait that little bit longer, simply being around the club at the moment is special enough as it is.
“At the moment the club is just buzzing, it’s a super fun place to be,” Watson said.
“Everyone is getting around each other and providing plenty of energy, so it’s just a great place to be.
“We’re just taking it as it comes at the moment. We’ve had a couple of good wins, but that doesn’t mean anything, so we’ll take it into next week and hopefully we will go well again.”
Written by Alexander Dabb - Sandringham FC Media