The force awakens

The first time I ever heard the word trilogy was not in connection to any movie, but rather music.

Yes, the first time I ever heard the word was in relation to Elvis Presley. His “American trilogy” would boom out around the house, starting with “Dixie”, segueing into a Bahamian lullaby and finishing with the rousing “Battle-Hymn of the republic”. If you’ve never listened to it, give it a go, it’ll make the hairs stand on the back of your neck.

It’s like the modern trilogy we’ve come to expect in the movies.

Film 1: Sets the scene and the good guys gain a Pyrrhic victory.
Film 2: The bad guys lay down the law
Film 3: Good guys triumph in the end.

So what’s our trilogy? When we entered this series of four matches in the VELUX EHF Champions League, we focused initially on Group B and Barca and Vardar, but for the next three matches, three teams were in our crosshairs.

Group A’s PSG, THW Kiel and Veszprem made up our trilogy and we were to see each play the other. It promised to be exciting, thrilling and competitive. Three matches between three teams each of which is a heavyweight in the European arena of handball.

What we got in the first leg was disappointing. Much as Hollywood overdoes the trilogies, sometimes going for a fourth and fifth edition with prequels thrown in for good measure, so this game was reminiscent of the “The Phantom Menace”; it promised much, but delivered very little.

In fact the only hair-raising part in the game between PSG and THW was the rendition of “La Marseillaise” at the start of the game, not sung with a sporting fervour, but rather religiously and akin to a hymn being sung in church.

So onto the second part of the trilogy and Veszprem take on PSG. The second part is always the best in a trilogy. It leaves you with a cliff-hanger; it has you on the edge of your seat. Let’s hope! If the first game between these teams in Paris is anything to go by, this game will be exciting, but maybe only in the last ten minutes.

The number three is prevalent in so much of our literature as well, and, if you can suspend disbelief, and if I may refer to myself as Goldie Locks for a moment then these three teams are like the three bears’ porridge. PSG are hot, hot, hot, Kiel are cold and Veszprem are just right.

One player for PSG has three CL titles with three different clubs and one for Veszprem has three titles with one club. The latter (Zeitz) won’t play, but Karabatic will and through his “force” of character this team from Paris is riding roughshod over everyone. That makes them the Imperial Troops, right?

Which makes Serdarusic the emperor? Sabate Obi-wan Kenobi? Which only leaves Gislason as Yoda.

There are no good guys and bad guys, unlike in a film trilogy. But the neutral might argue that Kiel have won enough. Veszprem deserve their time in the sun and Paris; well they are just an assemblage of “inter-galacticos”. You can make up your own mind.

But this trinity of games, this triptych of teams has brought MOTW to a whole new level. It is almost like a triangular tournament within a league. And right now PSG are at the apex.

I’m really looking forward to this one.

The Veszprem arena is always a place that lives up to its potential. Could another home court record fall, as did the one in Kiel?

I can almost hear the crescendo of “American trilogy”

Glory glory hallelujah.