The Tote goes on. This iconic music venue in Collingwood, previously closed and now re-opened, is celebrating thirty years of live music. On the other hand, the Prince of Wales Hotel in St Kilda was sold and so another live venue has a future under threat. But as former Age journalist and now Executive Officer [Read more]
Lacrosse Under 15 Nationals
October 16, 2011 by 6 Comments
The women’s under 19 lacrosse world championships were held earlier this year in Hannover Germany. Of the twelve competing nations , the eighth placed was Haudenosaunee. This “nation” comprises players from the six nations of the Iroquois confederacy, and thereby represents the Native American origins of the sport. In the championship final, at half time, [Read more]
2011 Grand Final: Anyone for Lacrosse?
October 10, 2011 by 5 Comments
“Oh. Is that all?” Helen wants some more to read. Monday morning. October 3. Helen and I have been for a walk along the foreshore – Scarborough to Trigg Beach. Perth. Western Australia. Our bodies and minds are still operating on Victorian time so when you wake at six o’clock in the morning, you may [Read more]
What’s to be made of a 138-point win?
August 9, 2011 by 12 Comments
Collingwood v Port Round 20 Port Adelaide 0.1 1.2 2.2 3.3 (21) Collingwood 6.5 12.12 16.16 23.21 (159) by Andrew Fithall I am really struggling to glean anything of significance from Collingwood’s demolition of Port Power in the rain in Adelaide on Saturday night. As a spectacle it lacked connection. No gravitas. Little emotion. [Read more]
Rockdogs blow Megahertz off the dial
June 28, 2011 by 8 Comments
by Andrew Fithall Solved! I now get it! Finally I understand why the AFL keeps scheduling such crap pre-game and half-time entertainment. They don’t have sufficient confidence in the quality of their own product that they can put on the same program something that might compete with the actual game in providing a benefit to [Read more]
Magahertz v Rockdogs is on again
June 23, 2011 by 5 Comments
Maybe it is just the networks I tap into, but I reckon this year’s Community Cup has created more anticipation than in previous years. An event which started in 1997 as a fundraiser for the Sacred Heart Mission, is now a major sporting and social event, with the beneficiary being Reclink. As given on their [Read more]
Floreat Pica Report: Rd 8 vs Geelong
May 16, 2011 by 30 Comments
AFL General Manager Football Operations Adrian Anderson, Chairman of the Laws of the Game Committee, said the Commission had approved the following: A change to the Advantage Rule, whereby the player and not the umpire will decide if there is an advantage to a team in playing on after a free kick. Inside the last [Read more]
The Jumper
April 29, 2011 by 10 Comments
by Andrew Fithall April 1965. Prep at St Joseph’s Numurkah. The school spanned from Prep to Form 4. Dad had come from his teaching job at the local state primary school to our school to take some boys for football training. My oldest brother Chris was in Form 2 and was staying for training. He [Read more]
(Almost) no band envy at Golden Plains
March 16, 2011 by 13 Comments
by Andrew Fithall There is a phenomenon at multi-stage music festivals known as “band envy”. Similar to order envy at a restaurant, it arises when someone raves about a performance they have just witnessed when the choice you have just made was a little underwhelming. At Golden Plains, this phenomenon is less prevalent, the main [Read more]
Book Review: Best On Ground
January 29, 2011 by 7 Comments
Best on Ground – Great Writers on The Greatest Game Peter Corris and John Dale (eds) Viking (an imprint of Penguin Books) 2010 The stories of how supporters have come to support a particular team, and how their life has been moulded by that allegiance, are good stories when well told. This collection of sixteen [Read more]
Andrew Fithall’s Top 10 of 2010
January 13, 2011 by 67 Comments
There was a recent reference on this site to the Kanye West album which seems to have reminded people that he can do things other than be an irritating moron at awards events. However, I am still not a fan. But each to their own. With the Ashes lost and football yet to re-commence, I [Read more]
Thumbs down to Grand Final telecast
October 4, 2010 by 23 Comments
As a recent inductee into the Floreat Pica Society, I am thoroughly enjoying the writing of the various members and sharing the joy of the occasion. I am celebrating the win in a very understated way, and very much looking forward to the dinner this Saturday night. I feel privileged. However, those of my family [Read more]
Floreat Pica Society: 1st Qualfying Final vs Bulldogs
September 6, 2010 by 12 Comments
The anticipation is heightened when the teams come out on Thursday. As expected, Josh, and McCarthy are omitted for Leigh Brown and Alan Didak. Conjecture that Goldsack might lose his spot is confirmed as Ben Johnson is named. However Presti is still out, so Nathan Brown keeps his spot. The Bulldogs’ “ins” are worthy – [Read more]
Saturday Night Weird
August 24, 2010 by 7 Comments
Football on Saturday night was weird – on a number of levels. Let’s start with the game itself. I heard Adelaide’s coach at his post match press conference talk about what a good game of football had just taken place. I tried to work out which game he had been at. The one I had [Read more]
Victorian Women’s Lacrosse
August 20, 2010 by 3 Comments
Lacrosse is a very small sport in Australia. There are two forms – men’s and women’s – and the rules are quite different, with the men’s game being much more physical. My exposure to the sport has been limited to the women’s game, through my children’s participation, so this article is confined to that form [Read more]
Colliwobbles: fact or fantasy?
August 11, 2010 by 28 Comments
by Andrew Fithall The Colliwobbles. I thought I would get that word in early because it has already come up in football finals discussions. The other common statement I have heard/read recently is that for the past eight (?) seasons, the premier team has been defeated by the runner up in their previous meeting. I [Read more]
Pies and Zhivagos Dominate a Full Cultural Menu
July 19, 2010 by 9 Comments
Weekends which encompass time at the MCG combined with time at the Corner Hotel, are weekends well-spent, even if they are not very productive. Productivity is further compromised if the weekends are bookended by liberal doses of red wine. Juicer and Nicole arrived from Warragul Friday evening. As St Kilda supporters, they are really not [Read more]
Oh To Be An Arrogant Magpie!
June 8, 2010 by 16 Comments
An arrogant Collingwood supporter. How I wish I was an arrogant Collingwood supporter. Unfortunately, being fifty years old and having supported Collingwood since pre-birth (my mother tells me I went to a post-season night game while still in the womb), there has been only one premiership in my lifetime. And that was twenty years ago. [Read more]
A well-rounded holiday
April 27, 2010 by 1 Comment
26 April – the day after ANZAC Day. Which means it is a public holiday as Victoria has adopted the national policy of a day in lieu of the Sunday. Good idea if you are an employee. My actual ANZAC Day was spent at the MCG seeing the Pies dominate the Bombers, so the extra [Read more]
AFL late breaking headline: Michael Barlow
April 19, 2010 by 7 Comments
by Andrew Fithall The Footy Record this weekend had an article on the number of VFL players who were drafted and are currently playing in the AFL. While the article highlighted 28 year-old James Podsiadly, one of the others who has started their AFL career in 2010, and who has also attracted a fair bit [Read more]
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