By Domenic Favata Well, we’re just about to start the round of 16 and things are starting to heat up. There will be mouth-watering battles coming up, none better than the Hewitt v Baghdatis tonight. The pair will meet for the second time in a month, the last time being in Sydney, where Baghdatis won [Read more]
Link: Stand up and fight like hell!
January 20, 2010 by 5 Comments
Peter Flynn’s rollicking report on the Grand Final in The Footy Almanac 2009 (Go Travis!) concludes with the following memorable scene: On Sunday, I call in at The Lord of the Isles. Chappy signs the Courty ard Bar’s blackboard. I congratulate Chappy. He is humble, gracious and polite. Brilliant. The replay of the last quarter [Read more]
Tennis: My Australian Open preview
January 15, 2010 by 64 Comments
By Domenic Favata Men The men’s singles is headlined by Federer, Nadal, Murray, Del Potro; all have a chance of claiming the first tournament of the year.
Tennis: C’mon, give it a go. Tip someone other than Federer
January 14, 2010 by 3 Comments
It’s that time of year again: the time when everyone tips Roger Federer to win the Australian Open. Is anyone willing to tip another player in the tournament that starts in Melbourne on Monday? What about Juan Martin del Potro? Or the unlikely-sounding Robin Soderling? As for the women’s title, surely there’s a candidate among [Read more]
Tennis: Federer’s class separates him from the rest
January 14, 2010 by 259 Comments
By Domenic Favata Roger Federer, the magician, the king, whatever you want to call him, is back at Melbourne Park and ready to rock. The fifteen-time grand slam winner is back after a loss to Nikolay Davydenko in Qatar. Some may call it a setback, but I call it ‘warming up’. Federer will release his [Read more]
Footy: Year of the Tiger
January 13, 2010 by 110 Comments
By Domenic Favata According to the Chinese zodiac, Richmond should have a pretty good year. That has been promised for years, but will Richmond, under new coach Damien Hardwick, finally take the giant step all the fans have been waiting for? When I heard about one of former coach Terry Wallace’s theories of coaching — [Read more]
Link: Somehow you can come clean but leave others feeling dirty
January 12, 2010 by 1 Comment
Dear Almanackers, Here’s another interesting piece from the New York Times, this time concerning the stage-management of mea culpas. The apologist here is Mark McGwire, but it’s an issue that play on the minds of footy administrators in 2010, I’m sure! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/sports/baseball/12sandomir.html?hp Rob Clarkson
Launch: Top night at Adelaide launch
December 4, 2009 by 1 Comment
Crows fans partied like it was 1998 in the Adelaide Lutheran rooms during the SA launch. Add your comments on this night of mirth and midfields.
Launch: A time to acknowledge our comforting, yet slightly mad, friend
December 4, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The Footy Almanac 2009 Perth launch speech by Dr Ken Spillman, delivered at the Subiaco Football Club, 27 November 2009 What an honour it is to launch The Footy Almanac 2009 in Perth – particularly so because the invitation to do so recognises the place of a book I conceived and co-edited almost 25 years [Read more]
Review of the 2008 Footy Almanac
November 26, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Review by Bernard Whimpress John Harms and Paul Daffey (eds), The Footy Almanac 2008: The AFL Season One Game at a Time, Penguin Viking, Melbourne, 2008, pp. xxv + 507, pb, $29.95. John Harms, Neville Turner, Bob Speechley and I were into our third bottle of shiraz over a long lunch at the Pumphouse Hotel, [Read more]
2009 Malarkey Medal
November 1, 2009 by 12 Comments
THE 2009 MALARKEY MEDAL THE TOP TEN (Brownlow votes in brackets) Chris Judd (Carlton) 28 (22) Gary Ablett (Geelong) 26 (30) Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) 23 (15) Jonathan Brown (Brisbane) 19 (19) Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda) 18 (17) Alan Didak (Collingwood) 18 (12)
Melbourne Cup tip – take a cardigan
October 28, 2009 by 1 Comment
by Brett Dutschke The early tip for the Melbourne Cup is for brisk winds and a high of about 20 degrees, according to weatherzone.com.au, so it will be worth taking a jacket or cardigan.
AFL club awards: All the best-and-fairest top tens
October 3, 2009 by 4 Comments
Adelaide (Malcolm Blight Medal) 43 Bernie Vince 41 Jason Porplyzia 39 Simon Goodwin 38 Michael Doughty 38 Graham Johncock 38 Kurt Tippett 36 Scott Thompson 30 Tyson Edwards 30 Andrew McLeod 29 Chris Knights Brisbane (Merrett-Murray Medal) 57.5 Jonathan Brown 56.5 Simon Black 54 Mitch Clak 51.5 Luke Power 45 Justin Sherman 41.5 Daniel Rich [Read more]
Women’s Footy: Debbie Lee wins Football Woman of the Year award
September 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By Leesa Catto Congratulations to Victorian Women’s Football League president Debbie Lee on being named the 2009 Football Woman of the Year. The award, presented by the Essendon Women’s Network, offers recognition to women who have made a significant contribution to the game of football.
Footy Weather: Grand Final conditions to resemble Kardinia Park in July
September 24, 2009 by 2 Comments
By Brett Dutschke Strong winds are not only transporting soil to other parts of the country they are also making some places feel quite foreign. Just three days after a dust-blown Sydney resembled Coober Pedy, the Melbourne Cricket Ground this Saturday will be cold, wet and windy – more like Kardinia Park in July.
Footy Book: Saints and Cats fans among those who reveal deep connections in ‘Footy Passions’
September 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By John Cash, co-author of Footy Passions Footy Passions is a ‘footy book’, but it is different from most. Instead of focusing on certain players, clubs or matches, it looks closely at some devoted supporters of AFL clubs. It explores their passion for their team. It enters the personal world of keen [Read more]
Local Footy: Hume league to honour old Coreen league
September 17, 2009 by 5 Comments
By Barry Malone The Coreen and District Football League folded in 2007 after 98 years of serving the people of the southern Riverina, specifically the area north of Corowa. This Saturday, at the Hume league grand final between Osborne and Jindera at Walbundrie, Hume league officials will host a “wind-up” of the Coreen league. It’s [Read more]
General Footy Writing: Riewoldt named All-Australian captain
September 15, 2009 by 7 Comments
Nick Riewoldt has been named captain and Chris Judd the vice-captain of the All-Australian team that was announced on Monday night.
Local Footy: Memories of Tungamah
September 10, 2009 by 10 Comments
By Jack Sheridan My first recollection of seeing the Tungamah footy team would have been as an ankle-biter in the early 1930s when they played in the green and gold — like the old Northcote team in the VFA, green with a gold yoke and collar. My father played for Tunga. I recall that during [Read more]
General Footy Writing: A good hard look at free-kick figures for travelling teams
September 9, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Dave Warner Hi fellow footy enthusiasts, welcome to my analysis of AFL umpiring 2009. Halfway through the year I sent a missive to my football cronies that set out how for years I’ve had a feeling that AFL umpires are biased to home teams when games are played between clubs of different states. I’ve [Read more]
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