AFL Grand Final – Adelaide v Richmond: If You Ain’t First You’re Last

Ben Footner, still trying to make sense of the Crows’ Grand Final loss, turns to Will Ferrell for inspiration.

Round 14 – Adelaide v Hawthorn: Revenge Ripped from the Menu

Ben Footner faced a bus trip home full of supporters looking for reasons for an Adelaide loss. But as Ben points out, this game was all about Hawthorn putting on an impressive performance.

AFLW Round 6 – Adelaide v Melbourne: Home away from home

Ben Footner watches the Crows at their second home from the comfort of his own. Ramco’s clearly the place to be

AFLW Round 2 – Western Bulldogs v Adelaide: Procrastination into Pace

After rounding up the littl’uns Ben Footner settles in for a quiet ale and a game of footy – women’s footy. He watches as his Crows are too good for the home side.

Round 17 – Adelaide v Collingwood: The Depths of Winter

Ben Footner was feeling the winter of discontent, a few schooners, a competitive Adelaide against Collingwood and the winter doldrums cured.

A Difficult Break Up

Ben Footner is still missing him.

Book Review: Breakfast with Bails

For a good footy yarn, Ben Footner encourages you to read Paddy Steinfort’s “Breakfast with Bails”

Adelaide Test, Australia v India, Day Five: Everything and Nothing

Ben Footner’s afternoon on the time-honoured bowling greens of Victor Harbour mirrors that of the exhilarating final day at the Adelaide Oval? Will it be two stirring victories in one day?

AFL Round 7 – Adelaide v Melbourne: Heil Thomas!

Ben Footner is crushed, first by the freakish ride of form of his Adelaide team, then by his little daughter’s tyranny. He’ll take her form of torture any day, and Thomas the Tank play rather than his Crows.

AFL Round 18 – Fremantle v Adelaide: Slinki Malinki and the tattered, battered, scattered Crows

Ben Footner juggles life’s important things and finds some interesting connections between football and (kids’) literature.

AFL Round 4 – Adelaide v Western Bulldogs: The lost art of wet weather footy

Ben Footner appreciates the art of wet weather football.

AFL Round 2 – Brisbane vs Adelaide: There’s only one P Dangerfield

Some players follow the script, Dangerfield is one who writes it, says Ben Footner.

First Test – Day 1: Cricket for the sleep deprived and office bound

Paperwork, you want it when? Hang on, I’ll just check the cricket score first. Another day in the office for Ben Footner.

The Tippett saga

Angry, furious, disenchanted, sad, disappointed. Perhaps they should be the taglines of the Gillette Trade Period.

A sporting pilgrimage

Parilla is a ‘blink and you miss it’ town smack in the middle of the South Australian Mallee. There is nothing there really. Most of its buildings are perched on one side of a one hundred metre stretch of road that comes from Adelaide and eventually leads to Sydney.

AFL Finals – Week 2: One Moment Please

An old friend of mine used to say that life was a series of elevated moments in time. In the throes of our regular late night philosophical discussions, our tongues lubricated by several glasses of BWS’s finest, he would explain that while he was not a religious person, he replenished his soul by taking joy [Read more]

Sanderson’s Monster

Okay folks, let’s put this on the table. Adelaide are unstoppable. They are irresistible. They are magic to watch. Sanderson has taken a squad of meek, skinny little boys and turn them into hulk-esk monsters in the space of 6 months. One pre-season, that’s it. In the past three weeks they have ground one premiership [Read more]

Neil Who?

When Neil Craig was appointed to the senior coaching role at the end of 2004, the common reaction outside of South Australia was “Neil who?”. He was a man who did not follow the usual path to AFL coaching. He had no AFL playing experience, although he did play over 300 games in the SANFL. [Read more]

Adelaide vs Collingwood – Sunday 23rd May

They’re the two words that strike fear into even the hardened footy fan – ‘Family Function’. There is nothing worse than the prospect of missing a fixture due to a Family Function (yes, it deserves capitals), particularly when said Function is with Family you wouldn’t normally choose to share company with. I will refrain from [Read more]

Surely not? Surely it wasn’t.

By Ben Footner Adelaide vs Gold Coast – Saturday 14th May 2:40 pm A chilly but fine day greets us as we catch the ‘Footy Express’ down the Adelaide Hills and across town to West Lakes. The crowd is in a pensive mood as they mill about the outer. “Surely not?” is the question on [Read more]