by Chris Riordan I’m back bagging coaches again after Sunday night’s debacle. The question of what makes a good coach, and on what they should be measured, has been prominent since the passing of “Yabby” Jeans. It is a big role at any level. I spoke to a bloke yesterday about his son’s footy experience [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Saturday 16/07/2011
July 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
With just 3 Saturdays left in this season, most of the Premierships are already decided. NSW: Nash Rawiller Chris Waller VIC: Luke Nolen P.G. Moody QLD: C. Munce R.L. Heathcote WA: W. Pike N.D.Parnham SA: P. Gatt J.Thompson, Kav and Jolly within 2 of each other! Nationally Peter Snowden has trained the most winners, but [Read more]
Sat’dy Footy – 16 July
July 13, 2011 by 1 Comment
by Chris Riordan The biggest story in suburban footy this week surrounds Wayne Carey’s nomination to play in the EDFL with reigning Premiers (and his nephew’s team) the Marby Lions. I’m at the keyboard early in the week, so check for confirmation, but it is understood that he may run out for this Saturday’s [Read more]
Crio’s Q: ‘Good things beat’
July 11, 2011 by 29 Comments
I need some hope. This AFL Round, whilst interesting, has really just reinforced the fear that it is Collingwood first, daylight second. The gap looks unbreachable. But there are precedents. Ajax, for example. The USSR ice-hockey team! Let’s clutch at straws and give ourselves some hope by remembering some “good things beat”. [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Christmas in July…Winter Finals
July 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Whereas rank and file punters will view this Saturday as just another mid-winter meeting, the VRC’s astute scheduling has created a Christmas in July for owners and trainers. It’s “finals day” at Flemington, with almost a million dollars in prizemoney on offer, mostly in a series of races reaching trophy status. This has ensured capacity [Read more]
Footy this Sat’dy, July 9, 2011
July 6, 2011 by 6 Comments
by Chris Riordan It looks like being a weekend of “traditional” winter footy, coming at the back end of a cold, wet and windy week. There are certain factors that can make footy more bearable for supporters in these conditions. One is the game you are watching. If the players are having a dip, [Read more]
Crio’s Q…unfair comparisons
July 3, 2011 by 28 Comments
“Callan Ward…He’s our Joel Selwood!” screamed the headline. Google Ian Craig (not the race caller!) to get a lesson from cricket history. I came across an old Shane Templeton article in which he declared Zeditave the best sprinter since Vain. Don’t rate Manikato, Shane? I know what they say about opinions. We all [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Moonee Valley
July 1, 2011 by 11 Comments
We’re back at the Valley again this Saturday. It’s rarely been a happy punting ground for me. But then, as I’ve noted elsewhere, I’ve inherited a tendency to look for the traditional “bookies’ chances” and there is a suspicion that they don’t exist in Moonee Ponds. crio
Sat’dy footy 02/07/2011
June 29, 2011 by 2 Comments
by Chris Riordan Most of us love to browse the suburban and country footy results in Sunday’s paper. Some even start to barrack for towns or grounds they’ve never visited. I tend to scour the main metro leagues and the SANFL and WAFL (when printed!). Others prefer their Ammos or juniors or various regional [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Sacked Coaches
June 26, 2011 by 14 Comments
“Woosha” Worsfold was the bookies’ favourite to be the first coach sacked in AFL 2011 but it would seem that markets would need to have been revised! Even “Dead Man” Bailey might yet walk. But it’s that time of the footy season where the deckchairs start to get shuffled. crio
Crio’s Racing: The No Darwin Blues
June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
It is cold and wet tonight (Th 23/06) here in Melbourne. Miserable. There will be a pitiful betting crowd at Flemington on Saturday…understandably – outside of the Committee Room there are many more comfortable places to watch the races this weekend. Relatively few people bother to go to the main metrop meetings these days, with [Read more]
Sat’dy arvo footy – June 25th
June 22, 2011 by 2 Comments
by Chris Riordan It’s not just AFL players who anxiously awaited tribunal calls this week. There have also been some celebrated, even unfortunate cases in suburban and country comps. The comical one was down on the peninsula where a player got a week for dropping his dacks and saluting the crowd! Less amusing [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Golden Boys
June 20, 2011 by 15 Comments
With a wave of the (titleist) wand, Tiger is forgotten….golf has its wunderkind…a golden boy. Though followers have seen it coming for some time, his U.S. Open exhibition ordains Rory McIlroy as “hottest property”. Can you remember the official baptism of a new hero? Who and when? crio
Crio’s Racing: Whinny and Whimsy
June 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
Racing’s focus has been fixed on Royal Ascot this week and, despite our tough time zone, Australia’s payTV viewers have been blessed with an outstanding coverage – as DD and I have discussed on another thread. One suggestion, though, for TVN. Harking way back to my childhood, I’d fall asleep to John Arlott’s dulcet Ashes [Read more]
Sat’dy, June 18, 2011
June 16, 2011 by 8 Comments
Volcanic ash won’t have any bearing on local footy fixtures so you can fill your diary now with options for this Sat’dy arvo. The pick of the VFL matches appears to be North Ballarat, fresh from their toppling of wobbly Willy, who are hosting the Borough juggernaut. If you’d rather stay within a Zone 1 [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Football Schools
June 12, 2011 by 11 Comments
Phantom has provided me with this week’s crio’s Q?… “There have been three ex students from Marist College (Burnie) named in AFL sides this week. Tom Hislop (Richmond) Maverick Weller and Luke Russell (Suns) What do the Knackers think is the most from any school in Australia named to play senior footy on any one [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Have a bet at Eagle Farm this Saturday
June 10, 2011 by 8 Comments
Have a bet at Eagle Farm this Saturday. It’s always the best Qld meeting of the year. Justify it, if you must, by dedicating your presumed winnings to escaping a frozen winter for next year’s Straddy Day! Focus your funding on the 3 feature Group Ones, the first of which is for the juveniles (T. [Read more]
Sat’dy arvo at the footy: June 11 2011
June 9, 2011 by 9 Comments
The major suburban matches highlighted in this column last week threw up interesting results, with the top sides losing in the EDFL, NFL and EFL. Maribyrnong Park’s stranglehold on the EDFL title is now under serious challenge after Damien Peverill inspired Aberfeldie to victory. Luke Livingstone, king of the Marby goal square in recent weeks, [Read more]
Crio’s Q: What is sport?
June 7, 2011 by 22 Comments
by Chris Riordan When I was a kid we reckoned it involved either a ball +/or a bet! The oldest definition of sport, apparently (1300), is of anything humans find amusing or entertaining. There’s the rub. crio
Crio’s Racing: AUSTRALIAN HURDLE AND STEEPLE MEETING 2011
June 3, 2011 by 6 Comments
Here’s what’ll happen. It did last year: A mini-bus will pull up just as I am getting to the gates and out will tumble a small and motley group with rag-tag placards. They’ll wait for the pre-arranged TV camera and then froth at the lens like so many others who somehow yearn to be on [Read more]
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