Almanac Travel: Perspective

Dips and Frances O’Donnell spent September in Africa which was spectacular and confronting. The experience forced him to consider the things that are important. One incident in particular had a huge impact.

A Mathematical Analysis of the Cats after 21 rounds

This is why Dips O’Donnell is an accountant.

AFL: The State of the Game Part 2. The Ramblings of a Madman.

Dips O’Donnell continues his thoughtful observations. Will the magic of Australian Football be “ruled” out of existence?

AFL: The state of the game and the truth of the matter.

“Football is not a game of rules, it is a collection of understandings.” Has the AFL confused guiding the game with ruling the game? Some impassioned observations from Dips O’Donnell.

Et Tactus – Tommy’s sin against the Almighty

Dips O’Donnell’s take on contact with the untouchable umpires, the ballad of Tom Hawkins and other tongue-in-cheek Shakespearean tragedies.

The Brotherhood of Stawell

Dips goes to Stawell for the Gift, a gift that keeps on giving thanks to his father’s foundations and his family’s continuing tradition

Round 1 (2016) – Geelong v Hawthorn: Cats Out Of The Cradle

It’s another Easter tussle between the fiercest of rivals – before it all kicks off, here’s Dips O’Donnell’s take on 2016’s game. This time the new player on the block won’t be Paddy from Moggs Creek, it’ll be possibly the greatest midfielder ever in his second coming & with Sam Mitchell gone West, can the Cats’ trio sweep the votes?

Why your team won’t win the flag. Or, I can put you out of your misery now.

Sage Dips has a system to work out which teams are up against it – he’s excluded a few.

Looking into the blue

Kate O’Donnell is well known on these pages thanks to the wonderful story-telling of her Dad, Dips. Kate is a good swimmer but her parents have been disinclined to introduce her to water-skiing. Eventually she had a go. And this is what happened.

Unpredicting the future

Wine and the invention of the wheel, up as the new down, Richmond as premiers, and more. Not sure what Dips is on this festive season but he’s on something.

Almanac Footy Teams: A team of fleas, skeeters and pip-squeaks.

Dips has picked a team of little blokes – really little. Being knee-high to a grasshopper himself, he has little time for the lumbering logs. Add a nomination.

Second Hand Ablett

Dips O’Donnell likens his 1970s Christmas gift to the return of Gary Ablett Jr to the Cats. Not perfect, but still sublime.

AFL Trade Period: Free Madness or Regulated Tyranny?

Dips O’Donnell reckons that Pope Leo XIII was on the money when it came to AFL labour laws

Finals Week 1 – Geelong v Richmond: The game threw up many questions. The Cats had no answers.

When Geelong were faced with choices they inevitably chose the wrong one. Dips O’Donnell has a few observations from the Richmond-Geelong clash and pots a few Cats along the way.

Footy Almanac Plebiscite

Geelong will be forced to play at the MCG instead of their home ground, Simonds Stadium, in this weekend’s second qualifying final. Dips asks does the team that finishes second deserve a home final, no matter the ground capacity.

Round 20 – Geelong v Sydney: Caecilius est iratus

Dips uses logic to help him understand the Geelong coaching panel. But can anyone tell us what that phrase means. It could be a rare Montmorency dialogue.

Round 15 – GWS v Geelong: Theseus and the Minotaur

A touch of mythology from Dips as he looks at GWS (‘the Minotaur of the modern AFL’) and Geelong (‘Theseus’). Can the Minotaur be beaten in September?

AFL: Surfing the bye

Dips took the opportunity to embrace the healing qualities of a road trip, music and the sea while his Geelong had the bye this round.

AFL: How the Match Review Panel Works

Confused? Dips O’Donnell is here to clear up the workings of the Match Review Panel.

AFL: The engineer and the artist

Dips O’Donnell sees that AFL football now sadly focusses on risk reduction, rather than on individual and collective enterprise. We should celebrate human imagination, art and wisdom.