Haiku Bob- the twirling sherrin

footy season begins all the teams freshly tattooed first game of the year – Ball tackles without hesitation umpire’s whistle – side by side fingers point together crisp autumn shadows – they answer each one of our goals feeling closer to home – Cloke shanks one sun slips through clouds Pendlebury finds himself on the [Read more]

In Motion

In the 1994 World Cup semi-final, an 80th minute strike from Brazilian star Romario denied 10-man Sweden a place in the final. Sweden went on to thrash Bulgaria 4-0 in the third place play-off at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena to complete a glorious summer for Swedish football – the likes of which they had not [Read more]

Haiku Bob- Premiership Edition: earth and the times

last Saturday in September the sun beaten to a pulp grand final replay – the washing still hanging over my thoughts the chorus of magpies warm spring sun the Colliwobbles fade the earth and the times turned by his feet – Heater’s smother October sun Ball soaks up some heat between goals the coach wears [Read more]

Haiku Bob: grand final draw – nowhere to be seen

September morning – a magpie’s song pierces my brain Spring clouds – the teams gather in their huddles first warm day players clutching and spilling a hot ball blood pouring from the full-back’s nose – spring heat glare of the sun – the path to goal nowhere to be seen Spring breeze – Davis goals [Read more]

Haiku Bob: round 16 – fingers of sun

Saints get the first – Magpies and seagulls form huddles blustery day – Swan’s first half dozen to collect his thoughts noon chill – players dropping marks I blow into my hands winter echoes – Heater’s mark again on the big screen stop start wind – forwards turn defenders turn forwards long winter – Leigh [Read more]

Haiku Bob: round 15 – holes in the night

first quarter gloom Swan weaves light through the darkness the wind pierces my body another goal behind the cold – Ball lays another tackle to keep warm icy wind the pack splinters in Didaks’ wake Swan’s thirty-nine touches no two the same non-scoring end a gull turns its head on play by hand or foot [Read more]

round 14 – one touch at a time

the night drifts along until Didak another night punctuated by Harry’s stampedes Jolly sidesteps the night all to himself first goal in an hour followed by another a minute later World Cup month and now Daisy tries a scissor kick night sounds a smother ricochets off the roof Swan up the ground and back one [Read more]

Haiku Bob: round 13 – moon at every turn

magpies darting here and there the moon at every turn beneath exploding pinks and blues Harry’s bursting run bitter night Ball bundles his catch full moon – we have their forwards surrounded Toovey arrives at a moment unafraid of his limitations brief eclipse – Didak shakes his shadow loose full moon Beams in space winter [Read more]

haiku bob: what’s left of the light

winter dusk… the pleasant gloom of a drawn game the cold – not enough on the kick blustery wind – Leon switches on and off deep winter – Fraser’s dropped mark takes us deeper bare stems – our brittle lead grows by a point another behind leaves me chuckling in the chill air deep in [Read more]

Haiku Bob, Round 11- the short road

onset of winter – the game begins with brisk movements still life – Fraser stands the mark a nip in the air – taking the short road to goal a gull glides from the rafters – Leon curls one in cold winter night the ruckmen lock arms watching closely but not understanding the umpires winter [Read more]

Haiku World Cup

In less than a week, South Africa plays host to The Greatest Show on Earth when the World Cup kicks off in Johannesburg. Pretty soon, the Knackery will be full of punditry and prognostication on the fortunes of the Socceroos as they take on the world’s best. To celebrate, a panel of experts (actually, a [Read more]

Haiku Bob: round 10 – stars far apart

raising our beers to Didak’s first he snags another stars far apart – Cloke sends a long bomb to nowhere talk of a leadership spill – Maxwell loses traction on his own line rock in the stream – Ball stands in a tackle of four a mark only Brown could take taken again shimmering floodlight [Read more]

Haiku Bob: Round 9- the cat’s purr

after the sky bleeds cats from every nook and cranny no moon Beams the light inside the arc the dark rises – I wait for the moon and Leon one star – the pack releases Ablett ravaged trees – the flimsiest of hopes on Caff’s boot the cold begins its creep shots drift wide footprints [Read more]

round 8 – the air crisps

top of the table clash spilling the wine I look up Heater fumbles the air crisps Pendlebury’s pinpoint pass autumn thickens no way through Sandilands night breeze flat-footed forwards in Toovey’s wake darkening skies Cloke from dead in front… all the fallen leaves – we get numbers around the ball umpire’s appreciation round the sound [Read more]

haiku bob – round 7: flesh and shadows

moonlit night – a magpie strolls into the goal square space between stars – magpie defenders guarding it swirling breeze Didak through the flap of seagulls squeezed on the left checked on the right Harry Obama steers a course through the middle floodlit flesh and shadows climb over Jolly umps wave play on starlight Cloke [Read more]

haiku bob: clear above the clouds

bringing autumn tackle by tackle to the Blues a mountain clear above the clouds – Dawes marks again tumbling leaves – Ball turns himself inside and out down on form Leon chases some hidden goal a row of Blues neatly laid out for Didak’s trickery pack forms – Swan ducks his head into the cloud [Read more]

end of sorrow

Anzac Day – the sun settles on every medal Anzac Day crowd – the amplification of silence end of sorrow Cloke kicks the first bright autumn sun flashes through the goals Cloke’s banana Toovey goals there must be something in this beer Anzac Day – Didak finds a gap between bodies watching the rain beer [Read more]

haiku bob round 4: faint stars

first tackle – the sun ducks its head night comes – Harry closes up a gap clods of dirt fly in Daisy’s blazing path balmy night all our mistakes softened evening of faint stars Leon misses and misses again something unremarkable sparks a sudden flood of goals fingertipper – Leon’s grab nicks the moon old-timer [Read more]

haiku bob Round 2 – the pack’s hollow

Autumn night – all kinds of noises from the packed stadium arch rivals – it takes six men to eject the drunk another point pointless complaining leaves crackle and pop goes Reiwoldt’s hamstring slipping away the first leaves and our early lead crickets – Ball’s pulse fills the pack’s hollow bloke on a stretcher ball [Read more]

Haiku Bob Round 2: waiting for the moon

warm up – Leon practices kicking opportunistic goals my entire life coming here not knowing what will happen waiting for the moon – we can’t get it out of the middle daylight savings ends – Collingwood whittles away the light approaching dusk… the moment between winning and losing shades of pink in the ghost gum [Read more]