The Saturday of round nine dawned fine and still, a rare occurrence in the June of this particular year. But the effect of recent rain on the football grounds of Melbourne was plain for all to see. This round of games would be played on quagmires. The Lake Oval handled the wet better than [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 8, 10th June, 1911
June 22, 2011 by 9 Comments
‘Football in the Mud’ was the headline The Argus chose for round 8 of 1911, and the weather was the dominant theme for more than just VFL fixtures. The constant rain was certainly causing havoc and confusion in the Geelong District League where communications went badly amiss for previously undefeated Chilwell. On the advice of [Read more]
St Kilda’s Night of the Living Dead
June 20, 2011 by 25 Comments
Considering the top shelf drama that games between these two clubs have provided in recent years, this was a night more notable for what was missing than what actually transpired. No Ablett. No Selwood. No Hayes. After a few minutes, no Bartel. But most significantly, no St Kilda.
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 7, 5th June, 1911
June 15, 2011 by 4 Comments
Monday the 5th of June 1911 was the 46th birthday of King George V, necessitating the footballers of the Victorian Football League to drag their weary bones out of bed and play a second round of football games in the space of three days. It goes without saying that there was no AFLPA back in [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 6, 3rd June, 1911
June 9, 2011 by 2 Comments
It will surprise many that Richmond, the club that wears “Captain Blood’ as a badge of honour, initially regarded itself as a bastion of the ‘right and proper’ way to play the game. Furthermore, the colour of their jumper wasn’t originally yellow and black. What will not surprise is that they have long possessed a [Read more]
Blues Overcome Sunday Twilight Zone
June 6, 2011 by 16 Comments
I’ve always struggled to get into the Sunday evening twilight fixture. It feels too much like that final slot on a music festival bill, after the headliners have played. Most people have already moved on. The main action is past. It’s just a consolation for those who don’t want to go home yet. I attended [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 5, 27th May, 1911
June 2, 2011 by 12 Comments
On the Friday evening prior to Round 5, a joint conference of VFL and VFA representatives had met to discuss the control of football in Victoria. They produced the startling recommendation that the two organisations should amalgamate into one controlling body, appointing a board with equal representation for both parties. This offered the prospect that [Read more]
Melbourne would battle to beat Manangatang
May 31, 2011 by 6 Comments
If you are of the Almanac persuasion, Friday offered a stark contrast in climates of the land, and of the mind. Lunch at the All Nations Hotel saw Manangatang lads Adam McNicol and Craig Sholl entertain with tales of their old Mallee home town. Later, it was on to a slippery MCG for a spectacle [Read more]
Questions Answered, But Others Posed
May 23, 2011 by 15 Comments
The anticipation of this game offered tantalising fodder for speculation. Questions regarding Geelong didn’t concern their quality: they’ve already established their pedigree in recent seasons. Premierships will do that. Eighty-five wins out of a hundred will do that. Instead, the speculation was more to do with their mental state for this contest. Would they suffer [Read more]
One hundred Years Ago: Round 3, 13th May, 1911
May 18, 2011 by 6 Comments
A perfect autumn day greeted footballers and barrackers alike as they travelled to their appointed grounds for the third round of the 1911 season. Increasingly, Melbournians benefited from the Saturday half-holiday, freeing them to pursue the leisure of their choice. More and more were choosing football. It’s doubtful the sunshine made the streets and gutters [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 2, 6th May, 1911
May 12, 2011 by 11 Comments
If the VFL hoped to put one area of controversy behind it with the decision to permit player payments, it was to be rudely reminded that certain sections of society remained implacably opposed to the very notion of professional sport. On the eve of the season’s second round a scathing public attack by a prominent [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 1, April 29th, 1911
May 4, 2011 by 19 Comments
The year of 1911 marked the completion of Australia’s first decade as a federated nation, and many of its not quite four million citizens may have been moved to reflect on their country’s distant role in a rapidly changing world. As autumn arrived in Melbourne, the more rarefied circles amongst its almost 600,000 residents may [Read more]
True Blue Bloods Shine
May 1, 2011 by 17 Comments
Many seemed preoccupied on Friday with a certain royal to-do over in old Blighty (not Malcolm), but those of a more discerning palate would have been privileged to watch a pair of true Blue bloods in action: firstly at the Clyde Hotel for the Footy Almanac lunch, where Ted Hopkins entertained and illuminated as guest [Read more]
Magpies and Blues Share the Love, But Not The Points
April 11, 2011 by 9 Comments
To listen to some media hype is to believe that when the clans of Carlton and Collingwood gather for contest, ruckus melee and mayhem are assured. That the bays of the MCG will resemble King St on a bad night. That riot police are on standby. This is of course a nonsense. It is one [Read more]
Blues Love The Suns
April 5, 2011 by 16 Comments
It was undoubtedly an historic night, in case you’d missed the point the previous fifteen thousand times the marketing approved mantra had been chanted. Although by night’s end the Gold Coast players and coach may have been thinking that some history was best left unrecorded. What it wasn’t at any stage was a contest, which [Read more]
Saints Treading Water?
April 2, 2011 by 8 Comments
It was difficult to look at this contest without the weight of preconceptions. St Kilda have dominated the Tigers for a long time. Thirteen straight wins will tend to create an air of inevitability in the process. And the Saints are all about process. The events of round one did little to dispel such impressions. [Read more]
Blues turn gun on themselves, still manage to miss
March 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
To figure out what you stand for, it usually helps to know what you stand against. In this regard, Collingwood has proved invaluable to Carlton supporters. But if I was to turn to chapter one, page one of my personal book of nemeses, you wouldn’t find a Magpie. Instead, there’d be a big snarling Tiger. [Read more]
In Pre Season, Speculation Springs Eternal
March 18, 2011 by 15 Comments
Conventional football wisdom appears to have undergone a major reversal in recent times. Not so long ago, it was a given that winning back-to-back flags was a task achievable by only the greatest teams. History still supports this view. Yet recently, every reigning premier begins the season lauded as a dynasty in waiting. Numerous are [Read more]
Almanac v Overland Photo Gallery
February 21, 2011 by 5 Comments
Evidence for the prosecution provided by Marion Butler (at least one family member had something to show for their efforts).
Another Big Day Out
February 7, 2011 by 5 Comments
The Chaplain, the Archivist and myself are veterans of many music festivals, but have rather fallen out of the Big Day Out habit lately. However, with Iggy on the bill, we were at least guaranteed not to be the oldest guys in attendance, so interest was rekindled. As if to prove ourselves out of the [Read more]
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