Footy Town: Stories of Australia’s Game is out now.
Read the blurb and Daff’s foreword to this collection of 48 local footy yarns.
Wear your footy jumper at the launch tonight
November 28, 2013 by 4 Comments
Just to emphasise: writers, please wear a footy jumper at the Melbourne launch tonight. It’s a fun part of the evening. (Look in on wonder as middle-aged men squeeze into an old jumper bearing hoops.)
The best sports book award winner announced
November 28, 2013 by 15 Comments
The Guardian is at again, this time running excerpts from the best sports books in 2013. It’s a British award (what, no footy?), but buckle in nonetheless.
The ten best sports films
November 27, 2013 by 42 Comments
What, no footy films? The Guardian has listed its top celluloid depictions of blood, sweat and tears. Let’s hear about a few of yours.
On the streets
November 21, 2013 by 5 Comments
The phenomenon of hearing stories from a bunch of 17-year-olds in the lead-up to the draft can remind us of our own childhoods
Blues recruit has a Rebel heart
November 13, 2013 by 7 Comments
Ciaran Sheehan is another Corkman who’s found his way to Princes Park, following on from Setanta O’hAilpin. Look out for some blood on his bandages.
Gunbower – a footy town
August 19, 2013 by 20 Comments
A jacketless Paul Daffey in fine form. This time in Gunbower.
From little things, big things grow
July 30, 2013 by 15 Comments
Paul Daffey’s engaging yarn on former St.Kilda wingman Tom McNeil, who fought to establish a players’ union in the 1950s.
AFL Round 9 – Richmond v Essendon: Is there no place for Daniel Connors in Richmond’s best?
May 30, 2013 by 6 Comments
The Tigers were over-coached and under-led against Essendon, writes Paul Daffey. Surely there’s a place for Daniel Connors, who carved it up for Aberfeldie earlier in the day.
Garage band
May 24, 2013 by 10 Comments
Read Paul Daffey’s exclusive behind the scenes piece on Channel 31’s Local Footy Show – like a spin-off of the old Club Corner segment on World of Sport, only less slick. Daff will be on tonight’s show (7.30pm) talking Footy Town.
The local footy book
March 2, 2012 by 9 Comments
Hi all, Yes! The local footy book lives! Malarkey Publications, publisher of The Footy Almanac, should soon be in a position to revive the local footy book of essays that went into abeyance last year. We have a dozen completed pieces and several others in the editing stage (see list below) but [Read more]
An imperfect symbiosis
July 19, 2011 by 27 Comments
by Paul Daffey Amid all the hoo-haa about the phone-hacking scandal and the attendant revelations about the media, politicians and power in England, I thought I’d lay bare the workings of newspapers and … yes, you asked for it … country footy clubs in Victoria. The newspapers and the footy people need [Read more]
Round 1, 1965
March 31, 2011 by 9 Comments
Last week on afl.com.au, Paul Daffey wound the clock back to Round 1, 1965. Relive the Saints very first match at Moorrabin, North Melbourne’s debut at Coburg City Oval and Ron Barassi’s debut as Carlton captain-coach right here: http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/109819/default.aspx
Daff’s Plea
March 25, 2011 by 1 Comment
You may not have noticed Paul Daffy’s letter to the Tigers over at AFL.com. Decide for yourself whether they heard it. http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/109872/default.aspx
East Coburg Blues
January 28, 2011 by 8 Comments
By Paul Daffey The day was beautiful, with clear sunshine beating down on a verdant outfield, which was the most that could be said for it. In a cricket sense the day was horrible. I was playing my second annual match for the East Coburg fourths. We (these things happen quickly) were expected to win [Read more]
Footy History: Dees and Dons take twists and turns in first drawn Grand Final
October 2, 2010 by 14 Comments
1948 Grand Final Essendon 0.6 2.15 6.21 7.27 (69) Melbourne 3.0 4.5 6.8 10.9 (69) 1948 Grand Final rematch Essendon 0.3 5.5 6.6 7.8 (50) Melbourne 6.2 9.3 11.6 13.11 (89) With the first drawn grand final and grand final rematch in VFL history, the end of the 1948 season marks one of the great [Read more]
Local Footy: Roosters find boosters to see off Heidelberg
September 23, 2010 by 6 Comments
You can always bank on a handful of dramas in local footy at this time of year, but few would match the events of the Northern league in recent weeks. Heidelberg was heavily favoured all season to win its sixth premiership in seven years. In round 16, the Tigers defeated the second-ranked team, West Preston, [Read more]
Local Footy: Amateur legend ends fun journey after 428 games
September 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
One of the great careers in amateur football ended at the weekend when Old Paradians forward Peter “Plugger” Brabender played his final game at 40 years of age. Brabender’s games tally of 428 included a handful of under-19 games but not one reserves game. Sunday’s match against Division 2 rival Banyule was his second grand [Read more]
2009 Almanac Grand Final Lunch
September 10, 2010 by 22 Comments
The moment it was confirmed to me that the 2009 Footy Almanac pre-Grand Final lunch was a shemozzle was when I noticed the huge puddle beneath the seats of Andrew Mackie’s parents. Oh no, I groaned. Why couldn’t it be Peter Flynn or Chris Riordan in the wet spot? Or any of the Almanackers who’d [Read more]
Local Footy: Rain takes toll on country footy finals
September 8, 2010 by 3 Comments
There’s a legend in north-west Tasmania that conditions for a match at Forth were so wet that the Forth River broke its banks and fish began swimming between the goal umpire’s legs. Conditions were almost that wet in nearby Launceston on Saturday, when one team in the Northern Tasmanian Football Association’s second-division grand final failed [Read more]
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