How much does Phantom hate his team’s enemy?

  by Bill Walker How much do I hate my team’s enemy? How much do I hate Rangers? After listening to News Radio (BBC bit) at three in the morning and hearing that they had lost ten points I rose out of bed and immediately sent this greeting to the lads at the Ibrox.  Greetings [Read more]

Comfortably Numb

  A slow boat to China creeping southward from Keelung to Manila, slicing through the inside of the South China Sea, on the outside of the typhoon season, a long time ago.   Alone, together on a traditional but unique honeymoon, cocooned within a quaint two and a half thousand tonne refrigerated rust bucket carrying [Read more]

The Two Metre Joe Blake

Mark Blake retires on 99 senior games with the unfair shroud of perceived failure enveloping his career due to his apparent redundancy atGeelongand his inability to be picked up during the trade period.   Objective scrutiny of this modern monolith’s career will disclose a different scenario.

Match Fixing Policy

There is currently discussion relating to Federal Sport Minister, Mark Arbib’s commitment to a National Match Fixing Policy.   Of course this is not a matter of concern to the movers and shakers in AFL, as there is definitely no match fixing issue in relation to football, and by the way match fixing is spelt [Read more]

Big Hits

Joel Dicker has played for the Penguin Football Club all his life; he and his brother Ryan. His mother is in the canteen during the home games and as a family they epitomise the foundations of local footy. Every club in every league has them. No big deal. Its just the way it is. Joel [Read more]

Castigate – the AFL scandal

    From an uncannily innocuous inception similar to the matter of fact break in that incited the Watergate Scandal (Nixon and “Deep Throat’; what an unfortunate coincidence) the Castigate scandal is about to blow the AFL open. No doubt there are plans being identified and executed at this very moment to make the whole [Read more]

The Good Oil

Friday – In the Office   George: (rings dad) “Are you coming to the game on Saturday?” Phantom: “Yes, I always do.” George: “Any mail at home for me?” Phantom: “Yes.” George: “Can you bring it to the game?” Phantom: “Yes.” George: “Thanks.” (End of conversation – tries to hang up)

1946 Marrawah v Richmond Cubs

Extract from ‘The Circular Head Chronicle in 1946. Circular Head is centred around Smithton in north west Tasmania and to the west is Marrawah (pronounced Marra war by the locals) Was this the beginning of a pattern for the Tigers?

Pre Season Cup – Animal Challenge

by Bill Walker’s taxi driver The big animals were playing the little animals in the annual pre-season challenge match. At half time the score was Big Animals 11 – 12 (78) Little Animals 0 – 0 (0) The Little Animals’ coach addressed his players at half time “We’re getting a flogging. We need to lift [Read more]

Dis a Bill ity

I am bitterly disappointed at not being considered for the inaugural Knacker Cricket team. I have sought an opinion from a leading Tasmanian human rights lawyer and I must inform the organisers that an injunction will be placed on the game if I do not receive satisfaction.

“The Sickness”

by Bill Walker I was out with a group of foreign university students doing an interp. of Tarkine rainforest when the driver took the wrong route on the way home. Everything was going just fine until then. Half way between Edith Creek and Irishtown I spotted this (see photo below). Sure can be lucky at [Read more]

Exotic Fauna II

Time to call Neighbourhood Watch? Or just a reminder that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? It seems “keeping a lid on it” hasn’t really taken root down in Tassy. Picture courtesy of Bill Walker.

Vive la Revolution

Sources within the football world have disclosed that for twelve months discussions have taken place within the cloistered walls of AFL House, and out of earshot in Gosch’s Paddock, regarding the expansion of the league’s ‘no loyalty policy’ beyond the fertile breeding ground of just players and club officials to achieve the Holy Grail. Fuelled [Read more]

“Go Hawks!”

by Bill Walker I was accepted to the Knackery after a cold call to John Harms early in 2008. I had heard about the first book on the Coodabeens when they were at that convenient Sunday night spot. After spending the summer chuckling away, to the annoyance of all nearby, with my snout in the [Read more]

Fair play missing from Brownlow Medal

by Bill Walker The debate relating to the 2010 Brownlow Medal rages and will continue to do so for a long time. I will be as bold as to say that this will be one of the ‘footy lesions’ that festers and erupts for a long time. This is a big deal and the issue [Read more]

The Twilight Zone

by Bill Walker Strange things happen in the twilight zone and there are some signs that cosmic energy is again volatile, stars are aligning and the beneficiaries will be St Kilda, Richmond and the rest of the other half of the footy world in the near future. But what are the signs and how can [Read more]

Phantom Apologises to Magpies

As I have travelled the long and winding road that is life I have become hardened and have learned that life will always throw something unexpected that will jolt you out of your comfort zone. I am also now fully cognisant of the fact that ‘footy is life’ and considering  through that transposition it is [Read more]

What is Art?

This  is  an  old  water  pump  converted.  It  is  on  the  side  of  the  road  near  Rocky  Cape.  It  is  really  quite  impressive  even  though  it  is  dodgey  subject  matter. Murph  was  telling  me  he  has  spoken  to  the  person  who  made  it  for  the  property  owner.  He  questioned  the  subject  matter  and  the  artist’s  [Read more]

Phantom Is On The Grass; Again.

The ongoing debate relating to the condition of the playing surface at Ethiad Stadium has again hit the headlines with Hawthorn President Jeff Kennett relentless in his criticism while voicing concerns relating to duty of care. Good on’yer Jeff. Somebody has to blow the whistle. As a horticulturist with extensive experience in turf management of public playing fields [Read more]

Franksy’s 200th game

Daniel Franks player his 200th game for the Wynyard Cats last Saturday. Who? What? Where? Who cares? We all do. The long suffering supporters who have shared all his pain from the bone crunching hits he has received in his protracted career of unflinching attack on the ball; the emotional pain of another belting to [Read more]