Round 18 Essendon versus St. Kilda Etihad Stadium, Friday, July 30th. “The coach is an oaf.” Thus spake Zarathustra, aka Thomas Hubble, the dramatic effect compromised by a blob of cumquat marmalade on his chin. “You going to shred your membership, oh wise one?” “No, seriously Peter, hear me out.” “You provide me with food, [Read more]
Roos confirm doubts
August 2, 2010 by 2 Comments
I wasn’t feeling good about this game during the week. North Melbourne weren’t a chance to end a three-game losing streak against the ‘Scray. Talking with the local butcher, who goes for the Bulldogs, he asks if I want to make a wager on the game, like we always do when these two teams play. [Read more]
Swan Dive
August 2, 2010 by 2 Comments
“Put the whole team on Ablett!” The throaty plea in the third did not emanate from Paul Roos in his Zen garden calm of the managers bench but from some bloke behind me. He’d been screaming at the top of his lungs all game raising questions on a wide range of topics. From The Enemy’s [Read more]
Numbers just don’t add up for the Blues
August 2, 2010 by 2 Comments
By Tony Reed Like most of you out there, I just love my footy, especially the anticipated leading up to the first bounce. It’s even better when you have a big game against traditional enemies, and it just so happens that over the next 3 weeks, Carlton plays what I consider our traditional rivals. It [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Geelong vs Collingwood
August 2, 2010 by 28 Comments
AFL will be abuzz this week with anticipation for the BLOCKBUSTER Cats and Pies match on Saturday night. The game is coined “Match of the Season”. Fair to say that these sides have delivered in the past. Is this the most important Home and Away game in years and will the result really have any [Read more]
Floreat Pica Report- Rd 18 Collingwood V Carlton
August 1, 2010 by 7 Comments
irresistible a too strong, convincing, delightful etc. to be resisted One of my favourite match reports in the 2009 Footy Almanac came from a North supporter called Andrew Starkie. Andrew’s report started : “I hate Carlton; despise them. My loathing is limitless, my contempt physical. It causes my forehead to burn and a deep pain [Read more]
Karma Curses Carlton
August 1, 2010 by 10 Comments
“Arrghhhh F*cking Collingwood!!!! OH-MY GOSHH LIKE I sweeear Carlton better f*cking win this time! F*cking Collingwood are on top of the laddaaahh…” Ahh, what a great start to my Monday morning. This is exactly what I want to hear. Not one to normally take a cheap shot like that I decide to let it go, [Read more]
Dees hang on in Brisbane
August 1, 2010 by 2 Comments
A quiet Saturday night at home. I knew I wouldn’t be able to watch the game. I opted to listen to Brisbane V Melbourne on the radio instead of watching the other game on TV. It would be an important game- a must-win one to keep our ever-so-slim finals chances alive. Mind you, being put [Read more]
Cats Overpower Swans
August 1, 2010 by 2 Comments
The prospect of being home alone appealed to me. Listening to music loudly, playing my favourite radio station instead of 95.3 that Dad insists on listening to and watching a bit of TV. With Mum away in Adelaide and Dad at the footy in Waaia (I’m a week away from playing again), I would be [Read more]
Bombers maintain grip over the Saints
July 31, 2010 by 5 Comments
Essendon v St Kilda As my alarm went off at the usual time of 7:07am, I groaned at the thought of another cold morning at school. But then I remembered. I wasn’t going to school; I was going to the Almanac lunch, so I sprung out of bed and had a spring in my step. [Read more]
THE PRE WRAP – ROUND XVIII
July 30, 2010 by 2 Comments
FOR THE PHILOSOPHICAL MARNGROOK FAN What a week it’s been in Footy Eddie. It’s hardly been a slow news year has it? This week’s no different. But you’d have to wonder at the wisdom of Handy Andy’s Great Big New Tax wouldn’t you? We all saw what happened to the last bloke who tried to [Read more]
Gigs’ Stats Round 17: The final word on Aker
July 30, 2010 by 17 Comments
STATS ENTERTAINMENT ROUND 17 by Andrew Gigacz NEVER IN DOUBT If anyone out there, who considers themselves a knowledgeable person on footy, had any doubt that Friday night’s match between the Hawks and the Saints was always going to be a draw, let me tell you, they were kidding themselves. There were so many pointers [Read more]
Blues keep it together in the West…Just
July 29, 2010 by 1 Comment
Almost everything in modern football is categorised, calculated and rendered as statistic, yet one of the most essential components of the game- confidence- remains a mystery defying precise measurement. No one completely understands the many forces that lead a team to gain or lose confidence, yet the results of either are usually plain to see. [Read more]
Barney’s Crystal Ball
July 28, 2010 by 9 Comments
by Josh Barnstable Well it’s that time of the year again. Five weeks to go, and the top eight is all sewn up? Wrong. Even Melbourne in 11th position are still an outside chance of making the finals as we head into Round 18, especially if they keep playing like they did against the Swans. [Read more]
Oh, the pain
July 28, 2010 by 2 Comments
North Melbourne versus Essendon 7.10pm, Saturday, July 24 Etihad Stadium, Melbourne My mate MOC (his initials are M.O’C.) has been tormenting me our whole lives. He’s a typically boastful Bomber and has been shoving the perpetual success of his football club – and the relatively humble trophy cabinet of mine – down my throat since [Read more]
An Ice Capade Classic (Despite Bureaucratic Intervention)
July 28, 2010 by 2 Comments
If recent history was to be taken as evidence, signs weren’t promising for this contest. Despite both clubs’ recent success, Clarkson’s Hawks and Lyon’s Saints have fought out some of the more diabolical spectacles of the last few seasons; zone-obsessed snore fests where defensive ring-a-rosy took precedence over any intent to score. Couple this with [Read more]
Silver lining in Kangaroos’ loss
July 28, 2010 by 6 Comments
By Darren Dawson North lost by three points on Saturday night. Yes, it would have been wonderful to win the shoot-out at Etihad. But I came away from the game feeling a sense of relief, and not disappointment, that the Kangaroos were now unlikely to be fronting up in the finals. I have long been [Read more]
Sunday Roast
July 27, 2010 by 4 Comments
by Tom Bally Turning on the TV at the start of the third quarter on Sunday was like coming home to find my girlfriend gone and apartment on fire. I’d ducked out to satisfy a Sushi craving secure in the knowledge the game was being recorded. The plan of consuming raw fish then reviewing the [Read more]
The view from Shepparton: Round 17
July 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
I wonder what will happen one day when Buddy kicks five goals but gives away two consecutive 50 metre penalties with the opposition kicking the winning goal as a result in this year’s grand final. And this will all have happened after coach Clarkson has tried to tell him nicely to stop being a goat [Read more]
Floreat Pica Report- Collingwood Vs Richmond – Round 17 2010
July 26, 2010 by 2 Comments
By Paul Fahey Scene from The Castle (1997) Darryl Kerrigan: Dale dug a hole. Tell ’em Dale. Dale Kerrigan: I dug a hole. When a top team plays a bottom team in any sport I reckon it’s a bit like digging a hole – it just has to get done! Sometimes you dig it deep, [Read more]
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