Floreat Pica Report: Rd 8 vs Geelong

AFL General Manager Football Operations Adrian Anderson, Chairman of the Laws of the Game Committee, said the Commission had approved the following: A change to the Advantage Rule, whereby the player and not the umpire will decide if there is an advantage to a team in playing on after a free kick. Inside the last [Read more]

The Match Report for the Round 7 (aka the bye)

by Paul Harkin The weekend started off slowly. No Collingwood game on Friday night, only a boring Port versus Hawthorn. What am I going to do this weekend without the Pies to keep me from being totally nuts Saturday arrived and my wife informed me she was away all day and so was my one [Read more]

Haiku Bob Rd 6: clear moments after

wet afternoon the football used as a lure Johnno subbed off the game loses a little right-side brain sprinting in the clear then on meeting Luke Ball stopped wind-tossed rain a perfect pass by mistake moon strains through clouds a goal clear moments after watering my dead plant Leeroy explodes to life the rain lighter [Read more]

Admiral Byng-inspired Malthouse leads Pies to victory

by John Ramsdale Game Report v’s Footscray Sunday May 1st 2011 I’ll get it out the way early. A ridiculous time to have a game, but clearly 55,754 others didn’t agree with me.  At least it wasn’t at Docklands. I went to the game with some misgivings, no Jolly (he was very good last week), [Read more]

Haiku Bob- Rd 5: various shades

red leaves the Bombers hold on but soon fall away opening skirmishes sun ripples across  the ‘G Anzac Day – the shadows of the players brush the crowd in my new country watching Collingwood feels new bright afternoon the extra edge in our play autumn colours goals of various shades the moon about to appear a [Read more]

ANZAC Day2011

ANZAC XVII by Mark O’Connell I sent a brief email to the Herald sun about 2 weeks ago suggesting they promote this year’s game as ANZAC XVII. I received no reply but this year there have been repeated references to this being the 17th clash of the 2 sides on this day. In no previous [Read more]

The Sounds of Silence

by Steve Fahey   I like this Easter Monday/Anzac Day confluence.  I am not sure when it will happen again, nor whether I will still be breathing when it does, but this year it assisted my enormous privilege to experience two of the great sporting silences on consecutive days. Monday I was of course at [Read more]

The Numbers Game – Collingwood 2011

Well, it’s Good Friday and there’s only so much a man can take of Sandy Roberts, Peter Mitchell, Jennifer Keyte, Deeksy and even the old legend, the now dottery Dan (“number 12 please Mr”) Webb on the Good Friday Appeal, so I took up Peter and Mals’ best numbers challenge from late in the week [Read more]

Haiku Bob Rd 4: last of the snow

It’s fair to say I’m a little confused. Not (just) because I’m on the other side of the world while my beloved Pies enjoy their most purple of purple of patches in living memory! As a haiku poet, I’m a captive of nature and the cycle of the seasons. It’s as it should be. Part [Read more]

FPS Report- Rd 3: Collingwood V Carlton 8 April 2011

By Paul Harkin Can there be a better prelude to a game than to unfurl the premiership flag from the previous season? I don’t think so. The ceremony was handled tastefully. No overhype, but enough to show the football world who is the current boss. The sight of Lou Richards and other legends of the [Read more]

FP Report: Round 2 vs North

By Paul (Stork) O’Connell Other than last week, I can’t recall walking to a game feeling so supremely confident of winning. It turned out to be like Round 1 except this time we won by an additional 2 goals to take our percentage well above 200. Sitting next to Steve our fearless FP chairman, I [Read more]

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]

Vale Presti

Like other Floreat Picans,  I felt genuinely saddened and moved when I heard the news of Presti’s retirement, and the consequent death of the dream of him playing in a premiership. He has been unique in this generation of players and while supporters of many other clubs reckoned that he was overrated, no-one at Collingwood [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]

Floreat Pica Report- Premiership Edition

PART ONE – Game 1: “Weird” is definitely the word from last week – thanks Steve, perfectly worded yet again.  For me it was doubly so – as I’ll explain! For any of you who subscribed to the Hot Pies Fanzine from 1999 – 2004, you may recall a “page filler” on page 26 of [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]

In the Year of Waiting, we await a result

weird a 1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural. 2. Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange. 3. Archaic Of or relating to fate or the Fates (this one unnerves me a bit). In a world in which everything and everyone seems to be in a hurry, surely 2010 will [Read more]

Floreat Pica Society: 1st Qualfying Final vs Bulldogs

The anticipation is heightened when the teams come out on Thursday. As expected, Josh, and McCarthy are omitted for Leigh Brown and Alan Didak. Conjecture that Goldsack might lose his spot is confirmed as Ben Johnson is named. However Presti is still out, so Nathan Brown keeps his spot. The Bulldogs’ “ins” are worthy – [Read more]

Floreat Pica Report: Round 22- Collingwood v Hawthorn

‘Patience’ is the word Patience to get to the business end Patience to watch two pretty ordinary weeks of Pies performance Patience to watch your team get caught time after time Patience with a lack of intensity Patience of a coach to give a dud an even break Patience to see if ANYONE CAN KICK [Read more]

Tribute to Roosy

by Steve Fahey   I know it’s an un-Collingwood and un-Floreat Pican thing to do, but I want to pay tribute to one of the greats of our game, who is fast approaching his swansong (pun intended).   I first came across Paul Roos in 1979.   He was wearing number 19 for the fashionably named Beverly [Read more]