MCC member Lynda Carroll reflects on the currently silent MCG for the club’s Balcony Banter blog.
Almanac Rugby League – Looking for an anniversary to mark in 2020?
May 12, 2020 by 4 Comments
Almanac debutant Tim Burke takes us back to the 1970 British rugby league Lions Tour of Australia and New Zealand to commemorate a special 50th anniversary. (Welcome aboard, Tim!)
Almanac History: Moratorium
May 11, 2020 by 14 Comments
The Moratorium March, Royalty at the footy, the VFL’s first ever Sunday match, and VFL Park’s first game; 1970 was certainly a happening year for many things political- and footy-wise. This insightful piece from Glen! was posted a couple of years ago and this past weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the Moratorium March. [Well worth remembering – Ed.]
Remembrance of things past – sort of: 1966 and all that!
May 9, 2020 by 2 Comments
Braham Dabscheck was 17 in 1966 , his Matriculation year. He has always been a passionate Saints fan and remembers their premiership year, and his. Braham mentions here that he started to write about sport, and study it. [Braham has been a world leader in the field of professional players’ unions across codes and countries. It was a privilege and pleasure to work with him on the VFL Players’ Association HIstory – and to continue to publish him here on the Almanac site – JTH]
1981 Revisited – Round 7: ‘I Love a Rainy Night’
May 8, 2020 by 15 Comments
Round 7 1981, Sam Steele’s weekly review of the season continues. Highlights included, Fitzroy’s memorable win, yellow footballs allowed for use in adverse conditions, and the State Government approving two Sunday games at the MCG.
Almanac Flashback – 70s Footy: Prospect Hill to Windy Hill
May 8, 2020 by 11 Comments
Col Ritchie fondly reflects upon the trial and tribulations of following the Bombers with his good mates during the 70s.
And your enemies closer
May 8, 2020 by 6 Comments
What are the most local rivalries in world sport? Dave Brown starts on the Mersey in search of an answer
Almanac Rugby League: Excerpts from a rugby league lover’s diary – The Early Years
May 7, 2020 by 4 Comments
Imagine an Adrian Mole-type character thinking back over the childhood competitiveness of two brothers supporting rival teams. Actually, Paul Connolly has already done it for you!
Almanac Footy History: 65 years ago Kevin Murray plays his first game for the Fitzroy FC
May 6, 2020 by 11 Comments
Fitzroy great, Kevin Murray is paid a fitting tribute by David Leydon to celebrate the 65th anniversary of his first game of VFL football.
1966 and all that: Round 5 – South Melbourne v St Kilda
May 6, 2020 by 5 Comments
It’s Round 5, and the confident Saints travel to the Lakeside Oval to take on Bob Skilton’s in-form South Melbourne. Peter Clark’s look back at 1966 continues apace.
‘On The Take: The 1910 Scandal That Changed Australian Football Forever’ – review by Roy Hay
May 6, 2020 by 3 Comments
Roy Hay reviews a fascinating new release, ‘On The Take: The 1910 Scandal That Changed Australian Football Forever’ by Tony Joel & Mathew Turner. This book is sure to generate much interest for aficionados of football history.
Footy: The Rise of the Fall
May 6, 2020 by 34 Comments
Dips muses on the push to bring back footy (prematurely?) and the nature of the AFL beast that demands a conversation be had on the merits of the spectacle and its perhaps seedier underbelly.
Almanac Footy History: Fitzroy premiers again in 1899
May 5, 2020 by 6 Comments
In the second of his Grand Finals series, John Harms tells the story of the Maroons premiership amid the push for Federation in 1899.
Almanac Rugby League – The 1965 Grand Final: St George Dragons v South Sydney Rabbitohs
May 5, 2020 by 6 Comments
John Campbell remembers the day his Dad took him and his little brother Lonno to the 1965 Sydney rugby league Grand Final. Caught up in the massive crowd, John and Lonno didn’t see much that day but their experiences, real and imagined, left a huge impression.
The 2020 Good For Football Cup – Round 7
May 4, 2020 by 2 Comments
Brought to you from the banana lounge in my backyard with the assistance of neighbours’ lawnmower and circular saw. [Earl’s imagined footy comp keeps rolling – Ed]
Almanac Book Review – Roy Hay’s Aboriginal People and Australian Football in the Nineteenth Century: They Did Not Come from Nowhere
May 3, 2020 by 1 Comment
We bring you two highly respected thinker-writers in the field of sport and sports history: Braham Dabscheck reviews Roy Hay’s recent book Aboriginal People and Australian Football in the Nineteenth Century: They Did Not Come from Nowhere.
Tom Hafey: A chance encounter and conversation
May 1, 2020 by 22 Comments
Allan Barden recounts the time he and his wife met Tom Hafey on the No.96 tram and the wonderful conversation they had with him
Almanac Book Review: Phil Dimitriadis on Damian Balassone’s ‘Strange Game in a Strange Land’
May 1, 2020 by 6 Comments
Phil Dimitriadis has followed the emergence of Damian Balassone as a poet since 2008. They have a fair bit in common, as this review essay suggests. ‘Strange Game in a Strange Land’ will resonate with those who love words and the game.
‘Jovial Jack Fergie……’ by KB Hill
KB Hill tells us about Jack Ferguson, the Wangaratta Magpies champion full-back and, later, 3NE radio commentator extraordinaire. He was a pretty good shoe salesman, too!