In the respectable household of my childhood, the ABC was our default TV channel. So when it came to footy, my weekly staple was “The Winners”, an hour-long highlights package of the best 2-3 games of the round. Buried late on a Saturday night, it wasn’t the ideal viewing time, but there was nothing quite [Read more]
1980: A Personal Footy Almanac: Round 14, Saturday 28 June, v Collingwood, MCG
June 27, 2012 by 8 Comments
Special weekend when all your teams get up
June 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Bit of a special weekend of footy for me, but without doubt the highlight was the win for community footy on Sunday, but more of that later. It’s not often that all your footy teams win on the weekend, but that’s what happened. Being a bit of a footy tragic, I have followed many teams [Read more]
These here are crazy times
June 27, 2012 by 22 Comments
In an era where games often follow scripts more predictable than Two and a Half Men, and finals aspirations tend to expire well before the home straight, the last thing football needs is another reason for supporters to stay at home. Yet those most heavily invested in their team’s fortunes couldn’t help but feel they [Read more]
My first boots
June 25, 2012 by 10 Comments
My first footy boots were the aptly named Blue Star. Apt, as I am pretty sure that they were made by Rossiter’s in Unley and of course there were an abundance of star Blues footballers from that postcode (if indeed the PMG had implemented postcodes in 1971) and most of them seemed to be kitted [Read more]
Peel revive, Swans thrive, Falcons dive
June 25, 2012 by 1 Comment
WAFL – Round 14 As I wandered down to Fremantle Oval on Sunday to watch South Fremantle play Peel in round 14 of the WAFL I concluded there’s a good reason teams that have just sacked their coach tend to go pretty well first up. It’s about timing. If you’re considering getting rid of your [Read more]
The noble art of booing
June 25, 2012 by 17 Comments
“We wuz robbed. Collingwood couldn’t buy a goal in the last quarter, so that bloody maggot gives Beams a charity 20 metres out. And that home ground free kick bias is ruining the game.” Sorry, I’m just channeling my inner Bluebagger. That sense of entitlement that makes them so obnoxious. I actually couldn’t get that [Read more]
On Price and Freo
June 24, 2012 by 2 Comments
I never knew Matt Price. More accurately, I never read Matt Price before he died. I was blissfully unaware of the brilliance that I was missing out on. Having recently discovered Matt, I am in love. The laconic way that he rolls out memorable, witty phrases leaves me in fits of laughter in public places [Read more]
The Punic War, Bryce McGain, and Fitzroy at Bluff Road
June 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I took Friday arvo off. The Cricket Society had a lunch at the Kelvin Club with Bryce McGain the guest of honour. As you all know, anything less than four hours is not lunch, merely the taking of sustenance, merely the warding off the evils of hunger. It just left no time to get back [Read more]
Three Premierships
June 23, 2012 by 7 Comments
“Why is this place underground?” the new bloke asked. “Are you serious? All places like this are underground,” the long time bloke said. “Interrogation rooms, chemical weapon facilities, covert government departments.” “Yeah, but-“ “This is big business. Millions of dollars are spent here, which leads to billions in the broader economy. Our results [Read more]
Outrageous fortune on the half forward flank
June 21, 2012 by 3 Comments
There are rules and there are rules. Some are straight forward, like the drive on the left rule. Some make a lot of plain sense, like the wear a seat belt rule. And some, like the holding the ball rule, in Australian rules football are incorrigibly self-conflicted and yet almost profound in their gallant striving [Read more]
John Kingsmill’s Footy Diary
June 21, 2012 by 17 Comments
The Winter Solstice When the little people start grinning I’ve consulted the Predicator again and I am here to tell you that the Big P never lies. We’ll need thirteen wins to make the eight this year. St Kilda and Essendon will fall short. The Swans, Carlton and Freo will have nervous times but they’ll [Read more]
He’s not the messiah…
June 21, 2012 by 2 Comments
The debut of 2011 Number 1 draft pick Jonathon Patton for the GWS on the weekend created more than just a vast number of footy sub-editors salivating over the prospect of calling him the General in future headlines. In many ways, it was the greatest 7 possession and 4 mark game, let alone first game, [Read more]
Carlton aren’t so bad after all
June 20, 2012 by 8 Comments
Our thanks to Jeff Dowsing for bringing this to our attention. Almanac Admin
1980: A Personal Footy Almanac. Round 13, Saturday 21 June, v Essendon, Windy Hill
June 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
“Big crowd today, mate?” asks Cam as the attendant clicks our tickets at the gate. He rolls his eyes in reply. “Sure is”, he grunts. As we climb the steps up onto the terrace and survey the scene for ourselves, we’re not so sure. There seem to be plenty of gaps. The official crowd of [Read more]
The day love came to town
June 20, 2012 by 18 Comments
The community of New Norfolk, a township about 22 miles north-west of Tasmania’s capital Hobart, has been having a tough time lately. They have been on the receiving end of a spate of fires; some pyromania, others unfortunate. They needed a lift and like so many country towns these days, their footy club is [Read more]
Ambushed in Bayswater
June 20, 2012 by 6 Comments
Nunawading High never faced St Anthony’s Buddhist School in the treacherous 30 mile hop, as featured in the Ripping Yarn ‘Tomkinson’s School Days’. But it might have been preferable to facing Bayswater High a little over 20 years ago. Given we’d never ventured to the western or northern ‘burbs, truth be told our softness rating [Read more]
When Dunlop Volleys just won’t do
June 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
By Clint Rule With the inevitable explosion of my Dunlop Volley Footy Boot Hybrids in about round 12 a few years back, I pined for a new idea. Something fresh to dig into for this year’s lower grade amateur league pre-season. And when I think fresh, I think retro. In my school days there [Read more]
WA beats Vic Country in Under 18 championships
June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
THE WA under 18s team atoned for their defeat by Queensland with a strong victory over Victoria Country at Subiaco Oval on Sunday. In a game highlighted by excellent kicking from both teams WA controlled the first and last quarter while Vic Country were in charge for the middle bit. The visitors took a three-point [Read more]
The 2012 ‘Mopsy’ Fraser Cup – Round Twelve
June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Greetings Tipsters Your correspondent is currently leading his tipping competition. I’d like to say that I have fantastical insights or a rigourously well-informed analytical system happening but the truth is that I think about them for about as long as it takes to click on the dots on the tipping website. Dumb luck? Partly, luck [Read more]
The Running Man
June 18, 2012 by 8 Comments
Sometimes the messages get complicated when you’re the team runner for the Ivanhoe under 15s. “Tell Patrick to hit a target when he’s kicking into fifty, tell Seb to pick out a teammate when he gets it and take Sam off for Liam. Sam’s number nine.” Many times I’ve bounded onto the field and realised [Read more]
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