A blue sort of fortnight
November 27, 2011 by 3 Comments
A blue sort of fortnight It is Saturday night, the night before my birthday, I’m just clinging to my fifties. I’ve had a pretty crappy week. My husband and I work together, with a small staff, and are a bit over-worked and snapping at each other. We were robbed at work on Sunday night, [Read more]
Getting out to the Almanac launch
November 27, 2011 by 4 Comments
by Julia Harrison After downing a (prescribed) Valium, getting Mum to drop contraband skinny jeans and digesting an unpalatable banana flavoured Ensure Plus supplement drink my cousin Jess signed me out of the clinic I’ve been residing in for five days and we headed off in her shitheap of a car to the Clyde [Read more]
2011 Almanac Launch photos
November 25, 2011 by 29 Comments
Thanks to Yvette Wroby for these happy snaps from Thursday night’s launch.
Who left the door open? There’s a draft in here.
November 25, 2011 by 23 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz I’m no Emma Quayle, but here are a few things I’ve spotted in this year’s draft: Port Adelaide have picked up Brendan Ah Chee and Nathan Blee. Is this the first time two players whose surnames end with -ee have been taken by the same team in the same draft? [Read more]
War and Peace
November 23, 2011 by 22 Comments
by Damian O’Donnell A reflection should be just that; a careful consideration of previous events, actions or decisions. It should not be a reaction. I feel that a respectable period of time has elapsed for this to be considered a true reflection. The Bloody Sock Era (1964 – 1975) The boys’ toilet was [Read more]
Pre-season
November 23, 2011 by 1 Comment
by Peter Edwards Pre-season training in full swing. The boys are back and all sweating. Running hard and doing weights, Speed and strength they elevate. Blues got brown in Middle East, In regal grounds, they trained in peace. And from the cave the Hawks emerge, September demons have been purged. Bored with schoolies, surf [Read more]
The blanket
November 23, 2011 by 2 Comments
The photo below is of Clint ‘Captain SAPSASA’ Rule. Here’s an explanation from The Captain: “It’s been pretty cold here in SA (in August) and knowing I would be on the bench, I brought an extension cord and an electric blanket. Slow cooking the aged-hammys before wandering out into the playing arena to further embarrass [Read more]
Lessons from Other Codes
November 20, 2011 by 1 Comment
My fellow Almanackers. I urged you to join me in launching the Football Improvement Federation of Australia (FIFA). We share a common love of Australian football. But I have become concerned about the decline and stagnation of the code. Games have become predictable, repetitive and defensive. There is not enough variety to keep fans [Read more]
AFL Comebacks
November 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
It is becoming an increasing trend in AFL. While I’m not familiar with the figures of pre-2008, surely the number of comebacks to AFL ranks by a player has risen in the past five years. Yes, we saw Tony Lockett return to the Swans a couple of years after retirement, and of course we remember [Read more]
Carey v Hawkins? No contest.
November 17, 2011 by 15 Comments
by Alex Wadelton There has been a lot of discussion lately about the Global Financial Crisis. This will not add to the debate. Rather it will prove once and for all that two-time premiership centre half forward Tom Hawkins is a far superior player to that other two time premiership centre half forward Wayne [Read more]
Grand Finals Pt.5. Netball.
November 10, 2011 by 10 Comments
The piece first appeared in the fantastic www.scoreboardpressure.com If you haven’t seen the sight do so! It is a ripper! All photos (my old teammate!) Brad Trotter. It was a big day. Grand Finals always are. I was standing under the grandstand with Trots and few rusty old Otway salts when Rocket saddled up. “I [Read more]
Coaching appointments
November 10, 2011 by 4 Comments
Now that the coaching dust has settled and all clubs have made their choices for 2012 I thought it would be an opportune time to see whether history tells us anything about the wisdom of going for a brand new coach (Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs) or someone who has been ‘in the [Read more]
Dawn and those mad Sainters
November 9, 2011 by 7 Comments
by Yvette Wroby There’s no shortage of crazies at the St.Kilda Football Club. This was proven when 1000+ Saints fans and members rocked up to the St.Kilda Beach front at 5 am Tuesday 8th November for an advertising shoot for 2012 Membership Drive. At 6.30 am, another group was waiting at Frankston beach, and at [Read more]
Farewell Smokin’ Joe
November 9, 2011 by 5 Comments
by Damian O’Donnell The headline says “When the mountain came to Muhammad”. It was 1971 in Madison Square Garden. There’s Joe being lead to the corner by the referee. There is no discernable look on his face; it’s fixed in a deadly glaze. He’s returning to the corner like a bloke strolling home from [Read more]
GWS Poaching
November 7, 2011 by 2 Comments
I’ve seen it happen before, we all have. Weeks and weeks of speculation, concern, hope. From Round 1 to Grand Final Day, the interest in the matter does not falter. Whether you be a number one draft pick, or an absolute champion of the game, the spotlight does not miss you. The media focuses on [Read more]
An International Disgrace
November 5, 2011 by 7 Comments
I very nearly put pen to paper a week ago to vent my disgust at the Australian International Rules team. I’m not going to let the second consecutive Friday night pass. I’m a big believer in the concept. I went to a great Test at the WACA as a kid, and had a terrific [Read more]
What if?
November 2, 2011 by 19 Comments
One of the many attractions of sport is the endless possibilities for discussions post events beginning with the word “if.” The beauty of such arguments are that they are all hypothetical, so no-one can be proven wrong ! In the wake of the greatest Melbourne Cup of my lifetime, one of the fascinating post-race events [Read more]
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