I drove down one of the goat’s tracks behind town yesterday, towards home, stopping off at the footy oval, where it all smoothes out into thin, second-hand bitumen roads. The grass was long, everything grey drizzle, rolling hills and mountains that disappeared into low, shifting clouds. My feet weren’t itching at all. It all [Read more]
Yes we love trash. Tales of the recycled – Part 1
November 2, 2011 by 1 Comment
“Oh I Love Trash Anything Dirty or Dingy or Dusty Anything Ragged or Rotten or Rusty Yes I Love Trash” (Oscar The Grouch, circa 1969, Sesame Street) Now that the Cup has been run and won and the treasured prize in Australian horse racing is jetting off to France once again, football fans can [Read more]
AFL Fixture Discussion
October 28, 2011 by 24 Comments
The fixture for 2012 is now released. (Remember, it’s a fixture, not a draw). Here it is: http://www.afl.com.au/Fixtures/tabid/10586/Default.aspx So who’s happy and who’s not? North supporters, please form an orderly queue. Cue jokes about Collingwood and the MCG. You all know the drill…
Football and trees.
October 24, 2011 by 10 Comments
Whenever I plant a tree of significance I get a photo of one of my kids next to it. It’s the best way to gauge its growth over the years; look at the tree, look at the child. “Remember when I took that photo of you in front of the jacaranda?” “Yeah Dad. Whatever.”
The Draft: pick me
October 24, 2011 by 9 Comments
Pick me! Pick me, damn it! Pickme, pickme, pickme! The draft. I’m ready this time.
Crazy Pies
October 24, 2011 by 2 Comments
Now we all know that each footy club has it regular clowns but when it comes to Collingwood we are talking about a whole new level of craziness. First off I have a confession to make, I’m writing this piece right now instead of working on my sports media and sports development assignments; however this [Read more]
SCAGGS APLENTY AT AFL TRADE WEEK
October 20, 2011 by 24 Comments
Matt O’Connor So, what the hell was THAT all about? Trade Week (or the “Exchange Period” to use its official title) turned out to be like those garage sales where you turn up too late and end up flipping dolefully through boxes of Boz Scaggs LPs and broken toasters. Except that if Scaggs had been [Read more]
The Two Metre Joe Blake
October 20, 2011 by 29 Comments
Mark Blake retires on 99 senior games with the unfair shroud of perceived failure enveloping his career due to his apparent redundancy atGeelongand his inability to be picked up during the trade period. Objective scrutiny of this modern monolith’s career will disclose a different scenario.
Coach rules
October 19, 2011 by 7 Comments
by Glenn Brownstein So the Saints have a new coach, former Collingwood assistant Scott Watters. By all accounts, he’s a little more of a players’ coach, and a little more marketing- and community-minded, all necessary qualities. If he can just keep the Saints out of the police blotter until NAB Cup time, that alone [Read more]
Never a passenger
October 19, 2011 by 3 Comments
Carlton’s slogan this year was “No Passengers”. I never thought Setanta O’hAilpin was a passenger. I love his intensity and the way he plays with passion. I love his Irish accent. I love the way he crashes around in the game, and brings the ball down for our smaller players (“Setanta’s little helpers”). I [Read more]
About votes and best players
October 18, 2011 by 29 Comments
by Les Everett OK. Bring it in. Everyone. Jog it in. Now. Sorry to interrupt training but there’s something I’ve gotta say. As you might know at this time every year I sit down in my black tie and count the votes for the Malarkey Medal. Come on. Bit of shush. Listen up. Every [Read more]
A Lovely Bullet Part II
October 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
Tribes and Family. The function was a ripper. My fiancé and I were drunk and in love. Despite it all. I remember dancing with her. How good it felt. She was all happy and shy about it. A tiny woman, or, maybe, in hindsight, girl, surrounded by all us apes. Big donks [Read more]
If this grandstand could talk……………
October 18, 2011 by 11 Comments
by Chris Bracher The guardian of the Western end of Albert Park Lake, she stands statuesque; the Lady of the Lake. A book-end mirrored at the lake’s Eastern end by the Blackie-Ironmonger stand at the Junction.. These bookends also marked “tribal” lines in a less sophisticated sporting era, when the “Battle of [Read more]
Tuesday night at the book group… readings in black and white *
October 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Paul Masters It might have just been a normal, quiet first day in October when the book group met in an inner suburban house in Thornbury. They were, as always, more or less ready to catch up, eat, and to debrief on the human condition – work, partners, life and the whole damn thing [Read more]
Match Fixing Policy
October 17, 2011 by 6 Comments
There is currently discussion relating to Federal Sport Minister, Mark Arbib’s commitment to a National Match Fixing Policy. Of course this is not a matter of concern to the movers and shakers in AFL, as there is definitely no match fixing issue in relation to football, and by the way match fixing is spelt [Read more]
Trade Week Discussion 2011
October 17, 2011 by 11 Comments
Where there’s smoke, there doesn’t necessarily have to be fire. AFL Trade week is living proof of this. After all the huffing and puffing, it seems the two most notable trades are Clark to Melbourne and Ebert back home to SA (Port). Otherwise, there was a shuffling of juniors, journeymen and draft picks. Does anyone think their [Read more]
West Coast Season Review
October 17, 2011 by 3 Comments
Please note this is coming from a North Melbourne supporter, so I don’t generally know what happens in the WAFL leagues. #1 Mitch Brown A year to forget for the Brown twins, both Mitch and Nathan at Collingwood missing most of the season with injury. The West Coast Eagle Brown played the first four games [Read more]
Scott Watters as the new messiah and dreams of old messiahs.
October 17, 2011 by 6 Comments
There’s a new boy in St.Kilda town (sans Moorabbin, sansSeaford) and his name is Scott Watters. For the last two years he has ably assisted Mick Malthouse (and beaten St.Kilda) so at least he has some experience of us. Albeit from the other side. Readingthe online ABC news, Watters is 42 (a babe as is the [Read more]
Scanlens footy card week….AKA ‘The Trade Period’
October 12, 2011 by 7 Comments
by Rick Newbery Personally I find this part of The AFL Year an absolute bore. I wish I could just sleep through this week of bluff, bluster and bulldust, and somebody wakes me up when it’s over and tells me who my club picked up, who we lost and what draft picks (if any) [Read more]
For success, just add a dash
October 12, 2011 by 23 Comments
by Pete Edwards It was a pleasant day for June. The Cats’ form had been fluctuating wildly, and they were coming off a draw at home against Brisbane the week before. The game against the Bulldogs that afternoon was a must-win. To beat the rush, I got to Kardinia Park early to watch the [Read more]
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