One of the beauties of Australian Rules Football, our game, is that it is a living thing. As much as some people yearn for the past, which is usually their youth, life changes, and football does too. Every decade or two a change in style or innovation has taken the game forward. Changes [Read more]
Pre Season Cup – Animal Challenge
March 16, 2011 by 1 Comment
by Bill Walker’s taxi driver The big animals were playing the little animals in the annual pre-season challenge match. At half time the score was Big Animals 11 – 12 (78) Little Animals 0 – 0 (0) The Little Animals’ coach addressed his players at half time “We’re getting a flogging. We need to lift [Read more]
Footy kicking on in Coffs Harbour
March 15, 2011 by 5 Comments
by “Rocket” Rod Gillet The Sydney Swans defeated last year’s AFL runner-up St Kilda in a NAB Challenge match at the BCU Stadium in Coffs Harbour by 31 points last Saturday night. Almost 5000 attended the fixture on a unseasonably cool night on the north coast of NSW. One of those in attendance was my [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The making of a Swannies fan
March 15, 2011 by 10 Comments
by David Butler I am the Sydney equivalent of a “Broadie Boy”, brought up amongst the factories and workshops of western Sydney. I spent the seventies negotiating the bland tarmac between brutal suburban Rugby League grounds. Belmore Oval, Leichhardt Oval, Redfern Oval and Cumberland Oval. I watched as the first scrum erupted, as always, with [Read more]
John Button Oration
March 15, 2011 by 2 Comments
Button Oration to Highlight Founder of Australian Rules Football The Hon. John Button once said of the Geelong Cats, “The pain I can handle, it’s the hope that’s so tough!” Button’s passion for sport, Australian culture and history will be remembered at the inaugural Geelong Cats Sports Foundation Hon John Button Oration, to be held [Read more]
Theo takes a great leap forward at Princes Park
March 13, 2011 by 23 Comments
Saturday morning. Sunny and mild, but the breeze picking up, and bringing with it northern stickiness. Family Harms is pottering about: no plans. I am thinking about Collingwood. They have done it pretty easily the night before. Dawes and Daisy Thomas continue to mature. They are good, and there is much improvement in the squad [Read more]
Yes we won the NAB Cup but I want Medders back!
March 12, 2011 by 15 Comments
I kinda thought it would be pretty exciting to win the NAB Cup, but when it happend I wasn’t exactly happy dancing or anything. The year could not have started any worse, with our deteriorating backline of champions sidelined with injury, our captain tweeting photos of himself in a hospital bed (mind you in seeing that [Read more]
The Abu Dhabi Falcons juice Muscat
March 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Abu Dhabi Falcons made the 4 ½ hour trip to Muscat for the third time in as many years. It’s one of the best and worst places to go. The best because the Magpies put on a great ‘after game’ in Rugby Union club facilities, (bbq feast and plentiful beers) and worst because it [Read more]
Think Tank At Work
March 11, 2011 by 13 Comments
Extract from secret tapes inside an AFL team’s coaches’ meeting: Forward Coach: We’ve got to do something about the inside 50s differential. Midfield Coach: Yep. We’ve run that through our processes. We’re going to increase the rotations of mids and smalls through the front half. Forward Coach: That’s fine but will the smalls know how [Read more]
Fifteen
March 11, 2011 by 7 Comments
In answer to your question, a story… Fifteen. I never played junior footy. I was 15, skinny, and went straight to the tatts and knuckles league of a suburb that is now gone. The oval is still there, but it is now a smooth, green thing. The creek at the city end is no-longer toxic. [Read more]
Home sweet Waverley
March 9, 2011 by 5 Comments
What’s it like living in the forward pocket of footy history? Vin Maskell took his camera to Waverley Park to see what happens when a stadium becomes a housing estate. You’ll find the pics at: http://www.23hq.com/vinm/album/6551185
Real footy: kicking game
March 8, 2011 by 9 Comments
Kicking Game. Real Footy. I met Christiano at his home after work. He was covered in dust and stank of sweat. Another day like every other in twenty years on the demolition crew. He hit Billy and hit it and hit it and hit it and hit it and okay, he was ready to leave [Read more]
Hidden gems
March 8, 2011 by 5 Comments
by Dips O’Donnell About twenty years ago I worked for a business called Visy Pack. The Visy Pack factory was next door to Visy Board which was a major part of Richard Pratt’s packaging empire. Visy Pack was situated at the end of Edwards Street in Reservoir just down the road from Edwards Lake. The [Read more]
Up There Cazaly and The Myth of Icarus
March 7, 2011 by 22 Comments
Phil Dimitriadis presented this paper at the 150 Years of Australian Football Conference: Up There Cazaly and The Myth of Icarus: An exploration into the narrative of freedom and failure in Australian Rules football. This is the abstract. [Interesting – wish I heard it. JTH]
Book Launch: Tortured Tales
March 7, 2011 by 4 Comments
First hit-out at The Bridge
March 7, 2011 by 10 Comments
Chasing the elusive bush premiership- PART 2 Thursday night was my first hit-out with my new club, Imperials as we took to the field for an intra-club practice match. The only thing I hate more than a practice match is an intra-club practice match. Playing and competing with your team mates feels very unnatural. Part [Read more]
You are in the Mix
March 4, 2011 by 3 Comments
So, the last time I could bear to write it was the week after the second Grand Final. I’m sorry to say, it still hurts. But let me fill you all in since then: Week one: 4th October The week was rough, we came back from the second Grand final and ripped down all the [Read more]
Fev: the timely role mode
March 4, 2011 by 5 Comments
All the good ones are going: Martin Pike, Ben Cousins, now Fev. It’s a real shame. Not just for the colour football will now lack, not for the loss of their exquisite skills, but because they were great role models for my neighbour’s child. Real role models, from a real world. You see, someone [Read more]
Vale Wunghnu Football Club
March 2, 2011 by 17 Comments
by Josh Barnstable I can imagine the downfall and the final game ever played for the Fitzroy Football Club was the one of the saddest days in the VFL/AFL history, for players and supporters of any team. It isn’t right to see a proud club like the Lions, who were around for 100 years having [Read more]
It’s all in the action
March 1, 2011 by 42 Comments
by Chris Riordan The “currant bun” (News-Pictorial) has forensically dissected Nick Riewoldt’s exaggerated goalkicking style, apparently unveiled on Saturday night. By the photos, it is certainly distinctive and has got me thinking about radical or unique actions. Whether it be Andrew Dunkley’s ball drop, Jim Furyk’s backswing or Paul Adams’ contortionist bowling delivery, there are [Read more]
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