By Damian Watson Finally after those endless summer months, the NAB Cup has finally commenced. I feel relieved as I grab the notepad and pen for the first time in 2010 awaiting the start of a new season — and a new decade — of this great Australian game. The first competitive hit out for my Blues [Read more]
NAB Cup, Round 1: Eagles win and I feel whole again
February 14, 2010 by 133 Comments
West Coast v Essendon It was a strange day at school. Celebrating Valentines Day, the Year 12s had organized an Out of Uniform day, which I always look forward to. So I don my black cobra shirt and black shorts with black shoes, not a good option for a hot day. I look forward to [Read more]
NAB Cup, Round 1: Eagles easily exterminate Essendon
February 13, 2010 by 260 Comments
After a long break from footy, it was refreshing to watch the exploits of West Coast’s dreadlocked Fijian excitement machine.
Footy: The 4 Fs = fabulous February footy feeling
February 13, 2010 by 2 Comments
After a drab summer of sport/cricket , about as stimulating as reading your credit card bill post-Christmas, you can almost feel the anticipation start to build. The AFL season is upon us. The evidence is aplenty…… The players involved in off-season scandals The players being ‘fitter, stronger, bigger, better looking, more focused than ever’. The ex-players making [Read more]
Link: Billy Miller goes to the Junction Oval
February 11, 2010 by 19 Comments
Our series Billy Miller Goes to the OLD VFL Grounds continues with his visit to the Junction Oval, once the home of St Kilda, later the home of Fitzroy, since 1971 the site of Footy’s Great Fog-Out. Almanac Admin
World Footy: Falcons and Dragons to battle for Middle East grand final berth
February 10, 2010 by 7 Comments
A berth in the Middle East AFL grand final is at stake when the Abu Dhabi Falcons take on the Dubai Dragons at the American International School in the UAE capital on Friday evening at 5 pm. The Falcons are undefeated after wins on the road in Oman and Qatar but they face the all-conquering [Read more]
Footy: The triumphs and troubles of Richo, Part 4
February 10, 2010 by 13 Comments
By Domenic Favata 2007- 2009 Everyone had thought that it was the end of Matthew Richardson. That he would just be goalsquare-bound and kick the odd 2-3 goals. But those who thought that he was gone had their words shoved right back down their throat. Richardson continued to lead the Tiger brigade as he showed [Read more]
Footy: It’s back! Well, sort of. Here’s my NAB Cup tips
February 10, 2010 by 571 Comments
By Steve Healy Finally, after four and a half months with nothing for fans to enjoy, footy’s appearing above the horizon. Many supporters don’t take the NAB Cup seriously, but I for one do. It means more footy, not as long a wait to see your team play and it also helps communities around Australia [Read more]
Footy: My favourite night footy/pre-season cup moments
February 9, 2010 by 5 Comments
By Damian Watson After a long, arduous four-month wait the Pre Season competition is finally upon us! In this five-week period, players will begin to regain their football prowess in a competitive nature after a gruelling summer out on the track. Coaches will experiment with methods and young hopefuls emerging from the draft. Despite the [Read more]
Footy: Billy Miller at the Glenferrie Oval
February 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Well, here’s the third of our series on Billy Miller Goes to the Old VFL Grounds. This time it’s the Sardine Can, better known as Glenferrie Oval. Just don’t think Huddo, and especially not Round 1, 1972. The pain, the pain! Almanac Admin
Country Footy – A golden heritage: how Square’s ground has changed
February 8, 2010 by 5 Comments
by Richard Jones REIGNING Bendigo Football League premiers Golden Square have used the Wade Street ground, now known as Country Vet Oval, since the 1930s. But how and why did the Wade Street Oval become Square’s home? Well, the site in the Bendigo Creek where gold was first discovered in the district in 1851 is [Read more]
Fantasy Footy: A goldmine of websites for the tragics
February 8, 2010 by 11 Comments
by John Butler Dreamers, following on from my fantasy footy piece last Friday, these are the main fantasy footy websites I’m aware of. Serious fantasy tragics flock to these sites because the Dream Team coverage on the official AFL site is positively lame. John ButlerJohn Butler has fled the World’s Most Liveable Car Park and [Read more]
FOOTY: Life and times of the bush Bartel
February 7, 2010 by 26 Comments
By Paul Daffey Terry Bartel was still 15 when he announced himself to North East Victoria as a serious sporting talent. A slip of a kid with deceptive strength through his shoulders, he opened the batting for the Beechworth senior team and plundered 227 to break the Ovens and King Cricket Association record. In a [Read more]
FOOTY: Diesel and dust, and desert footy
February 7, 2010 by 15 Comments
By Sue Currie I hear it before I can see it. A rowdy mob of wild-looking Aborigines surges into the clinic a minute after I open the door. I could be scared of them if I did not know them all as individuals and families. Men of all ages with red headbands; handsome, husky youths [Read more]
Footy: A solitary leaf opens gates of anticipation
February 7, 2010 by 8 Comments
By Damian O’Donnell By rights when the leaves fall off the trees they should “fall” up into the sky; after all, that’s the way the trees are facing. Fortunately the mysteries of gravity make the leaves drop to the ground. This may not sound like a very significant issue to concern oneself with, but I’ve [Read more]
Footy: North’s best matches of recent years
February 5, 2010 by 663 Comments
By Josh Barnstable After reading a couple of stories on the Almanac about rivalry and how teams stack up against others in terms of a rivalry, I decided to dedicate this piece to some of the great games that North Melbourne have played against the other teams in the league over the past few years. [Read more]
Exhibition: A day at the footy starts at the gates
February 5, 2010 by 24 Comments
By Paul Daffey Many of my boyhood memories revolve around local footy, from matches played on wind-blown ovals in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne or on lonely ovals in the Mallee. I can still hear the “phhhsh” sound of air being pushed from a player’s lungs as he absorbs an unexpected tackle, or the sweet [Read more]
Fantasy Footy: My dark secret
February 5, 2010 by 10 Comments
I have a sordid confession to make. On the surface, I’m a middle-aged, middle-class, middle-brow guy from a middle-sized town. Nothing special here folks, move right along. But I have a secret life. A life consumed by dark obsessions and manic compulsions. A life ruled by unholy urges and perspectives warped. A life that leads [Read more]
Footy: Why I admire Jim Stynes as a leader
February 3, 2010 by 249 Comments
By Steve Healy The person I admire as a leader is Jim Stynes. Coming from Dublin and having such an illustrious football career on and off the field was truly inspirational. He played 264 games, 244 of those consecutive (an VFL/AFL record). He kicked 130 goals, won the club’s best and fairest four times, and [Read more]
Footy: Billy Miller goes to Brunswick Street
February 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Here’s the second instalment of our countdown to the AFL season using Billy Miller’s travels to the old VFL grounds. This time we bring you the Brunswick Street Oval. Watch and learn. Almanac Admin
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