sunset a few purple patches kill off the game evening sky no great signs only flashes playing the bottom team the caller questions a lack of urgency twilight game the zig-zag path to goal empty seats Cloke marks alone and unattended fading light Wood losing what little he had twilight the light and shade of [Read more]
Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers
July 27, 2012 by 2 Comments
haiku bob: more than daylight
July 26, 2012 by 2 Comments
hawks glide casting shadows across the ‘G bright winter sun – more than daylight between the two teams static forward line winter stillness ice cold hands even in the sunshine – the slumping star for a moment nothing but Rioli heavy defeat looms my life too lacks direction packed [Read more]
POW priest and the sacrament of sport – Eureka Street
July 24, 2012 by 3 Comments
One time when visiting Sydney from the US, author Brian Doyle got into a conversation with an elderly priest who had spent most of his working life on Bougainville Island. Talking about cricket on Bougainville sent him back to one particular cricket match which he had witnessed as a prisoner of the Japanese Imperial Army [Read more]
Man on the gate
July 23, 2012 by 7 Comments
By Brendan Ryan Oilskin keeping out the cold the muscles in his legs wearing down through the under 12s, netball, under 14s, under 18s, reserves and finally seniors around two. A job we all expect somebody to do. A man who complements the scene of cars nosed up to the boundary fence, [Read more]
already gone
July 19, 2012 by 1 Comment
cat wakes up magpies already gone night mist – the tagger looks around for his man rain and fog – still no sign of Cloke pouring rain a long stream of handballs rain squalls – players chase the ball to and fro Swan streams forward rain begins to clear 8 goal quarter – [Read more]
Our land of plenty
July 17, 2012 by 3 Comments
Our land of plenty, a faraway zone That lodged in the mind of this schoolboy at home O’er the horizon and far from my gaze But a hot-bed of promise even in Bloods bad old days The Farrer League clubs carried names full of song There was Culcairn , Coolamon and Grong Grong Matong [Read more]
changing pitch
July 12, 2012 by 2 Comments
four beers in things a little ragged down back and up forward winter frost yawning cracks in the back half Beams unsighted the moon hiding in the clouds needing a goal from anywhere Thomas from nowhere back in it the crowd’s noise changes pitch wellinghamagro [Read more]
the rainbow’s arch
July 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
how to stay warm – the game opens with more tackles than kicks break in the clouds play gets switched to the sunny side burst of sunshine a tangle of shadows around the ball changing conditions the ruckman does the roving icy wind and rain an Irishman prepares to [Read more]
Lessons I Learnt in India and Sri Lanka (Part 2)
July 4, 2012 by 4 Comments
Lesson 2: I’m a celebrity in India. I am a celebrity in India. I’m famous. The people love me…I think. You see, as a white-haired fair skinned teenage Australian, I was quite a rarity in India. Frequently, people would stop me in the streets (inner Mumbai especially) and ask for a photo or autograph. I [Read more]
The Almanacker’s Lament (apologies to John O’Brien)
July 3, 2012 by 4 Comments
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Litza, In accents most forlorn, “This bloody Ratten shits ya, I wish he’d not been born.”
Almanac Rugby League – The Revolution can wait: radical Brisbane and rugby league
July 1, 2012 by 4 Comments
Queensland remains a wonderful place, full of obvious contradictions; the sort of contradictions which are hidden away in other places, the ones that work hard to present an air of sophistication and urbanity. Queensland’s down-on-the-farm, rent-a-holiday-unit-to-a-southerner conservatism prevails. But from colonial times Queensland has given rise to a small, energetic group of progressives; intellectuals and [Read more]
A little more
June 28, 2012 by 5 Comments
deep in the last term – when little more can be done we do a little more my heart beats – the ball falls from his arms Elliot’s heroics – a reminder I’m not a child sky bereft of blue how difficult some goals are overcast Beams making something out of [Read more]
Megan Gale vs Jennifer Hawkins
June 20, 2012 by 16 Comments
Do you like rap or rock ‘n’ roll? Silver troughs or toilet bowls? The Great Outdoors or Getaway? Eminem or Dr Dre? Sidney Myer or David Jones? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones? Rugby League or Aussie Rules? Corporate clowns or Holy Fools? Fat cigars or cigarettes? Busty blondes or slim brunettes? Jesus Christ [Read more]
Football writer
June 15, 2012 by 2 Comments
Apologies to Lennon/McCartney (I think it was the latter) Dear Sports Ed, won’t you read my stuff I can make a sentence, so I’m good enough Never really played much footy before Failed first-year law And now I wanna be a football writer Football writer Irony drips from my poison pen I can do cross-promos [Read more]
The echo chamber
June 14, 2012 by 3 Comments
The rooms now empty, echoing again, his players long gone from their latest loss, The coach surveys the scene, once more his men have led, but coughed it up. Still, he’s the boss. He’ll have to take the blame although he knows his midfield’s soft, his forwards will not run Down back his boys won’t [Read more]
Haiku Bob: football the ocean
June 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
pile of leaves – the coach’s plans all coming together crisp afternoon – the click of our midfield football the ocean Swan swims in rustle of leaves – the defender hears footsteps sunlight spills through the clouds – Blair crumbs broken sunlight – Swan half in half out of [Read more]
out of sight
June 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
edge of the city the sound of a goal late start an early rush of goals twilight game how soon the forwards put us out of sight broken clouds in the space between Beams full moon Didak still going round defenders swirling leaves suddenly Ablett somewhere else kicking yips [Read more]
John Kingsmill’s Footy Diary
June 6, 2012 by 1 Comment
ROUND ELEVEN The dilemma of hope Three weeks of byes rips the supercoach teams to shreds. The balance of personal bias against common sense comes to the fore in the month of June. There’s no sense in backing a winning team in these comps if huge portions of them go surfing in Week Eleven, or [Read more]
Posts: A Concrete Poem
June 1, 2012 by 10 Comments
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