Softball: Passion and Poetry

Anastasia Dimitriadis reflects on her first season of competitive Softball in the NDSA.

Our National Dish

Peter Baulderstone looks at the state of the nation through the sporting lens in the lead-up to Australia Day.

Musings on an audience with Haiku Bob at Pies training

Haiku Bob and Steve Fahey were amongst a few hundred who watched the Pies train on a perfect morning.

Middle-aged Icarus

Phil Dimitriadis wonders whether it was wise to play competitive cricket again after 16 years.

“Out” or “Not Out”

Hamlet’s soliloquy on being dismissed.

The Rhyce Shaw (Shank) Redemption

Phil Dimitriadis follows Rhyce Shaw’s journey from maligned Magpie to heroic Swan.

Lumps and Bumps

You can find yourself talking footy any-old-where.

Holy Grail

The tension is building for Jake ‘Cobba’ Stevens as the Swans fight for the silver chalice.

Haiku Bob: still alive

Haiku Bob on the Pies’ successful evening playing the Eagles

Stop all the Clocks

With apologies to W. H. Auden

Qualifying Final – Clouded Moon

Haiku Bob ponders the elements as the Pies go down to Hawthorn

Haiku Bob: so little done

Haiku Bob’s take on the recent West Coast v Collingwood match

Footy Poetry: Josh

Matt Zurbo is at a footy-watching, beer-drinking, rock’n’roll, Saturday night thirtieth.

Haiku Bob: slipping moon

Haiku Bob: slipping moon…

where there’s no light

    setting sun far fr o m it Beams where there’s no light     wet under foot Harry’s careful side steps through traffic     rain falls swirling & bobbing up Didak     sliver of moon Fasolo threads it through     on & off rain Cloke’s form blurred     night closes in two and a half [Read more]

seconds ticking

  august night hot puffs of breath enter the stadium     the moon witness to all the mistakes under the sun     night chill Reid rises from the mist   bare trees all authority gone from our game     Saints hit the front the stadium changes tune     long bomb the rush [Read more]

light and shade

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]

haiku bob: more than daylight

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]

Man on the gate

    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

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]