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]
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.”
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]
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
Haiku Bob: From the outer
June 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
autumn remains – a few minutes left of the low scoring game away game the ball not going to the right spots one goal down in the rain sinking lower into the sofa scores level vapor rises from the outer branches snap off another knee thin rain hopes of winning [Read more]
After the Siren (a sonnet)
May 29, 2012 by 6 Comments
It was a different era he was sure, when harder men went one-on-one all day, and some still claim the way they played more pure; You always knew the price you’d have to pay. He’d paid his price for just one shot at glory in ’78; they were unbackable. His shot from twenty would have [Read more]
Haiku Bob: nowhere left
May 23, 2012 by 9 Comments
autumn night Pendlebury shifts attention from the cold wind halves the moon a perfect pass intercepted misdirected kick the man-mountain brushed aside spring sun dusting the screen to watch Pendlebury leaves skip past Didak turns out of trouble Pendlebury gathers on the wing a leaf [Read more]
John Kingsmill’s Footy Diary
May 21, 2012 by 1 Comment
Round Eight Port is a Mess, Revisited Skip from Skipton was wrong when he wrote that Port versus North at AMMI was an Eight Tarpaulin Match. On the day, ten tarpaulins covered huge sections of the Outer, protecting the venue from its emptiness. And, with only 14,508 people there, all of us could have sat [Read more]
autumn veins
May 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
autumn night long before it ends the game over goal in the first minute and the last in between the scrap deep autumn veins bulge on the neck of the coach sun long gone the forward line lacking spark sultry night a set shot slides away away game short passing left behind some leaves dead [Read more]
Carlton Supporters – An Amplification
May 9, 2012 by 1 Comment
by Bernie Tuck Remember the days of going to Waverley. You hated going there. It was mandatory to have lunch at a Brunswick pub to muster the strength to tackle the journey. The skill was to have some other unsuspecting bloke to drive.[ He usually only fell for the three card trick once]. The reason [Read more]
round 6 – haiku bob – three quarter moon
May 9, 2012 by 4 Comments
roof closed the game not reaching great heights three quarter moon the crowd just shy of full colder nights a measured kick lands out on the full turning leaves all our goals kicked by defenders thinning trees welcoming with open arms Cloke’s first mark moon [Read more]
round 5 – haiku bob – the last second
April 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Anzac Day one grey cloud covers the sky space closing at the last second Swan’s handpass fine rain a snap for goal brushes the post cloudburst the ball belted one end to the other autumn mist a handpass without looking cloud trapped sun Collingwood leading the smother count [Read more]
A Day Out
April 25, 2012 by 4 Comments
by Bill Walker Clinking of the medals crunching of the feet witnessed by the honor guard lining out the streets skirling of the bagpipes dull thud of the drum order of the service just a background hum flooding back the memories so strong it’s hard to cope did their bit for freedom democracy and hope [Read more]
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