Is there anybody out there?

It feels a bit like The Wall in reverse at the editor’s desk today. Instead of Pink building a wall to protect himself from the slings and arrows of the world, it seems that Melbourne, perhaps even all of Victoria, has blocked the rest of us out as they prepare for their big day tomorrow.

 

Site traffic is minimal – a paucity of pieces to process, remarks rendered redundant, visitors vanished! It’s just not happening at all.

 

No doubt they’ve all been to the Grand Final parade or, more likely, they’re at the Royal Melbourne Hotel for The Footy Almanac Grand Final Eve Lunch!

 

All I can say is that I hope the Melbourne Storm skipped town early before Tullamarine closed down for the duration.

 

Is there anybody out there?

 

Comments

  1. I’m here! Must say I’m pleased to be away from the southern state, and back home in 27 degree warmth in Sydney, where Collingwood and West Coast don’t get a mention (well, a few paras in the print media). Plenty of the other game – page after page. Who cares!

    Go Swans and Broncos!

  2. Ah, Jan, you’ve made my day! Lovely here in Noosaville, too. And, yes, go those Bronco girls.

  3. Melbourne who ? What ?

    I’ve mentioned it before. With the ‘national’ TV shows emanating from Sydney, the NRL Is given greater attention than the AFL. Though the AFL is the primary sporting code in Australia, you’d get the impression the NRL has a big support base. We know the NRL; the competition that got barely over 19,000 to a finals match.

    Here in Melbourne interest in the NRL grand final is minimal. Despite the hype on shows like the Sky Sports, ch 500, ABC news24, ch 642, you’d be lucky to find many Melbournians have an interest, beyond voyeurism in the NRL.

    Good luck to the NRL grand finalists, good luck to your fans, but you have some issues.

    Glen!

  4. Ah, Glen! Don’t all the codes have their issues? Problems aplenty abound for all. We can only hope that those responsible are attempting to actually do something about their respective difficulties.

    Instead of trying to manufacture some sort of cross-code partisanship, I’d much rather celebrate our diversity of codes and the enjoyment they each bring to their fans. My guess is that most of us are somewhat catholic in our capacity to appreciate each other’s preferred code, eg my other respondent Jan.

    But none of this was my focus today. I was simply making the observation that all was quiet on the Almanac front today, no doubt in large part due to events in Melbourne. As online editor today, it certainly was a case of, “Is there anybody out there?” Or as Foghorn Leghorn used to say when misunderstood, “It’s a joke, son, it’s a joke!”

  5. No probs Ian. I concur about enjoying the aspects of the four foot ball codes.

    My issue pertains as much to the Sydney centric/Sydney based, nature of our electronic media. The AFL despite any of its problems is Australia’s primary foot ball code, by a long chalk. I’m not trying to cause umbrage to NRL fans, but to watch a news bulletin(s) where the NRL, even the NRLW , is given greater emphasis than the AFL is disconcerting.

    This weekend i’m happy for a nil-all draw in the AFL Grand Final. Sorry Lord Bogan, PB, etc. With the rugby i’ll support any one playing against Storm, thus i’l be happy for their opponents, whoever they are to win. But it’s not Cronulla is it ?

    ‘ave a good weekend.

    Glen!

  6. Good one, Glen! I’m unaware of what your news coverage is in Melbourne with regard to the various codes. I’m surprised to hear that anything would take precedence over the AFL. Sounds like heresy to me. Thankfully we parochial Queenslanders get ‘our Queensland-based sports coverage’ first. The AFL and soccer do get their fair share. Rugby union is the poor cousin, not surprising given the current woeful Wallabies.

    Thankfully Cronulla isn’t in the GF tomorrow but I have to disappoint you in that I will be supporting the Storm. Up here, we see them as the unofficial fourth Queensland team in the comp. After all, they field at least 6 Queensland State of Origin players. But in saying that, it is true that the Storm are one of the most reviled teams in the NRL, in Sydney at least – probably because they’re not from Sydney!

    If you want to tune into one NRL game tomorrow, watch the NRLW game at 1.30pm. These girls give it a real go, have high level skills, and play without the confected theatrics of their male counterparts (from all codes).

    As for today, in spite of having several Magpie-supporting friends, I can’t buy into the ‘let’s love Collingwood temporarily’ bandwagon so I’ll go for the Eagles. (I actually support the Bombers.) I’m not too emotionally invested in it and will probably be more interested in appreciating the skills of the code.

    Cheers.

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