AFL Grand Final: The Devil is on the Scoreboard

Steve Alomes tipped this in his Friday article in The Age. Here is how it turned out.

AFL Grand Final – Preview: Why Freo can win the 2013 flag

JTH is no Garfield (the Cat) so he knows by quarter time he’s going to be barracking for one team. He has no idea which.

16,000,000 into 22

The big day.

The State Of Play

Earl O’Neil reckons he’s a footy traditionalist and the Rules Committee should take a cold shower. But he’s missing the Grand Final to take a motor bike ride with Perky Girl?? Lucky for some.

Urgent Request to pick a Fremantle fan’s brain. Team flag image needed.

This is not a trick question. Peter Schumacher urgently needs an image of the Dockers team flag. He refuses to say if he plans to wave it or burn it.

10 Ways to Deal with Losing the Big One

Our Tibetan correspondent Rinpoche Jeff Dowsing provides sage consolation about impermanence to fans of tomorrow’s losing team. He also advocates wearing brown trousers and drinking yourself into a stupor. But then again he is a Collingwood man. Read on for all sorts of unexpected enlightenment.

Almanac Art (pen and ink): Free Footies

Kate Birrell takes 3 boys on a footy odyssey to Fed Square, where they learn the value of patience, honesty and the Fremantle team song. Will her sacrifice be rewarded with a Hawks victory tomorrow?

The Big Dance

Tom Greenaway reminisces about the Grand Finals that have shaped his life. Unrequited love? Then again he is a Saints man.

Crowley the key to Dockers’ chances

Ryan Crowley is loved by his mother, his team mates, Dockers fans and Jackson Clark. Our man in the Deep North tells us why Crowley’s stopping job on Sam Mitchell will be a key to the result.

Grand Final Preview – Prepare for the Purple Swarm

Take one part Wrap; one part Crio and ten parts of the best wit and wisdom you’ve heard since Tony Soprano died. Mix well and you’ve got all the elements of Sal Ciardulli’s weekend feast of footy and racing. Best consumed with a tasty little Chianti.

2013 AFL Grand Final Infographic

Move over Weg, Jake Stevens offers pictures to help the linguistically challenged post-lunch Almanacker. Move over Caro and Gerard, he’s doing the Festival of the Boot live webstreaminternetcast thingo for Latrobe Uni tomorrow afternoon. Log in and do yourself a favour (we’re still very 80’s here at Almanac HQ).

Grand Final Flashback: 2003

To this day, September 27, 2003, remains in Beth Newman’s top three life highlights.

AFL Grand Final – Preview: The Iron Mike Verdict

Matt Watson is wavering. Earlier in the week he was a proud, defiant Victorian. Now he has pored over all the entrails, and the winner is ………………..

AFL Grand Final – Preview: A tale of two philosophies

We all know who will win on Saturday because of the tea leaves; how they beat your mob; or how your Grandma once went out with a bloke from…….. Adam Ritchie is having none of this. He has all the stats and analysis you need to settle every bar and backyard argument in the lead up to the big one.

The Song of Angry Men

The Dockers can’t help themselves. Neither can Peter Baulderstone. There’ll be tears before bedtime. Whose?

Crio’s Racing – 3 Days in September!!

Who knew? Crio tells us that there are other distractions this weekend, with race meetings on 3 days to tempt equine analysts. And you thought picking the Grand Final winner was challenging. Enlightenment awaits courtesy of Crio and his phalanx of form followers.

Watching success from the bench

Although team sheets for this Saturday aren’t yet published, there’s already an omission that deserves the title of 2013 Grand Final Sob Story – Hawk Brendan Whitecross.

The Boys from Old Fitzroy in 2013

It could be argued that the Fitzroy influence in 2013 is greater now than it has ever been since their 1996 demise, writes Brutas Mudcake.

AFL Finals Week 3 – Fremantle v Sydney: Familiar faces

David Zampatti sees faces that have watched the Dockers for 19 years. Memories flood back as he watches his team progress to their first Grand Final.

The Non-Aligned Supporter

The non-aligned supporter is a ghastly beast. The AFL Grand Final attracts them, but they can also be found at barbecues and pubs on the day. Andrew Fithall hates them, possibly because he is one of them.