HINDSIGHT VISION IS 20/20

It was with a great deal of confidence that I selected North Melbourne in the various tipping comps in which I am involved. I didn’t even stop to give a second thought to St. Kilda getting up. How could I have been so stupid? The signs were all there: Riewoldt being skewered by the commentators [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – A day of answers

  Travelling to Suncorp Stadium to the watch the Broncos and Rabbitohs on Sunday, I am blissfully content to be taking in what promises to be an entertaining fixture. I am in one of those truly liberated states where I actually have an open mind about the result and am just looking forward to the [Read more]

AFL Fixture Options

All AFL fans (possibly excepting those whose world view is black and white) agree that the current season fixture is unfair and outmoded. 22 games divided by 18 teams does not produce an equitable outcome. Broadly speaking, there are 3 viable alternatives, which I will briefly analyse. The first is elegant in its simplicity, eminently [Read more]

World Championships: lining up for the long jump

Dave Goodwin points Almanac readers in the direction of this excellent piece on the World Aths Championships website: http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//newslistdetail.aspx?id=61661   Dave goes on to say:   Today, 30 August, is the 20th anniversary of a magic moment in sport. Carl Lewis’ quest for Bob Beamon’s world record of 8.90 metres and beyond to 9 metres [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – A sad farewell for a unique champion

At the risk of plagiarism, I have to confess that this week’s game between the Panthers and the Raiders was one of the worst games I’ve ever seen. Chris Parkinson seems to have had a similar viewing experience for the Raiders game last week. Despite the scrappiness of the game, however, and the tangible frustration [Read more]

Swans a sleeping giant waking up?

  by Tom Bally There’s days when it seems everyone writes the Swans off.  Almost every week us Bloods fans are subjected to a barrage of negativity ranging from sly backhander comments to almost outright disgust that we’re even allowed to be part of the league.  Therefore it came as no surprise when the ‘experts’ [Read more]

Closing the Gap

  By Ged McMahon On face value, the red and black team seemed a little undersized. But at no point were they to be underestimated. They were the boys from Tiwi College and this was their home turf. Visiting their remote headquarters was the Narangba Valley Vipers, a bunch of Brisbane school kids about to [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Monday night is punt night

The Wests Tigers entered this match on the back of a 6-0 winning streak and only a mentally-ill pundit would have tipped anything but a Tigers victory. I would have thrown “Titans diehard” in the above category but I think there are about as many of them as there are genuine Gold Coast Suns and [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – An ugly win is still a win

It was a balmy night, with the threat of light rain. Nevertheless no rain eventuated. Johnathan Thurston and Gavin Cooper were sick leading up to the game. Both had a stomach virus. Ashton Simms was ruled out with niggling knee problems. Cronulla were fortunate to have exciting playmaker Albert Kelly back in the fold after [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – A Knight to forget

The Knights somehow lost to the Bulldogs after leading 22-6 at halftime and Ben Barba put his hand up for try of the year honours. Since getting a clip over the ear for using the term ‘mongrel’ too much at my first Knights home game in ’88, I have been a Newcastle diehard. I’ve got [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Spooky stuff at the Royal in Tumut

Liam Hauser   Canberra versus Penrith rugby league clashes always bring back a distinct memory for me, even though I am a Queenslander and support the Brisbane Broncos. The first Grand Final I ever saw was in 1991 when Penrith downed Canberra 19-12 as Royce Simmons had a fairytale finish to his career. As an [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Dragons find some fire at last

I’m sure there are worse way to start a footy game. But after seeing the first few seconds of the Dragons clash against the Warriors at WIN Stadium, I’m hard pressed to come up with any. Dragons captain Ben Hornby placed the ball on the kicking tee to start the game, walked back, ran up [Read more]

A Good Weekend of Footy

Two games of footy, one local and one AFL, the weather is great, what more could you want on a weekend?  With all the necessary jobs done on the Saturday morning it was on the bike for a short ride  to one of my favourite grounds, the Brunswick Street Oval, home of the Fitzroy Football [Read more]

Fortress K.P.

By Chris Bracher I have been going there for forty years. I lived in Winchelsea and Kardinia Park was my “local” VFL ground. Once a year I would persuade my less than enthusiastic Dad to take me to see my beloved red and white play. South was never much good when I was a kid [Read more]

THE WRAP – ROUND XXIII

WHERE LIFE IMITATES SPORT What a round it’s been in Footy Eddie.  The Pies, acting on instructions from the RSVPA’s Dr Hugh Wirth, helped euthanize The Long Suffering over at Fremantle.  The Leafblowers were howling as Buddy piled on an unassailable lead in The Coleman while his team introduced Coach Williams to caretaking at the [Read more]

The other Suns

    The Suns are playing the Demons at the G.   I would have been there but a freaky wall of the most horribly foul weather kept my plane from taking off.   So it’s for two reasons I’m thrilled to hear the Suns Reserves are taking on Mt Gravatt Vultures in an NEAFL [Read more]

Fitzroy: Part I

Fitzroy Pt. 1   Lou barracked for Geelong and had a wicked laugh. All bongs and cackles. I’d had my wost year ever, at the club I liked least, and had qualified for reserves finals. Fuck the ‘locals first’ policy. I played a corker. We lost anyway. The season was done. As planned, Lou and [Read more]

The Footygods: the Trojan wars

The Trojans were unbeatable at home. They had a walled city by the water. They were able to defend easily and they could sweep out of their city to attack their enemy. They could always replenish their wounded soldiers. After a few years, the invading armies started thinking that they couldn’t win. The Trojan wars [Read more]

September? Let the narrative be complicated.

August 29 and there is a hint of green on the birch and the possums have eaten every pink blossom off the peach tree. This has the potential to be a superb September, a writer’s treat. Sport always gives us stories, many of them wonderful, but this September promises a stack of possible complications. I [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – A costly call

I write this feeling like a bitter and twisted man. Hopefully by the end I have come round. The Warriors have had their season ripped apart by the most abhorrent refereeing decision of the year. Sorry if that sounds a bit over emotive but that’s what it feels like for a Warriors fan that will [Read more]