Passing the Man U Baton

What is passing the Man U Baton?   It works like this. A Man U fan (in fact you don’t even have to be a fan) writes a report of the opening fixture of the EPL season: Man U away to West Bromwich Albion. Then they tee up a mate anywhere in the world to [Read more]

Castigate – the AFL scandal

    From an uncannily innocuous inception similar to the matter of fact break in that incited the Watergate Scandal (Nixon and “Deep Throat’; what an unfortunate coincidence) the Castigate scandal is about to blow the AFL open. No doubt there are plans being identified and executed at this very moment to make the whole [Read more]

Football’s Messiah Complex Lives On

The modern football ‘industry’ tries very hard to portray itself as a serious business run on serious business lines. The jargon of the boardroom has long since infiltrated the change room. No club CEO would be caught dead without his full complement of KPI’s , spreadsheets and mission statements. Sports administration is taught alongside MBA’s [Read more]

Local Footy: Finals around the corner (over a bridge, down a highway, past the pub….)

For a lot of leagues around the country, the month of September (once known as Septopia around 2007 according to the AFL) represents the opportunity for the best of the best to go after the silverware, pennants and copious amounts of celebratory beverages that are associated with ultimate glory. It does vary a little though [Read more]

For the record(s)…the ones created at Kardinia Park on Saturday

If you didn’t view the carnage at KP on Saturday, you can view each goal – blow by blow – here. For the more statistically orientated amongst us, read on… 1. The only match where a team scored 50 points or more each quarter.Hawthorn in round 20, 1992 v Essendon scored 55,55,57 and 49. Fitzroy [Read more]

Crio’s question: the world’s great shellackings

This week’s question has to be about shellackings after the Cats stunning win on Saturday. Mind you, the Crows the week before were not much better, losing by over 100 points to a side that didn’t even kick 20 goals. Trouncings have a macabre place in sporting folklore and, as we’ve seen, the fallout can be [Read more]

Phlegmatic Flegg Reaches Milestone

This week, another AFL games record will be broken. And could there be a more deserving man to take over the mantle? I think not. *          *          * The casual football observer would be unaware of the preparation and dedication required to be an umpire in this era of professionalism. Long gone are the days [Read more]

The Footygods: Sisyphus

Sisyphus came from a famous family although he didn’t like some of them all that much. He had a brother called Salmoneus who he spent much of his time trying to kill. It seems that he liked killing people generally. People would stay at his place and he would kill them too. It didn’t go [Read more]

When the Demons Lost Respect

Sometimes individuals, teams, and organisations get ahead of themselves. Geelong used to be accused of that. Players were big fish in a small pond. Win, lose or draw, they were feted. Success at the highest level was always dreamed of, but having a team in the VFL/AFL was good enough in Sleepy Hollow. The fact [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Monday nights

Monday night was good for nothing much at all in the old days. Except rissoles and mash and getting over the trauma of returning to work. Footy training was on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do remember one Monday night, though, in the mid-80s when my mate PJ and I decided to go to the Keperra [Read more]

No Harmony For Dees

I’ve got a touch of the flu at present. That dreaded winter flu that hangs around like a fart in church. I thought I had it tossed last week and as a result maybe pushed things a bit hard. It came back at me on Friday with particular viciousness; roaring red throat, headaches, enormous lethargy. [Read more]

Footy is like a meat pie

Standing Room is your stock standard pie ‘n sauce – and it’s my favourite choice on the footy menu.  Crowded standing room, with your Pies mates, a few beers (and a Four ‘n Twenty, of course), a few opposition fans (but not too many), plenty of banter and some good natured insults.  You get the [Read more]

The tradition continues

Father/Son/Grandson bonding day at the “G” for the Essendon v Collingwood game. It actually started about 30 years ago and the first time we got together was at Victoria Park. The grandson for reasons that still puzzle me, decided to barrack for the Magpies, Dad and I, Don tragics.   When these “blockbusters” were staged at [Read more]

What Makes Them Tick?

    Cameron Ling seems like a top bloke. That counts. In my books, anyway. He used to surf Joanna Beach, and Castles, where I lived. I’d see him with his mates, up on the ridge, at the tavern, being Cameron. No tags on himself. I wonder what he thinks before a game? Does he [Read more]

Crisis = Opportunity

  by Andrew Gigacz So, Bailey’s been bumped as Demon coach. I can see the headlines now: “BAILS FAILS” “DEMON EXORCISED” “HUMILIATING DEFEAT NAILS BAILS” The call has already gone out on the Twitterverse for the Demons to pursue Malthouse at all costs. But I’m still focussing on this year. Melbourne are still only a [Read more]

Stevie da Vinci

Both sets of fans trudged out of Kardinia Park disappointed. Melbourne supporters had to swallow their team’s sheer ineptitude, insipidness, lack of effort, lack of spirit and lack of pride. One Demon, who was harder to understand than a Glaswegian bus driver, took solace in the fact that he attended the 36.22.(238) to 6.12.(48) debacle [Read more]

Atlas Shrugged

What do you say about a game like that?  Eagles brilliant for 70 minutes.  Legless for 40.  Gutsy for 10.  We’ll take the 4 points, but otherwise hard to say what it means for September prospects. The game came down to run and clearances.  The Eagles had it all until 10 minutes into the 3rd [Read more]

Geish unleashes

I had the same feeling reading about ‘the AFL’s second most annoying Jeff’ and his pontifical ruling on Ballantyne’s kick, as I did in February when I heard about the Big A admitting that the sole purpose of the pre-season mickey mouse comp was to hog the headlines. What many had long suspected is now [Read more]

North Melbourne v Carlton

29 July 2011 Friday night has started well. My four-year old daughter has been to swimming lessons. In the warm ups she was keeping pace with me as we kicked our first laps. This means that either I am slow, or she is quick. I’m putting my money on a combination of the two. We [Read more]

Almanac Gaelic Football: Kildare v Derry

    Croke Park, Dublin 4pm Sat July 23   By David Bruce   For just about the first time since we arrived in Ireland a week ago it’s not raining.  In fact, it’s a gorgeous morning, almost warm, as the kids and I make our way via playgrounds and a series of minor falls [Read more]