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
July 31, 2011 by 8 Comments
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
July 31, 2011 by 1 Comment
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
July 31, 2011 by 3 Comments
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
July 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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]
The Vikings are coming, the Vikings are coming…..
July 31, 2011 by 2 Comments
On Thursday the Vikings arrived in the form of the parents of the bride. Zamir’s son is getting married on the 7th August to a lovely Swedish girl he met in Thailand. My daughter and I visited the family in Sweden in January while on our adventure, so we met these good and friendly people, [Read more]
Excitement gives way to disappointment
July 30, 2011 by 6 Comments
Friday and I’m a mixture of emotions. Excited, nervous, full of anticipation. It is a foreign feeling, that’s for sure. And it shouldn’t be. Why oh why does the AFL hate us? Why do we receive dead-rubber Sunday evening games all the time? Why do we never get full exposure on national television? We get [Read more]
Presumptuous Titilations
July 29, 2011 by 1 Comment
Friday. Even with a contact schedule of seven hours a week that word induces a smile. For today as the English and Indians redraw their bows, Cadel celebrates his fifth day in heaven and Australia rub their eyes reading “Magnussen wins in Shanghai”, I enjoy presumptuous titillations of a win in Gosford. Far short of [Read more]
Jack Donkersley
July 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Photo and words by Peter Argent During the annual under 15s SANFL championships Glenelg key forward Jack Donkersley and his Norwood opponent Luke Tomaselli attacking the football with vigour not seen enough at the top level. The Bays went on to comfortably win the semi final and now face off against North Adelaide in the [Read more]
AFL – Pay the Advantage Rule
July 29, 2011 by 2 Comments
I think its time the authorities fixed the advantage rule, as it is certainly one of the most frustrating and contentious aspects of the game. I can’t see any reason to not follow the example set in one of the rugby codes (union I think) where the referee doesn’t always blow the whistle at the first [Read more]
Sal’s Tips: Round 19
July 29, 2011 by 5 Comments
I commented last week on the British Open victory by a fat bloke who dealt with the conditions as they were presented, I think exactly the same can be said of Cadel Evans who dealt with the weather, the mountains and the competition as they were presented. He has changed since his runners up efforts [Read more]
The Recurring Dream
July 29, 2011 by 13 Comments
Every once in a while I have this dream. It is April 1990. The light is always the same. The last waves of summer have passed but there is still enough warmth to obfuscate the chill in the air. Footy season has commenced with its majestic ephemera and hyperbole. I’m part of a team. [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Saturday 30 July
July 29, 2011 by 17 Comments
It’s time to face the impending (racing) New Year with some upbeat reflections after (my) last week’s death notice for our Industry! There are always great stories in this game, whether they involve man or beast. Or, in this case, woman. Perhaps rather than lamenting the morgue at Sandown the other Wednesday, I should [Read more]
Footy Almanac Race Day
July 29, 2011 by 7 Comments
The inaugural footyalmanac.com.au handicap will be run today at Geelong. A hardy band of Almanackers will be wining/dining/punting their way through the afternoon. Follow the action through the afternoon. (Some more excitable types might even apply the tag ‘interactive’ to this experiment. Good punting!
England win determinedly at Lord’s
July 28, 2011 by 9 Comments
What a fitting finish to cricket’s 2000th Test match at Lord’s last Monday: a full house on a fifth day thanks to some innovative thinking from the MCC, a cosmopolitan and infectious atmosphere, and plenty of hard and meaningful Test cricket. It was a joy to behold for Australian cricket connoisseurs following the [Read more]
Circle the Cars
July 28, 2011 by 1 Comment
NORTH MELBOURNE – 4.7 8.10 12.15 17.20 (122) BRISBANE 4.0 8.5 10.6 11.11 (77) Best: Black (BL) 3, Bastinac (NM) 2 and Petrie (NM) 1 Dust off the picnic blanket and make sure the car battery is fully charged, the AFL’s least popular non-Victorian team is playing Melbourne’s least popular team at [Read more]
Anticipation
July 28, 2011 by 5 Comments
I’ve been looking forward to this game all year. I cut a few extra loads of wood on Friday, finishing past sunset, just to be tired. To sleep early, but couldn’t. I should have gone to the pub, done my routine. Watched some AFL while nursing a few beers, letting small Friday talk bounce off [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 13, 15th July, 1911
July 28, 2011 by 18 Comments
Even at this early stage in the VFL’s existence, football had insinuated itself through all levels of Melbourne society, managing to simultaneously exemplify and transcend class divisions within the city. For a clear example of this you needed to look no further than the Essendon and Collingwood clubs as they prepared to face each other [Read more]
A Sporting Weekend
July 28, 2011 by 15 Comments
Friday evening. I am on the footpath outside the North Fitzroy Arms on the phone to a Swedish car wrecker. The family Volvo has died. He has offered less than the value of the computer which we have recently had re-soldered so that the air-conditioner is not stuck on Saharan Gale. Max walks by chomping [Read more]
Neil Who?
July 28, 2011 by 10 Comments
When Neil Craig was appointed to the senior coaching role at the end of 2004, the common reaction outside of South Australia was “Neil who?”. He was a man who did not follow the usual path to AFL coaching. He had no AFL playing experience, although he did play over 300 games in the SANFL. [Read more]
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