Carlton, you bastard

I don’t know how I feel, heading off soon to the last game of Carlton’s season, and the last game with Brett Ratten as coach. A lot of people have condemned the club for their treatment of him, and I think the media needs to take a fair bit of blame for his demise. It [Read more]

People and Memories: John Raleigh

For John Raleigh, lifelong North Melbourne supporter, the mid-1990s were strange times. He developed an attitude he’d rarely shown in his football life. An attitude usually associated with followers of larger, more successful clubs. Arrogance. ‘The ’90s were great,’ he says in the front room of his St. Helena home. ‘From ’94 onwards, for the [Read more]

AFL Round 23 – GWS Giants v North Melbourne: A result most unexpected

A beautiful day begins with a trip to the library and the grower’s markets. My wife has to work so will miss the last game of the year. Wayne is moving house, I should be helping, but the footy, gotta take the little fella to the footy (and besides – I hate moving house), so [Read more]

AFL Round 23 – Essendon v Collingwood: This is it

This is it, my last report for the year and what a match to finish the season. Essendon and Collingwood at the MCG Saturday night BLOCKBUSTER! Unfortunately we have had contrasting seasons. Essendon were ten wins and three losses until we versed St Kilda and we have only won one match since. Collingwood on the [Read more]

Flying in to play country footy with Thommo and Simmo

This year I played five games as a fly-in, fly-out player for Kyneton Football Club in the Bendigo Football League.  It definitely got a bit tedious due to spending over 10 hours of my weekend either on a plane or at the airport but generally it was an awesome experience and I got to meet [Read more]

Queensland footy: Adding to the past 30 years

As far as local football in Central Queensland is concerned, there are just 8 days remaining in the season. Disappointingly the only involvement Brothers will be having is hosting the Preliminary Final on Saturday September 1 at our Kele Park ground. Even more disappointing was the manner in which the reserves season ended and the [Read more]

Fitzroy Reds: What’s the score at Marcellin?

Margins, margins, margins; that was the topic that was on all lips out at the Brunswick Street Oval today. What’s the score at Marcellin; what’s the score at Marcellin; what’s the score at Marcellin; was the question posed ad nauseum. Now as a dentist I know something about margins. The margins of my crowns (these [Read more]

Off Season Odyssey Part 6: Excaliball

Footyhead of the Cove… Devil’s Kitchen, Moonlight Head, Victoria. I hope all the Knackers have a corker of a season on and off the oval next year. Matt Zurbo.

Sunday Morning Coming Down

2012 was total football The modern coach doesn’t flirt with form, they answer journalists’ questions truthfully or not at all, they control what can be controlled, they enact a strategy. The media don’t like this. They can’t acknowledge that for players, the contest is just a relentlessly, moment by moment battle. A zazen state where [Read more]

VFL: Willy nearly did a Bully

Got very excited to see my seconds team were on the telly this afternoon. No I don’t mean Richmond or Fremantle (after a recent trip to WA and looking at their ground in Freo and noticing it was the home of The Bulldogs [South Fremantle]) . Yes I was desperate to see a link to [Read more]

Brett’s Last Hurrah

  Hello? Yes, Brett. What? You don’t want me to call you Brett today? Oh. Mr. Ratten? No? Um… Rats? Yes, yes, I can hear you… Oh, I thought you were cursing. Serious? Jesus on a cross? What, as if it’s a name? I know, yes I know you still have three hours to go [Read more]

Stars align for Australian cricket

The stars are aligning nicely for Australian cricket. The English empire is crumbling and Australia is motoring along nicely in the UAE. It’s been a big week, and the resignation of Andrew Strauss was by far the biggest part of it. His decision came as no surprise. He has been in ordinary form for two [Read more]

AFL Round 23: More thoughts from Harms

Harms has many queries on Round 23 – and he wants answers.

Gold Coast gold

By Rick Kane

Ratten was sacked by Carlton this week and this story is not about that. This story is about the team that would win the premiership, if awarded based on the team with the most exotic names.

The Pre-Wrap – Round 23: What a year

And what week it’s been in Footy Eddie. And what a year. It’s about to end for some this weekend. No need to name names; they know who they are. Some hang up the nikes till next season; some for good. But let’s not get maudlin; there’s the finals to come.

Ammos Division 1: All roads lead to Elsternwick

With the weather taking a decidedly spring-like turn for the better, in the air around town we can suddenly detect whiff of finals. The hard slog of eighteen rounds of preliminaries is over, and now we have arrived at the big show. Let’s be honest: for a number of weeks now the final four has [Read more]

Let the Finals begin……

Carlton’s abject failure has been a godsend for the Bombers whose fall from a leading contender has been spectacular, how long before the Golden Boy gets the treatment that Ratten has received? Again injuries cruelled the Bombers, but they have their plans. From a mere mortal perspective I am not sure inducing lots of injuries is a great strategy – hamstring injuries are often repetitive and the more you tear ‘em the more likely it is you will tear ‘em again.

That’s Entertainment?

Predicting who will grace the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the 29 September has stretched the capacity of even the sharpest frontal lobes this season, and others such as Luke Darcy. But only now has the picture become clearer, since the AFL brains trust returned from their London Olympic Games reccy.  One place has actually been decided [Read more]

Crio’s racing: The 1st of September, 2012

“Wiser afterwards.” A stock answer to Monday’s Q: “How did you end up at the races?” I lacked conviction last week and failed to cash in on good hunches. It was nothing ventured, nothing gained. Also, I guess, no bet = no loss. We’ll be wiser again this Sunday after reviewing the Caulfield and Rosehill [Read more]

The day North won the flag

I started going to the footy with my brothers and father  in 1974. My first memory was my brother screaming “Ball”. I was watching him  with a mixture of awe and fear. I think I thought he was suffering from some kind of  madness. We were at the Lake Oval. North was playing South. I [Read more]