The 10.12 to Epping

The Epping line has been part of my life for near on seven years. It’s called the South Morang line now. I can’t refer to it as that. It has no meaning.

Round 23 preview

A few thoughts from Harms on the final round of the AFL.

League Teams

Stephen Alomes is trying to check an unusual fact, which goes back to Lou, Jack and Bobby.

Haiku Bob: so little done

Haiku Bob’s take on the recent West Coast v Collingwood match

Saints of all seasons

The Saints have had a year very much like my most recent set of holidays. Weather wise that is. Instead of attending the Saints v. Geelong game on the Friday night, my boyfriend and I chose to watch the game on TV at university in Bathurst, and rather than spend the next two weeks in [Read more]

EPL: Hammers hammmered by rampaging Swansea

  Swansea 3-0 West Ham   What an amazing start to the season for Swansea. Eight goals in their first two games after managing just 44 last season. West Ham was humiliated in their second outing back in the big time. Early on it was the Hammers making all the running as Swansea continually turned [Read more]

Discussion: Today’s Champions

    Right now I’m wondering if Martin Pike was a Champion. Four Premierships, All-Australians. A B&F. He did it in winning sides, he did it with no support at Fitzroy. What about John Blakey? Rohan Smith? Both played over 300 games of elite level football. Many say you can’t reach that number without being [Read more]

Neville Strauch: A man for all seasons and age groups

The late Neville Strauch, a legend of the Bendigo Football League, was one of those rare people in football who was able to make the transition from club footy to the bigger arena of football development.

The View from Shepparton: Round 22

Another great round of footy with of course some really unexpected results. I found the Richmond Essendon game interesting for a couple of reasons, the first being that I marvelled as to how a team (Richmond) could have so much of the play and yet only be 29 points up at the half time break [Read more]

DA Puzzle of the Round (23)

David Astle signs off with his final puzzle of the season.

An AFL petition calling for a supporters’ election

Paul Spinks has had enough. He is calling for a supporters’ advocate to take the grass roots message to city hall. Will you join him?

1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 22, Saturday 30 August, v South Melbourne, Lake Oval

Richmond’s run to the 1980 premiership struck a significant speed bump in the guise of South Melbourne at the Lake Oval, leaving a young Sam Steel to ask: What strange meteorological Bermuda Triangle operates down here?

The last Sunday in August

You see it every September in the Herald-Sun. Photographs of victorious premiership sides in suburban and country leagues across the state. Jubilant players leaning into a huddle. Laughing out loud and yelling “Yeah, you beauty!”

At the races with Dad

My father always had superstitions with numbers. He always told me to take quinellas, 5 and 7 always. For what reasons, no one really knows, yet there are times now when I’m at the track when I hear his voice, ” 5 and 7″. I just say,” yeah, yeah, 5 and 7 dad, I know”.

AFL Round 22: Winners and Losers

If the Hawks-Swans match is a sign of things to come, then September is going to be a tremendous month for footy fans (Blues fans excluded). This was football. The SCG was rocking.

Almanac Rugby League – NRL Round 25: Melbourne v Cronulla – Storm rises like Lazarus – again

You know things are going bad when the team’s padre can be seen leaving the ground before the final siren. Apologies to Father Bob for giving up on the Melbourne Storm in their round 25 match against Cronulla, but seriously, who leaves a game when you have three of the game’s finest in your line-up?

AFL Round 22: The 2012 ‘Mopsy’ Fraser Cup

Greetings Tipsters So how was the penultimate round for you? Good for some, great for others, devastating, embarassing and maybe the first waves of relief that pretty soon you won’t have to be humiliated by the silly buggers out there wearing the same colours as yourself. That’d be the Mosquitoes, wouldn’t it? Early on, the [Read more]

Footy as Religion: A Myth for All Seasons

By Phil Dimitriadis Man has built in himself images as a sense of security – religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, and beliefs. The burden of these dominates man’s thinking, relationships and his daily life. (J. Krishnamurti)   Corporate, religious and political rhetoric often sits comfortably with Australian Rules expression and its desire [Read more]

People and Memories: Barry Ross, St.Kilda Cheer Squad

Every football club has people like Barry Ross. Dedicated, unflinching volunteers, working quietly behind the scenes, sweeping floors, running the canteen, selling raffle tickets. In a life given to St. Kilda, Barry’s done all that and more. These days he drives the bus for the cheer squad.

AFL Round 22: Freo, give song heave ho before finals

And Greatness Is upon us…the 8 teams are now left to jockey for positions in the last round and history is made when for the first time ever when 10 teams miss out. Make the most of the finals opportunity or waste it at your peril… Speaking of Timmy Rogers and greatness how about Zeus [Read more]