If you look close enough in the aftermath of the 2012 Summer Olympics, you’ll notice many athletes returning home feeling enormous pride and satisfaction with their performances in London, even though they never got near a dais, a medal ceremony or even a final.
People’s Elbow tribute sinks in mud
August 20, 2012 by 7 Comments
This was intended to be a ‘People’s Elbow’ tribute. Or possibly a gratuitous rip-off. It would be filled with short, punchy paragraphs which were frequently humorous and even more frequently vengeful against my own team. There was to be a photo or two, possibly a youtube clip and a lather of footnotes. All of these [Read more]
People and Memories – part 3: Gerard Egan
August 20, 2012 by 3 Comments
People and Memories Gerard Egan – Richmond FC With only three finals campaigns and equally exasperating off-field fortunes since Richmond’s last Premiership in 1980, why do Tiger supporters keep the faith? For Gerard Egan, Richmond Cheer Squad Chairman, the answer is obvious. ‘Belief. We are eternally optimistic. Every year we turn up and think this [Read more]
The Reverend remains faithful in Afghanistan
August 20, 2012 by 17 Comments
I lazily roll out of bed and wander down to the shops. “Salaam alaekum.” This isn’t Sydney Rd, Brunswick. This is Kabul, Afghanistan. I grab the basics – bread, eggs, juice – and introduce a new (expat) neighbour to my bootleg booze dealer; a teenage shop assistant called Sadam Hussein. That’s his actual name. He [Read more]
Holidaying on Fantasy Island
August 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
By John Green Where else would Richmond supporters stay in Perth, but Richardson’s Hotel and Spa in Richardson Street? At number 32 no less, Ben Cousin’s ID at Tigerland. Richmond is taking on Fremantle. While it’s a sunny Saturday morning on this side of the country with a projected maximum of 24 degrees, it’s 15 [Read more]
Eddie Betts’s shorts the highlight
August 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
By Rod Oaten As far as I’m concerned the highlight of the game was the size of Eddie Bett’s shorts. I used to blame the Brotherhood for not finding him a better size, but I recently read an article on John Nicholls and I reckon Eddie found a pair made for him all those years [Read more]
Late season blues
August 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
Everything is falling apart for me. Early Saturday, the first time in three weeks we played tennis, it got washed out when we were playing our third set. To make it even more annoying, we had to drive 45 minutes to get there for one set. At least we got something. Our big rivals, who [Read more]
Mud, Mud, Monash and Glorious Mud
August 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Gee, it was wet down at the Brunswick Street Oval, oops I mean the W T Peterson Community Oval. Mud, mud everywhere prompting Luke Ablett, who didn’t play, to Tweet that the day reminded him of playing down at Drouin in the under twelves. It reminded me of working with cattle in the winter when [Read more]
AFL Round 21 – Port Adelaide v West Coast: The End Hunger/Hungry Jacks Cup
August 19, 2012 by 1 Comment
I have a major dislike for the early Sunday starts. By the time you’ve slept in, lazed around watching Offsiders and finished breakfast you have to make tracks to see the game.
Swans are live
August 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
With the Sydney Swans experiencing a somewhat unseen resurgence it feels appropriate to mention another bunch of Swans also making their own understated comeback this year. Born in the bowels of NYC in the early ‘80’s the band Swans, led by Michael Gira, have been unleashing their genre-defining sound on the world for thirty years [Read more]
MRP – it’s the humans, stupid
August 19, 2012 by 15 Comments
We all remember the old AFL tribunal – well some of us do. It was hopeless. Subjective as all get out. Inconsistent. Biased. Incredibly frustrating. Everybody agreed, even the AFL commissioners. There had to be a better way. So they scoured the globe, looked at other systems, and decided that the solution was to go [Read more]
Out of control
August 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The fracas at West Sydney’s first (practice) “rivalry” match raised eyebrows. How do you promote “enemy” and avoid its escalation to violence? Here’s the extreme of “fan” power and danger…from Argentina http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/the-beautiful-game-breaking-bad/311/
There’s a party happening and we’re not invited
August 18, 2012 by 6 Comments
1. The leaders I just heard Nick Riewoldt on SEN on Saturday morning. He was up in the coaching box last night at the game, sitting alongside the HULK Eric Bana who was their guest. Nick said there were a few air punches in the third quarter and the beginning of the last (matching [Read more]
Canberra’s Own
August 18, 2012 by 4 Comments
By Carl Murphy Canberra is a crossroads of the football civilisations. It has its own Rugby League and Rugby Union teams, and even had its own soccer team in the national competition for many years until continued failure meant everyone gave up and went home. But despite a flourishing local competition, it had never really [Read more]
Sydney’s rich Australian football history
August 17, 2012 by 5 Comments
By Miles Wilks It is a commonly held belief that Sydneysiders have had an almost non-existent role in the game at the top level, yet the fact is that as many as 80 players have been recruited from Sydney to the VFL/AFL. Amongst the “no-name” players recruited from Sydney is a player who kicked the [Read more]
A superior draft system
August 17, 2012 by 13 Comments
By Peter Zitterschlager Recently, under the auspices of a … ahem … sports company I formed, I proposed a draft system to the AFL. The system was developed by my associate (with enhancements by myself), and believing we had a winner, we were confident the AFL would be interested. Unfortunately, after repeated efforts to catch [Read more]
Coaching movements in the NTFL
August 17, 2012 by 2 Comments
By Jackson Clark It is set to be an interesting lead up to the 2012/13 Northern Territory Football League season with a number of coaching movements announced throughout the off season. Heading the list is former St Marys coach Damian Hale’s decision to leave the Saints and take on the top job at Nightcliff. A [Read more]
Was that Assumption Day that just went by?
August 17, 2012 by 8 Comments
It will come as no surprise to anyone (especially to The Handicapper) that I didn’t know what day it was on Wednesday. I see, now, it was Assumption Day all around the Christian world (except for Brisbane , where it was the Ekka holiday – but that’s another story). It is a day of Holy [Read more]
Down, but definitely not out
August 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It always saddens me a little when it is confirmed that a club has been relegated. In those immediate awful moments, it can seem like years of grinding and grafting and striving to climb the competitive rungs of the Ammos divisional ladders have been laid to waste in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, the dreaded axe [Read more]
The Pre-Wrap – Round XXI
August 17, 2012 by 3 Comments
THE PRE WRAP – ROUND XXI FOR THE PHILOSOPHICAL MARNGROOK FAN What a week it’s been in Footy Eddie. Brad Green has followed Brad Miller, Cameron Bruce, Brock Mclean & James McDonald out the door at Melbourne. You’ve been a Loyal Servant of The Club Brad, and you’ve given us some great moments. After the [Read more]
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