We Want Cossie

In choosing Mike Hussey as the replacement player for the injured Doug Bollinger, the Australian selectors have missed a big opportunity to mould the national team into a group with which the general public could more easily identify, and once again grow to love. Much has been written about the “disconnect” that the grass-roots cricket [Read more]

Home sweet Waverley

What’s it like living in the forward pocket of footy history? Vin Maskell took his camera to Waverley Park to see what happens when a stadium becomes a housing estate. You’ll find the pics at: http://www.23hq.com/vinm/album/6551185

Giga Bites 5 – Director’s Cut

Below is an extended version of Giga Bites, which appeared in the Saturday Age on 5th March, 2011. by Andrew Gigacz RYDERS RIDE AGAIN Two sporting Ryders were scheduled to be in action last night. Paddy Ryder was due to line up for Essendon in its NAB Cup semi-final against St Kilda; and Jesse Ryder [Read more]

Giga Bites 4 – Director’s Cut

Below is an extended version of Giga Bites, which appeared in the Saturday Age on 19th February, 2011. by Andrew Gigacz DRAWN-AGAIN SAINTS There appears to be something about drawn matches that attracts the St Kilda Football Club. Last Friday night the Saints drew with Essendon in Round 1 of the NAB Cup. This came, [Read more]

Giga Bites 3 – Director’s Cut

Below is an extended version of Giga Bites, which appeared in the Saturday Age on 19th February, 2011. by Andrew Gigacz FIRST UP WINNERS With cricket’s one-day World Cup kicking off tonight, advice might be in order for the captain who ends up winning the toss in the final on April 2. In seven of [Read more]

Real footy: kicking game

Kicking Game. Real Footy. I met Christiano at his home after work. He was covered in dust and stank of sweat. Another day like every other in twenty years on the demolition crew. He hit Billy and hit it and hit it and hit it and hit it and okay, he was ready to leave [Read more]

Tip the Top 8 comp

Each season Loose Men Charities and The Footy Almanac crew hold a tip the top eight competition. The idea is to select the finishing order (at the end of the home and away season) of the AFL’s top eight. It’s $10 to enter. Half the cash goes to the winner, and half goes to a [Read more]

Hidden gems

by Dips O’Donnell About twenty years ago I worked for a business called Visy Pack. The Visy Pack factory was next door to Visy Board which was a major part of Richard Pratt’s packaging empire. Visy Pack was situated at the end of Edwards Street in Reservoir just down the road from Edwards Lake. The [Read more]

Venue names

by Chris Riordan I’ve never been to Anfield – “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – but the hype preceding the EPL clash with ManU  rekindled a life’s ambition to visit the Merseyside stadium  – and I support neither Club. St. Kilda at Etihad or Arsenal at Emirates doesn’t carry the charm of El Clásico at the [Read more]

In A League of Its Own: Prelim Edition

Tom’s Weekly Outlook on the A-league After a long season, we are finally at the Grand Final, and after Brisbane emphatically destroyed every team in the competition, it came down to Central Coast and Gold Coast to decide who would take on the title favourites. Central Coast hosted Gold Coast on a beautiful Saturday night [Read more]

Up There Cazaly and The Myth of Icarus

Phil Dimitriadis presented this paper at the 150 Years of Australian Football Conference: Up There Cazaly and The Myth of Icarus: An exploration into the narrative of freedom and failure in Australian Rules football. This is the abstract. [Interesting – wish I heard it. JTH]

Book Launch: Tortured Tales

The Cricket Debate Continues

From: John Kingsmill JTH Don’t want to be a sourpuss but 36 quick responses to your grumpy rave doesn’t suggest a disconnect at all between cricket fans and the CA product. It suggests the complete opposite. Disconnect is not caring at all. Second point. Real cricket people. I have some difficulty with that concept. It [Read more]

First hit-out at The Bridge

Chasing the elusive bush premiership- PART 2 Thursday night was my first hit-out with my new club, Imperials as we took to the field for an intra-club practice match.  The only thing I hate more than a practice match is an intra-club practice match.  Playing and competing with your team mates feels very unnatural.  Part [Read more]

Almanac Racing: Australian Guineas Day

The much vaunted Australian Guineas meeting, slated for Saturday in perfect conditions at Flemington, presents an interesting but by no means outstanding card, seemingly sandwiched between the feature Diamond Day from last week and the hyped Super Saturday still to come.

Picture research- what is involved

By Roy Hay Last week Les Shorrock, the doyen of Victorian football (soccer) photographers, who worked for Soccer Action and the Age among others, sent me a copy of a picture from his files that he was unable to identify. It showed five players in action, three from one club and two from another. It [Read more]

You are in the Mix

So, the last time I could bear to write it was the week after the second Grand Final.  I’m sorry to say, it still hurts.  But let me fill you all in since then: Week one:  4th October The week was rough, we came back from the second Grand final and ripped down all the [Read more]

Olympic Park Report

It was a fitting end to O Park. The PA didn’t work a couple of times, I couldn’t read my program in the grandstand because the overhead lights above me were broken and it was a disappointingly low crowd.  The athletics was good for most of the night, but built to outstanding quality over the [Read more]

Fev: the timely role mode

  All the good ones are going: Martin Pike, Ben Cousins, now Fev. It’s a real shame. Not just for the colour football will now lack, not for the loss of their exquisite skills, but because they were great role models for my neighbour’s child. Real role models, from a real world. You see, someone [Read more]

World Cup: Ireland defeat England

Take that for the Potato Famine! Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien has scored the fastest century in World Cup history to steer his side from 5-111 to an amazing upset win over the English.