“For God’s sake, Moncrieff, learn how to kick!” No, this wasn’t the rant of a frustrated Hawthorn fan trapped among the Tiger hordes. This was me, sotto voce, willing Hawthorn to make a game of it. For Richmond fans today, even a small string of wins is regarded as cause for wild celebration. The notion [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 12, Monday 16 June, v Hawthorn, MCG
The madness of marches and referees
Euro 2012 coverage by Lee Hugh McGowan Australia 1 – 1 Japan Before we get to it, let’s have a wee minute for the Socceroos performance. It was brave, it was hearty and arguably it was against a much better side. A side coming off the back of a couple of big wins. They [Read more]
Long may She reign
V.A.F.A: DIVISION ONE REPORT. RD 7 Although I am a staunch republican, there is one weekend each year when I make sure I raise my glass and toast Her Majesty, praising her generosity in granting her subjects a Monday morning sleep-in in mid-June. (I am told that this year is even more special, as there is [Read more]
Voulez-vous footy avec moi?
Forty years on, Vin Maskell recalls the dedication of a classmate during French lessons In 1973 we had French before footy. We had masculine and feminine nouns before running around on the Frere Jacques Hamilton Oval. We had singular and plural verbs before scratch matches amongst the boys of Form Three at le college [Read more]
Bendigo in golden form against Coburg – VFL Round 11 Bendigo Gold v Coburg Tigers (Shepparton)
The Bendigo Gold have continued their run towards a top four spot in the VFL with a comprehensive 76 point thrashing of Coburg in their regional clash in Shepparton. They are now just one game and percentage away from Werribee in fourth place following their third win in a row. Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve was [Read more]
Rd 11 2012 FEARLESS – Bye week 1…the mid season draft does have appeal, your club’s list may need some work or top up players…
BYE: Adelaide, Brisbane, GWS, North Melbourne, West Coast, Western Bulldogs (In racecalling mode…) Coming into the straight Corio Hoops is going neck and neck with the Navy Juddernaut; jockey Best Selwood cracks the whip on Corio Hoops after sliding head movements and Navy Juddernaut has fallen a neck behind. Trainers Scott Brother and Ratts Ears [Read more]
Heart Palpitations
You know that feeling you get when you know something’s about to go wrong? It’s that feeling of uncertainty, nervousness and concern. I hate it. Football is great at making people feel this way. I often say, there should be health restrictions that appear on the back of a football ticket. “If you have a [Read more]
DA Puzzle of the Round (12)
Discover the world of David Astle here. But first, can you solve this week’s puzzle? Two coaches in our cross hairs this week. Amazingly, one coach’s name contains a body part that may painfully observe the verb that lies inside the second coach’s name. Can you identify the anatomy and action of these two game-time [Read more]
Both Extremes
Sorry my report is a bit late! Here it is. After school on Friday, you would drive home right? We usually do that but today it was different. We drove up to Bendigo to play in the Association and Regional Challenge. I was playing for the second year in a row for the PTA. It [Read more]
Back to the Big City
So, last week I booked some tickets to the SCG for the Cats v Swans match in a couple of Fridays time. It’s a pretty big game now. One of those famed ‘8 point games’. The Swannies are flying, and my Cats are starting to gather some momentum themselves. A win for either team could [Read more]
The 2012 ’Mopsy’ Fraser Cup – Round Eleven
Greetings Tipsters It starts, it stops, it starts again, stacks on the mill, twenty players within 20 metres of the ball, one falls on the ball, a dozen more fall on him, everyone stands around watching for a while until the umpire whistles and those prone are dragged to their feet one by one and [Read more]
Bordering on plain in the Ukraine
Euro 2012 – Day 4 Group D England 1 – 1 France Ukraine 2 – 1 Sweden Our favourite studio team changed dramatically. McAllister the stalwart was playing the defensive role and Hamann was quickly substituted for an attack-minded Gary Breen. Last night, the line up changed into something far less glamorous. Dempsey is still [Read more]
What happens when two (or more) clubs merge?
John Harms from ABC Grandstand and footyalmanac.com.au here. I do a segment with Walshy and the boys on ABC SA each Saturday. This week Walshy has set me some homework. He wants to hear stories of club mergers and is especially keen to find out what has happened to The naming of the new club [Read more]
Your most frustrating sporting moment
Tell me dear reader, what is your most frustrating sporting moment? The underarm delivery? Jim Stynes running across the mark against Hawthorn’s Gary Buckenara in the 1987 Preliminary Final? Milne seemingly hanging back near the goal square in the drawn 2010 Grand Final only to see the ball jag the wrong way? For Adelaide Crows [Read more]
Unsociable supporter
At three quarter time of the Swans vs Bombers I was having a relaxing Saturday, the next 30 minutes exposed my seedy underbelly. I have to face the facts – I am an unsociable supporter. The day started so in great fashion, despite a bumpy week where young Jack was feeding poorly and I feared [Read more]
Pies prevail on the Queen’s birthday
By Paul O’Connell It’s a Public Holiday, usually cold, and we usually win. So it is great that the “usuallys” prevailed on the day. We continue to field several inexperienced players (who continue to stand up) due to our injury list. Sadly Dids was added to the injury list with his attempt on goal very [Read more]
Something special
This was an away week, a game the Saints played in the rain on the Sunshine Coast. It had been planned for the whole year to go to Judy and Mark’s house and watch this game on pay TV. Their daughter Amanda is my footy daughter. Their newer daughter, four year old Zoe, was our [Read more]
crio’sQ?…budget buys!
Not a lot of people saw Tino Best make the highest score for a Number 11 in Test history. It’s a “dead rubber”. The first 2 days were total washouts. The Windies had limped through a gloomy 3rd day to finish at 8/280. And…general admission was over 40 quid! Cold. Gloomy. Irrelevant. What were they [Read more]
Corowa races; Queens Birthday, Saturday
For the third time this year Maryanne and I headed up the Hume to attend the Corowa races. As we know this weekend coincides with a famous Queen’s birthday, so we were in a festive mood. How would we fare? On the January 28 meet I doubled my return, but on Cup day, during the [Read more]
Blues of the father
I dread Geelong playing on a Friday night these days. Last couple years it was ideal. Finish work, head home or to the pub with the boys, couple of frothies and watch the Cats paste whoever was unlucky enough to be fixtured in for that week. Not this year. Geelong’s general dominance of the last [Read more]











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