Migrants and Footy

Phil Dimitriadis be speaking with Lindy Burns tonight on ABC 774 at 7.30pm about Migrants and Footy. Hope Knackers get a chance to listen in, send a text or  call if you have a story to share.

USA to Australia- A young boy’s introduction to footy.

    My boys were born in Melbourne we moved to California when they were 2 and 3, they have spent the majority of there short lives in the USA. After living there for a little over a year there was a heartbreaking moment when I realised that my kids now sounded more American than [Read more]

The battle for Melbourne’s soul: Sporting Capital or International City of Culture?

AFL Grand Final day 2009. A young Japanese tourist wandered down Spring Street, Melbourne, dressed in a fashionable clinging top with blue and white horizontals. She was quickly surrounded by Geelong fans, vying to have their photo taken beside her. An observer described her as “utterly, utterly perplexed”.

A tale of two forwards

Heard Bill Ryan talking on the Coodabeens on Saturday. He was  a club stalwart in the halcyon days of footy, playing 167 games, kicking 220 goals. Memories of my early years as a Cats supporter. I first barracked for them in 1969, their eighth and last finals campaign in a great run. In 1970 they fell [Read more]

The 2012 ‘Mopsy’ Fraser Cup – Round Six

Greetings Tipsters I’ve watched the football on teev in many places, from my loungeroom to an open-air bar in Asia, but before Sunday, I’d never watched it in the Commanding Officer’s cabin of a heavily-armed warship. Perky Girl and I were given a tour of the ship by the CO and I was much taken [Read more]

Gideon Haigh book launch with John Clarke

The Footygods: Ajax the great

Ajax the great was tall, big strong and smart. When he was born, Heracles threw a lion skin around him and prayed that the baby’s skin would be just as tough and his courage just as strong. Zeus came through on most of that but left the skin soft around his neck just to show [Read more]

No Foxtel? No problem! There’s always the radio

Saturday mornings are frantic. Filling up water bottles, treating any niggles and getting a tennis bag ready, it isn’t easy! As My Dad, brother and I get in the car, we get half way along the neighbouring street until Dad says, “Max do you have any tennis balls?” We turn back.

Tipping with the head, not the heart

This year I’m in a tipping competition at my mother’s retirement home.  The week-day manager is a bright and energetic woman, a footy nut and has 20 or so people, staff, family and residents, involved, including my mum, sister and I.  Mum just tips who she likes, Denise and I take it a little more [Read more]

A Luculia Winter

I’m a mass murderer of luculias. At last count I’ve killed six of them, though one of the six died because it wasn’t potted up correctly at the nursery. I reckon I could get off that with a grievous bodily harm rap.

Crio’s Q: Eye-catching grounds

It must be Subi”, I deduced, glancing at the screen. There they were….M, M, M, M – the “messages on hold” stalwarts waving their signs behind the goal umpire. Somehow this amuses me. It also locates the venue. Bearings were not so evident before Saturday night’s FA Cup Final. Sure, everyone knows that is played at [Read more]

Scarf

I went to my second Super Rugby fixture last Friday night, and I wouldn’t be lying if I said I enjoyed it more than my first. There were plenty of tries, there was skill shown by both large and small, and the kicking for goal (I’m pretty sure that’s not the correct turn of phrase) [Read more]

Conflicted

A football love-hate story It’s happening and I swear I had nothing little to do with it. A couple months ago my wife dragged took my five year old boy to church. To her incredulity, out of nowhere he started singing Good old Collingwood for da ever (sic).

Round 6 Winners and Losers

Round 6 is done and dusted and only one undefeated team remains. It will be remembered for giving us some great games, some horrible games and Joshua Bootsma. Winners West Coast Eagles Winners because they are the last remaining undefeated team. Losers because their entire list is going to be out with injury by round [Read more]

Ritual or routine?

Growing up, footy, for our family, was a matter of ritual. Each season developed its own rhythm, its own timetable, and we would find ourselves doing the same thing at the same time each week. Church, school, Saladas and Vegemite and Adventure Island after-school and then kick-to-kick, Monday’s newspaper to read, and F-Troop, being allowed [Read more]

Superdogs lick their wounds

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AFL MASTERS – ROUND THREE: RIVERLAND SUPERDOGS V ADELAIDE UNI GREYS The Riverland Superdogs’ winning start ended with a heavy loss to a classy and skilful Adelaide Uni Greys at Lyrup Oval on Sunday. Injuries and illness to key players did not help as the hosts went down by 94 points. Adelaide Uni [Read more]

Pies do it without the umpires – again

There will be fireworks. There will yelling and cheering. There will be dancing in the streets. The Prime Minister of the day will tell the people of Australia that any boss who sacks their employee for not attending work the next day is a bum. And I want to be there to witness the event [Read more]

The Hardest Working Men in Football

What a week it’s been in life and footy, Eddie.  Sorry, I’m suffering from Wrap Deprivation Syndrome.  Who would have thought that he’d desert TLSWRF* and take the $1.5 million a season from GWS to ghost write Sheeds’ column for the Blacktown Bugle? (*The Long Suffering Wrap Reader Faithful). 

Mosquito fleet helps Bombers soar

The “refugee” from Jersey rang me up earlier in the week to see if I was free to go and see the Dons take on Brisbane. Not a lot was on for me, so the answer was a quick yes.  Now I don’t have a lot of love for the Emptyhead Stadium behind Spencer Street  [Read more]

First in, best dressed

It is hard sometimes following AFL when attending university in NSW. With their obvious passion for league and union, footy comes third at best with the majority of my student colleagues. I am almost half way through my third year in Bathurst, and in all the time that I have been here, I have never been [Read more]