For the second time in two years, we saw Essendon vs. Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium. Both came off close wins in the first round and both were eighth and ninth respectively. Last time these teams met, Port was up by 34 points in the last quarter and Essendon won by seven points. It is [Read more]
A lil bit of Essendon and a whole lotta Collingwood
April 8, 2012 by 6 Comments
What started as Father-Daughter Footyday became Father-Daughter-Uncle Footyday :) First we hit Etihad Stadium to watch my uncle John’s Bombers beat Port Adelaide.
You can’t choose your family…or your Footy club!!!
April 8, 2012 by 7 Comments
In case it escaped your attention last year, esteemed journalist Patrick Smith took the astonishing step of turning his back on four generations of Essendon-supporting tradition, trading the Bombers in for my club Richmond! Smith’s actions were in protest of his ‘former clubs’ handling of the controversial James Hird and Mark Thompson coaching appointments, using [Read more]
Let’s Get Physical
April 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Track Cycling World Championships – Night Three Patrick O’Keeffe April 7, 2012. The night is all about Anna Meares and Victoria Pendleton. This is where the drama is, the excitement and the tension. Meares and Pendleton don’t like eachother, by all accounts. This rivalry is intensified in the first of three sprints in [Read more]
A push and a rush and the game is ours
April 6, 2012 by 12 Comments
Collingwood’s 50 Most Sensational Games Round 4, 1987 Collingwood 2.4.16 4.10.34 7.11.53 16.14.110 Richmond 3.5.23 7.7.49 14.8.92 15.10.100 VENUE: VFL Park DATE: Saturday 20 April CROWD: 36,749 UMPIRES: Robinson, Forster COLLINGWOOD B Christian Gayfer Kerrison HB Brown Manson Keays C Millane Turner Bradbury HF Fielke Starcevich Rizonico F Banks Taylor Croall FOLL Cloke, Atkins, Ryan [Read more]
Setting the Bar High
April 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
In this Olympic year, thoughts go to many and varied events across those two weeks of that competition which comes around once every four years: events that would be given barely a second thought by any of us at any other time. My thoughts seem to have wandered to the field event of high jump. [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: the Easter schedule
April 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Easter schedule has certainly changed in NSW and tomorrow (Saturday) we see the Slipper being run at Rosehill. Tinkler’s scratching of All Too Hard and some tough draws for challengers have made it look very much like Samaready’s year. I was taken with the effort of the maiden Narcissus and must respect all of [Read more]
McIntyre’s Olympic Legacy
April 5, 2012 by 7 Comments
Fifty-six years on, there’s not so many Melbournians who can claim to have seen their city’s momentous Olympic Games. Consider then Peter McIntyre, whose entry won the competition for the Olympic Pool design. Not only did Peter’s successful tender earn him the right to oversee the 2002 renovation and extension 50 years after his original blueprint, he’s still [Read more]
From Father To Son
April 5, 2012 by 4 Comments
Dear Harley, I was eight months from meeting you but I couldn’t stop thinking of you when I walked to the MCG on a warm March night. Your mum and I had not long found out that you would be joining us in November. I was meeting Paul to watch the Cats and the Hawks. [Read more]
What’s Going on?
April 5, 2012 by 10 Comments
In my months with the Almanac, I have been incredibly impressed with not just the standard of writing, humour and general football wisdom, but also with the sensitivity and care many writers show when dealing with serious football issues. In recent weeks, and again in the past few days, the issue of how football manages [Read more]
The Pre Wrap – Round 2
April 5, 2012 by 4 Comments
THE PRE WRAP – ROUND II FOR THE PHILOSOPHICAL MARNGROOK FAN What a week it’s been in Footy Eddie. Scarlett’s equation to achieve the 3-match ban reads something like Harmsie’s calculations for the winner of the Top Eight call at the Almanac GF Lunch. All that was missing was divide by the number [Read more]
Sal’s Tips: Round 2, 2012
April 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Greetings to one all and hope everyone has a great Easter break, The commentators have waxed lyrical about the opening round of the season and with some justification I might say, I enjoyed each of the games that I sat down to watch and the ones I didn’t were pretty good too apparently. But [Read more]
The Lance Perkins end (of Kardinia Park).
April 5, 2012 by 13 Comments
Round 1 1967 – Geelong v Collingwood, Kardinia Park by Burkie (John) I think it might have been Malcolm Blight who, when asked one year about the significance of the opening round for a team, said something along the lines that it was probably the least important game of the season. [Read more]
What Baseball Does to the Soul
April 5, 2012 by 4 Comments
Craig Little alerted us to this New York Times piece. Colum McCann, author of “Let The Great World Spin”, has a baseball story with universal themes. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/opinion/sunday/what-baseball-does-to-the-soul.html?n=Top/News/World/Countries%20and%20Territories/United%20States?ref=unitedstates
The Footygods: Hermes
April 5, 2012 by 1 Comment
The Greeks found Hermes difficult to define. Some called him the god for travellers. Some said that he was the god for those who wandered past their own boundaries. But perhaps they re the different ways of saying the same thing. And he was the god for athletics and luck and a whole lot of [Read more]
From the BFL: 60 Years Ago
April 5, 2012 by 8 Comments
From the Bendigo Football League Records 1952 A reflection on how much things have, or haven’t changed in 60 years Season start April 26 1952, Editorial- B.F.L football made an auspicious start for 1952-the total revenue of 534 pounds set a new high for the opening round; the weather was kind after threatening wet conditions [Read more]
So who is the April Fool?
April 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
By Graham de Casale and Stan Giamalis Well, “here we go again”, I know they are the words of a song, but have no idea who sings it. As is the modern way, I “Google” it, find an answer but am none the wiser. Modern songs, who born in the 50’s, remembers any of the [Read more]
Hurry up Junior
April 5, 2012 by 13 Comments
The due date has come and gone and junior still has not pulled the rip cord and entered the world. Mum to be now moves around the house with the mobility of Justin Madden and the frustration of Tony Jewell. I am much like Mark Neeld – full of good ideas about process and strategy, [Read more]
Getting to Know You
April 5, 2012 by 3 Comments
A few weeks ago, I streamed the Sydney Swans Guernsey presentation. In twelve years of membership, I have never attended or watched a Guernsey presentation. I have been content with skimming the captain’s speech the morning after and stealing away a quote or two for the parenthood file. But this year, I watched it live, [Read more]
Vale Jimmy Little
April 5, 2012 by 6 Comments
I first heard Jimmy Little on the radio in 1963 singing Royal Telephone. I hated the song (which struck me as 3rd rate country gospel) but even then I recognised that Jimmy had a great voice. Royal Telephone wasn’t the first Jimmy Little song to be played on the radio. In NSW he had had [Read more]
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