Joel Dicker has played for the Penguin Football Club all his life; he and his brother Ryan. His mother is in the canteen during the home games and as a family they epitomise the foundations of local footy. Every club in every league has them. No big deal. Its just the way it is. Joel [Read more]
Swans Go Ape
September 13, 2011 by 1 Comment
“IT WAS partly ape, with a tiny brain, long arms, a chimp-size body and ape-like heels. But it was also partly human, with long thumbs, short fingers, an advanced ankle and a brain that looked like it had begun to rewire.” Original, non-clichéd quotes can be hard to find in Aussie Rules and this gem [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Time and Place
September 13, 2011 by 24 Comments
Without belittling the significance of 9/11 – “when the world changed” – its commemoration has stirred reminiscences…. “I remember where I was when…” We do link notable news with moments in our life. Sports nuts will know what I mean. My clearest recollection of walking in to Vatican Square in 1986 is seeing an [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – A clinical win, an expected loss
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Knights hadn’t beaten the Storm in Melbourne for seven years and despite Melbourne losing their last two matches of the regular season, this Knights fan was pretty confident of another loss being added to that record. The first fifteen minutes was fairly back and forth. The Knights looked to exploit Melbourne’s up and in [Read more]
Galle Photo essay
September 12, 2011 by 1 Comment
As Australia closes in on victory in Kandy, we revisit some images from their win in Galle. Pictures by Phil O’Rourke Captions by Marvin Vaas
KANDY DAY 4: THE WISDOM OF DON
September 12, 2011 by 1 Comment
The tsunami has taken care of St Kilda and Essendon. Hawthorn and West Coast have injury problems to star players as well and could fall at the next hurdle. It is hard to feel the suffering that must be going on for the Saints. Forget about Essendon who cares about their effort. My friend Heather [Read more]
THE WRAP – FINALS ROUND I
September 12, 2011 by 15 Comments
WHERE LIFE IMITATES SPORT What a round it’s been in Footy Eddie. And wasn’t it a cornucopia of what Our Great Game is all about Wrappers. Firstly, it was The Handbags who booked themselves a week off and a spot one out and one back. The Maggies also booked themselves a break when they overawed [Read more]
Cats victorious
September 12, 2011 by 20 Comments
“Victory,” said my mad-Catter brother, Mick, substantial piece of Lygon Street Special (no pineapple) in hand, at about 1.30 Saturday morning, “is not as important as defeat.” Crumbs, I thought to myself. That’s so 2006. We won it in `07, and `09, and we’ve just had a ripper win over the arch-rivals, Hawthorn, and we’re [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The kids are alright
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Warriors have flown under the radar very effectively in the lead-up to this year’s finals series. They managed to get into Brisbane this week with barely a mention. Instead, it was all about the Broncos, the loss of Hoffmann and Thaiday, finding someone to protect Lockyer in the defensive line, and Hodges’ gammy hammy. [Read more]
Humble Pie not the preferred Dons menu
September 12, 2011 by 3 Comments
Never a sympathetic word was spoken about the Carlton Football Club whilst growing up in my Don household. Of course there were a few other clubs that weren’t loved too, but somehow Carlton was always top of the heap. One incident that sparks the memory in particular, was the Harry Casper/John Coleman ” event” just [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Dragons/Tigers: The link between footy and the dishes
September 12, 2011 by 3 Comments
There has been precious little written about the link between the NRL finals and washing dishes. Perhaps because I’m the only evidence of this link. At half-time in last year’s grand final, with the Roosters leading 8-6 in a tight game I was a ball of nervous energy. With more than three decades of waiting [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Shaken but not stirred
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
It was 9.20pm on Saturday 24 September 2005 and I was shaken to the core as the siren at the Sydney Football Stadium rang out. Not that I could actually hear it above the din of thousands of West Tigers fanatics writhing with ecstasy across the concourse and grandstand of the Sydney home of rugby [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Restarting the tackle count of hope
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The life of a North Queensland Cowboys fan is not an easy one. Having just completed our 17th home and away season across the ARL/ Super League/ NRL competitions and reaching the finals series for only the fourth time is an underwhelming return. If the Cowboys were an investment stock, there wouldn’t have been too [Read more]
Sunderland v Chelsea at the Stadium of Light by Basil Naimet
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Chelsea came away from a win at Sunderland comfortably on Saturday at the Stadium of Light. Even with key strikers Didier Drogba out with concussion and Fernando Torres not getting a run until the 75th minute, the Blues showed some brilliance in attack. More pleasing for the team was their style of play. Relaxed and [Read more]
POISE AND OTTENS
September 12, 2011 by 6 Comments
Poise versus flashes of brilliance. Geelong versus Hawthorn. The weather gods have no concept of timing. They sent the wintery blast up from the Antarctic and into the MCG just in time for Friday night. Cold, hard rain hit the players’ faces and ran down the backs of supporters whose resilience was tested in [Read more]
Geelong are no underdogs
September 12, 2011 by 20 Comments
One of the more curious aspects of our time is that while no one wants to be an actual underdog, it’s helpful in many ways to be perceived as one. This produces some odd disconnects between spin and reality. Billionaires accuse artists and academics of being elites. CEO’s bemoan the dominance of workers as they [Read more]
VFL: Port v Scorpions
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I’m back at North Port Oval for the 1st Qualifying VFL Final between Port Melbourne and Casey Scorpions. The crowd is significantly boosted today by the appearance of Brendan Fevola with the Scorpions. I’ve been joined by some mates who I play veterans cricket with out atAinsliePark in Croydon. Chris and I have somewhat [Read more]
2nd Test Sri Lanka v Australia Day 4
September 12, 2011 by 6 Comments
For those not au fait with cricket’s more obscure global locations, the neutral observer might better associate the “City of Kandy” with say, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or one of Heath Ledger’s more low-budget arthouse productions. As nightclub names go, it wouldn’t look out of place on King Street either. Kandy is located [Read more]
What a bloody relief
September 11, 2011 by 3 Comments
This was a game we just had to win. Inexplicably a team with a 20-1 record had dropped the last round of the season by 96 points and now found themselves in a final facing a team with a 17-5 record, only half a game inferior to what got us top spot last year. Round [Read more]
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