by Josh Barnstable Another season has gone and passed, and again it is a September perfectly suited for a three week break for North Melbourne supporters. We missed the finals, by six points, finishing in ninth position. The same as last year. The year before we ended up in 13th spot. We are slowly improving. [Read more]
Coaching Solutions
September 19, 2011 by 14 Comments
Okay, already! Alright, alright, I’ll do it. Somebody has to. I’ll coach an AFL team, damn it. Anyone see Mark Harvey being interviewed on Friday night? Died black hair, sunnies, faded grey t-shirt. He looked like another mug who hangs out at the TAB a bit too much. I mean, take away the [Read more]
Visigoths ransack Tigerland
September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
IF THE footy gods do pen the story of every season, they have started this one brilliantly. You can have your “Best of times, worst of times”. Dickens reads like a Funniest Home Videos auto-cue by comparison. Richmond’s performance last Thursday night has provided the perfect opening. We have started with a complication, a question, yet again [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The Old Boys Can Bar corner and the 50 cent doubles
September 19, 2011 by 3 Comments
The Preliminary Finals of the Queensland Cup were both played at Redcliffe’s Dolphin Oval this weekend with two clear-cut results setting up an intriguing Grand Final next Sunday at Lang Park. Full credit to ABC-TV for telecasting both games live throughout the State. Memo to ABC-TV bean counters: In your drive to cut costs in [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Timing Your Departure
September 19, 2011 by 9 Comments
Way to go! It seems Darren Lockyer has been blessed with a fairytale farewell up in Broncoland. Others, however, have not left with such grace and glory. How to call time? Fortune has not always looked fairly upon those making a “last stand”. Who’s had the luck or judgement to finish “on song” – or [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The fairytale continues
September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
For someone who appears not to particularly enjoy the attention of the public spotlight , Darren Lockyer gets plenty of it. Don’t get me wrong, Lockyer is entirely accommodating with the media, public and corporate demands. He is pure sporting hero. But I can’t help think sometimes the demands of attention must be tiring and [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Justice
September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I was watching a program on SBS last week (insert obligatory “not that sort of show” comment here) on the problems involved with online gambling and it got me thinking how the changes in gambling had affected our day to day lives. Now, in my mind, if you can find your way through all the Senator [Read more]
Manchest United v Chelsea at Old Trafford by Basil Naimet
September 19, 2011 by 1 Comment
The much anticipated clash between two of the Premier league heavyweights didn’t disappoint on Monday morning (AEST) at Old Trafford. Manchester United looked set for a big score when Smalling scored in the eighth minute. Smalling was offside and missed by the sideline assistant referee. The goal though would set the pace for the Red Devils.
THE WRAP – FINALS ROUND II
September 19, 2011 by 5 Comments
WHERE LIFE IMITATES SPORT What a round it’s been in Footy Eddie. Rumours of the demise of the Hawthorn Football Team for 2011 have been greatly exaggerated. They weathered all The Thunder The Bloods could Pull Down From The Sky to move on to Carringbush next Friday. Meanwhile, over in Perth The Miseries, after coming [Read more]
The Footy Gods: Achilles
September 19, 2011 by 2 Comments
Achilles was fair of hair and fleet of foot. His troops loved him. He was fearless and beautiful. But not flawless. He could be moody and the tendon in his ankle was unprotected. And that is how the trojans killed him before the great victory of his troops. Not that the lesson was lost on [Read more]
Sri Lanka v Australia Third Test Day 3
September 19, 2011 by 7 Comments
Over the generations, Test cricket connoisseurs have savoured many great tandem acts. For Australian fans, the incandescent bowling partnership formed by the menacing moustachioed DK Lillee and the frightening beach-bum-looking JR Thomson unfortunately shone all too briefly. Other partnerships, like those two miserly yet very attacking bowling geniuses Warne and McGrath, or the masterful English [Read more]
New Norfolk and all who sail with her
September 18, 2011 by 6 Comments
IN TASMANIA In Tasmania the New Norfolk Eagles are a football enigma. Last Saturday they were striving for a three-peat, which had never previously been achieved by the club. In fact back-to-back only occurred last season, such is the sporadic nature of their premierships.
Tanunda Ecstasy
September 18, 2011 by 1 Comment
Photo by Peter Argent Tanunda Reserves. Angaston Oval in the Barossa Valley, Reserves, Tanunda (Pies) v Nuriootpa (Tiges) The emotion of Ritchie Kruger and Will Grosser upon winning a premiership.
Looking Back and Looking Forward
September 18, 2011 by 6 Comments
So it’s the Pies and the Hawks on Friday night. It’s 34 years since these sides squared off in a final,the second semi in 1977. That was a fantastic game, in which the Pies withheld a late Hawks charge to win by two points. The win came at a huge cost however, as Michael Tuck’s head came [Read more]
Dave Goodwin’s dreaming
September 18, 2011 by 3 Comments
by Dave Goodwin I have a dream. An unusual obsession. I want to see Australia play a Test match in each of the ten Test-playing nations. Today I’ve ticked off Sri Lanka. I’m now six down, four to go. Bangladesh is in my sights. I doubt I’ll make it to South Africa this [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The fairytale continues
September 18, 2011 by 1 Comment
For a lot of people the main focus of this game involves Wayne Bennett and Darren Lockyer. The pair established a strong relationship when Bennett coached at the Broncos, slotting him in at fullback early in his career before moving him to five-eighth – and moulding him into an international in both positions. But more [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Don’t panic
September 18, 2011 by 1 Comment
I’m not a betting man, but if I was I’d say my game would be omen betting. As tactics go, it’s probably questionable at best, but given my lack of allegiances as I settled in to watch the Tigers take on the Warriors on Friday night I had absolutely nothing else to go on. I [Read more]
US Open ’11
September 18, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Joey Agerholm Goran Ivanisevic once said “As soon as I step on the court I just try to play tennis and don’t find excuses. You know, I just lost because I lost, not because my arm was sore.” I’ve got no idea in what context it was said. I just came across it on [Read more]
Swans, Hawks and Corrugated Tin
September 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
Swans, Hawks and Corrugated Tin. Roland’s home is, basically, a pile of corrugated tin and mice, in a paddock, in nowhere. But the wood-fire’s a corker, the telly works, and he’s a great mate. We had the idiot box and music on, his girlfriend, free from her kids for the night, rotten, laughing, falling [Read more]
It’s Business Time!
September 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
As the 2011 AFL season draws towards a close, this weekend sees two massive knockout games which genuinely could go either way. Injuries play a massive part in trying to determine who will get over the line this week. There is nothing more frustrating than getting injured at key times and missing big games; I [Read more]
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