by Margaret McCarthy The silence that follows the thud of the ball shouts ‘Run!’ I jog backwards, staring high into the dark tree backdrop, one hand raised to shield the glare from my eyes. The ball is a speck, a bird, a comet hurtling to earth. The mighty football seeks its target: me. I position [Read more]
It may be the punch
June 8, 2011 by 4 Comments
by John Richardson You know it’s going to happen. The ball will come. Maybe direct, maybe from the flank. More than fifty metres away, it is there, in their hands, in space, and the guiding hand does its job. The thud of leather on boot, a powerful strike and a beautifully weighted drop punt makes [Read more]
WAFL Blues
June 8, 2011 by 8 Comments
by Mark Simms Here in WAFL land, WA, we’ve just just enjoyed our Foundation Day round in perfect Perth winter football weather. Brilliant but soft sunshine ensured it was warm on the outer banks underneath the gum trees- though it was still a bit chilly in the shade of the 1950’s stands when the wind [Read more]
Colonial memories
June 8, 2011 by 7 Comments
by Kerrie Soraghan I attended my first Footscray match in utero. My mother, a passionate fan, prided herself on missing only one match for each of her four pregnancies, which, to her annoyance, coincided with the winter months. She would stand for three hours at a time in the outer, rain trickling down her neck, [Read more]
JB and Dad do it again
June 8, 2011 by 3 Comments
North Melbourne v Adelaide by Josh Barnstable I hate being sick. Dad and I both do. We’ve both got a cold (although he says its the flu). I’d much rather have the flu than a cold. But, Dad and I, braving the icy weather, made the trip down to Melbourne for our first match of [Read more]
Q and A dream panel?
June 7, 2011 by 26 Comments
Much discussion today about the disappointing Q and A last night. Was it disappointing? Who is your Q and A dream panel?
The View From Shepparton: Round 11 (and 10)
June 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
by Peter Schumacher Felt good a week ago. The Lions had won two in a row, were on their way to the final eight having given everyone else seven games start and I was un freezing myself in Darwin. Can’t remember much more about round 10 and anyway what else was important enough to remember? [Read more]
Monday morning, June.
June 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Something is missing. I can’t pick it. Cold morning. The Big Issue seller at North Melbourne station must be feeling it. Should I shout him a coffee? Nah. I’m sure the blokes who run the caf there look after him. A coffee and a muffin. 3 sugars. They’d charge him two bucks. He’s a teammate, [Read more]
Crio’s Q: What is sport?
June 7, 2011 by 22 Comments
by Chris Riordan When I was a kid we reckoned it involved either a ball +/or a bet! The oldest definition of sport, apparently (1300), is of anything humans find amusing or entertaining. There’s the rub.
The Thrilling ‘Fields
June 7, 2011 by 1 Comment
by Shane Goss Old Ivanhoe and Caulfield Grammarians played out a thriller in round seven of the VAFA Premier B section last Saturday at Chelsworth Park in Ivanhoe. It was first against third. The Fields had been promoted from Premier C the year before and were going into the game undefeated. Old Ivanhoe had only [Read more]
Roller-coaster? Not in the lexicon of this disciplined writer.
June 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
by Jonathan Rivett I won’t use “roller coaster”. I refuse to flog that dead-horse metaphor. It’s not that it’s a fatally flawed analogy – if you think of the roller coaster car as your emotions and then make the track the experience in question, it works reasonably well. It’s also not that it’s been monumentally [Read more]
Oh Cyril
June 6, 2011 by 13 Comments
As a Hawthorn supporter who owns and still listens to every Australian Crawl album, I love it every time Cyril Rioli kicks a goal and the Hawks supporters break into song with “Oh Cyril, I would do anything just to be like him”. It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on the classic song Errol from 1981’s Sirocco, [Read more]
The Replay Replay
June 6, 2011 by 2 Comments
Rematch – noun a second match between teams, challengers, etc.; return match. or Replay – noun a repetition, recurrence, or re-enactment. Saturday June 4th, the 2010 Grand Final Replay Replay. No, it’s not an Albert E. Arkwright stutter from Open All Hours, this “Replay Replay” business is serious! For years the media have pumped up the first [Read more]
Blues Overcome Sunday Twilight Zone
June 6, 2011 by 16 Comments
I’ve always struggled to get into the Sunday evening twilight fixture. It feels too much like that final slot on a music festival bill, after the headliners have played. Most people have already moved on. The main action is past. It’s just a consolation for those who don’t want to go home yet. I attended [Read more]
Almanac Cycling: Tour de Bush – and other places
June 5, 2011 by 3 Comments
The Tour de France is an event I look forward to every year. I adore the stunning scenery and it reminds me of the true joy of bike riding. Freedom and fresh air. It was one of my favourite childhood pastimes when growing up in country Victoria. Glorious independence on two wheels. I rode my [Read more]
Preparing (again) for the Big Blow
June 5, 2011 by 2 Comments
by Joseph Walker I’m walking through the gates at school anxious and ready for the Big Blow. It’s two days after the Grand Final Replay, and I’m a Saints supporter. First comes Callum. He’s one of my best mates and a die-hard Magpie. Behind him are Stefan and Liam. They’re also really good friends of mine [Read more]
Other than football…
June 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday, on Saturday 4th June, I joined a friend from the budding Glen Eira Artists Society at a stall in Carnegie. It was part of the support provided by friends and colleagues and community to the artist Anthony Breslin. Several years ago, Anthony used his life savings and substantial borrowings to buy an old church. [Read more]
Big Numbers Favour the Dees
June 5, 2011 by 2 Comments
So it’s The Dons v The Dees at the G. It’s got a good ring about it, and I’m looking forward to a great game of footy. A couple of things have me slightly disturbed, it’s a night game which I’m not overly excited about and Essendon are coming off a rest weekend. Luckily it’s [Read more]
Cats play in the winter sun
June 5, 2011 by 24 Comments
The phone rings on Saturday morning. J. Dunne is in good spirits, enjoying the Barwon Heads sunshine, on a perfect winter’s day. He’s thinking footy (which usually means he’s considering backing the opponent) and wondering what my footy-plan is. I am slogging away at the desk, resisting the temptation to be reading the form guide. [Read more]
Confident Pies cause bootyshake syndrome
June 5, 2011 by 6 Comments
For those of you who were looking forward to a match report by yours truly on the Pies vs Saints game i do sincerely apologise. As the season flowed it was said the threat to Collingwood would be the Eagles- well, we beat them. Then people said no, the Saints are still the worst threat to [Read more]
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