Brendan Schwab’s proposal for the creation of two divisions in the AFL, with promotion and relegation, though unlikely to gain much support, was nonetheless motivated by the very reasonable concern that an 18 team competition will produce too many meaningless matches in the latter half of the season. A quick mid-season report on the [Read more]
Bombers on Strike
June 13, 2011 by 3 Comments
Looking back at Australian Bureau of Statistics, (ABS), data on strikes and industrial action I looked at the figures for Victoria. In 1970 there were 447 industrial disputes in Victoria. These involved around 333,000 workers, and saw just over 510, 800 working days lost. Missing from these statistics were the actions of a group of [Read more]
No Ball!
June 13, 2011 by 1 Comment
Dravid ct Hayden Bwld Johnson (no ball): From boxing day 2007. Johnson had tied Dravid down for ages by bowling wide of off stump, but then lured him into a rash shot with a slightly closer ball only for it to be a no ball. The only Australian fieldsman not in the shot was fine [Read more]
The AFL Record 2011 Short Story Competition
June 13, 2011 by 1 Comment
THE AFL RECORD IS CALLING ALL BUDDING WRITERS The AFL Record has teamed up with Virgin Australia, the official airline of the AFL, to encourage aspiring writers to try their hand at short story writing with an AFL theme. The AFL Record 2011 Short Story Competition, which will run for eight weeks through the [Read more]
The Hawks looking for oxygen
June 12, 2011 by 10 Comments
I recently obtained a new oxygen machine which includes a backpack and two batteries that last for about five hours each*. This machine has brought a new independence to my life, so I decided I would be brave and attempt an evening at the footy to see my team play the Cats. It was Round [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Football Schools
June 12, 2011 by 11 Comments
Phantom has provided me with this week’s crio’s Q?… “There have been three ex students from Marist College (Burnie) named in AFL sides this week. Tom Hislop (Richmond) Maverick Weller and Luke Russell (Suns) What do the Knackers think is the most from any school in Australia named to play senior footy on any one [Read more]
Simon Katich Unloads
June 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Simon Katich was scathing in his press conference responding to the news he had been omitted from Cricket Australia’s contracted players list for the coming year. There are many Almanackers who would feel he voiced what we’ve been saying throughout last summer. You can listen to what he had to say here: http://www.sportal.com.au/mediaplayer/audio/Cricket/simon-katich-has-selectors-in-his-sights-10584
The Slow Journey From Hope To Joy
June 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been writing about hope for several weeks. My fellow writer and muse John Harms has suggested I read Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning and then the wonderful yarn by Brian Matthews: A Fine and Private Place. Victor’s book is about a man’s search for understanding the suffering at the hands [Read more]
The crumbs that fall from the AFL table
June 11, 2011 by 11 Comments
So there we have it! $1.25 billon dollars are to be paid for the TV rights for AFL football: a record. Now the debate will be about how this amount is to be divided between clubs, players, administrators and the like. Who deserves this money: the poor clubs, champion players, or draftees and [Read more]
Stephanie Holt Discussion
June 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Almanacker Stephanie Holt discusses women in footy, and how she got involved with The Footy Almanac, at the Overland webite. http://web.overland.org.au/2011/06/stephanie-holt-on-football-and-gender/
Crio’s Racing: Have a bet at Eagle Farm this Saturday
June 10, 2011 by 8 Comments
Have a bet at Eagle Farm this Saturday. It’s always the best Qld meeting of the year. Justify it, if you must, by dedicating your presumed winnings to escaping a frozen winter for next year’s Straddy Day! Focus your funding on the 3 feature Group Ones, the first of which is for the juveniles (T. [Read more]
Round 12 Blog
June 10, 2011 by 28 Comments
Halfway point of the season. Though many hope to continue beyond round 24. Two who’ve been recent September fixtures (Saints & Bulldogs) meet tonight, with the loser sliding inexorably into the realm of only being a ‘mathematical chance’ of playing finals. Cup of Constant Sorrow indeed. Adelaide host West Coast on Saturday afternoon with the Eagles looking [Read more]
Time ticking for the Port Melbourne scoreboard
June 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Peter Vesty is not sentimental about his home away from home for the past 30 years, the Port Melbourne scoreboard. “I’d like to blow it up or burn it down,” he says, in-between hanging up numbers for a reserves match between Port Melbourne and Werribee. Read more about Peter Vesty and about the 80 year [Read more]
The Discovery of Bob Pratt
June 9, 2011 by 12 Comments
While I never played football at the Highest Level, I think I can legitimately lay claim to being one of the game’s greatest archaeologists. For it was me in 1995 along with my good friend Mike Lefebvre who rediscovered the man, the legend, that was Bob Pratt. During that year, Mike and I were researching [Read more]
Racist takes a bath
June 9, 2011 by 1 Comment
The recent spate of ugly racism from footy supporters brings back a couple of memories from earlier days. As a very young Essendon fan who regularly followed the Dons with his parents , I would hear racist remarks about one of our great footballers Norm McDonald in the late forties and early fifties. We would [Read more]
One Hundred Years Ago: Round 6, 3rd June, 1911
June 9, 2011 by 2 Comments
It will surprise many that Richmond, the club that wears “Captain Blood’ as a badge of honour, initially regarded itself as a bastion of the ‘right and proper’ way to play the game. Furthermore, the colour of their jumper wasn’t originally yellow and black. What will not surprise is that they have long possessed a [Read more]
Sat’dy arvo at the footy: June 11 2011
June 9, 2011 by 9 Comments
The major suburban matches highlighted in this column last week threw up interesting results, with the top sides losing in the EDFL, NFL and EFL. Maribyrnong Park’s stranglehold on the EDFL title is now under serious challenge after Damien Peverill inspired Aberfeldie to victory. Luke Livingstone, king of the Marby goal square in recent weeks, [Read more]
DA’s Clue of the Round (12)
June 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
by David Astle (Don’t forget to visit http://davidastle.com/) As winter nears, And the alpine horde disappears, What well-known brand Seen across Snow Land Comprises a racing star (Not on ski, not in car) Sitting side-by-side A footy great glorified By his Norm-Smith day? Though wait – he runs the other way. Solution to DA’s Clue of [Read more]
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