It is a disgrace when on a brisk Saturday in May, only ONE game out of FOUR being played today, can be viewed on television. Last weekend when there was no free-to-air televising of any day games, my daughter and I decided to go for a stroll into the ‘centre hub’ of our busy little [Read more]
Round 7 Blog: Finding the young’un in all of us.
May 7, 2011 by 14 Comments
Saturday morning and I’m recalling only a couple of things from last night’s match. 1. Daniel Motlop’s shot from the pocket. and 2. Richo’s reaction to threading the eye of the needle. I loved it. Great illustration of the love of play, and the fascination of the football itself, and what can be done with [Read more]
The Bool and other festivities
May 6, 2011 by 17 Comments
I’m home and still euphoric from another ‘Bool week, now established as comfortably my favorite race experience. Unless you have joined the devoted throngs, you can’t possibly understand the wonder of this pilgrimage. It’s been disconcerting to hear and read on my return journey about the “carnage” of “a bad day” (The Age) at Warrnambool. [Read more]
Anzac Day SANFL: Photo by Peter Argent
May 6, 2011 by 11 Comments
The Norwood player kicking the ball is Nick Ramsey and his Centrals opponent is veteran James Gowans. As commented below, this shot recalls a classic Ronald Dale Barrassi pose from an MCG game in 1962. Photo: Bruce Howard (courtesy of the NLA archives)
From the Folly of Subiaco to Greener Pastures
May 6, 2011 by 5 Comments
By Brad Carr In last year’s Almanac, I wrote up the Round 7 game between West Coast and Hawthorn, and I referred to Subiaco Oval as “what sadly remains the worst stadium in the AFL”. In the course of editing the book, Paul Daffey picked up on this point, and asked that I elaborate on [Read more]
Chasing the Bush Premiership- Pt. 4
May 6, 2011 by 2 Comments
It’s been a while since I updated Almanackers about my pursuits for the Imperial Footy Club and for those that care I thought I’d get off my arse and update my half a dozen or so fans about where my chase for a premiership stands. Truth is I’ve started a new job and been telling [Read more]
Ponderings from Cape York
May 6, 2011 by 2 Comments
Is this the tail end of the Cape York Wet season or Autumn in Melbourne? Looking out the window at the porch light illuminating the rain falling in front of the grapefruit tree you could be excused for confusion. But no, an arm with sleeve rolled up thrust out the window tells me it’s still [Read more]
The Uncontrollable Smile
May 6, 2011 by 9 Comments
By Vincent Tan I like Melbourne. I like that “Before the Game” is actually shown before the game. I like that I can sit at a pub and have absolutely no compulsion to zip up my jacket to hide my navy blue and white hoops for fear of ridicule and the inevitable drunken comment about [Read more]
150 GAME MILESTONE STILL MILES AWAY
May 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
You may remember last year when I discovered at the Brothers AFC presentation night that I was recognised for playing 146 combined senior and reserve grade matches for the club. Don’t be surprised if you didn’t, I even had to go back to past archives to try to find out if the figure at the [Read more]
Clue of the Round: Round 7
May 5, 2011 by 2 Comments
DA’s Clue of the Round (7): Avid fans of footy matches, First knew me as trim catches. Then consequently: 4A9. Before rattles plagued my sign. Nowadays, surprise-surprise, I’m a union under foreign skies. What am I? [Don’t give it away in the comments…we’ll let you know next week] Answer to Clue of the Round (7): The [Read more]
The new footyalmanac world
May 5, 2011 by 7 Comments
We are in the process of developing this new site. Please let us know what you think, and if you identify any problems – keeping in mind we are still putting together The Almanackers’ authors’ page, and some other pages – let us know. Suggestions welcome.
OK, Who forgot to Compile the VFA Stats between 1877 and 1896?
May 5, 2011 by 6 Comments
Given that the 18 (or is it 19) years represent a significant chain in the history of footy, I’m surprised that there is (or seems to be) no easy-access stats for the VFA results in the period. I can find the premiers but that’s about it. Is there a place to find this stuff or [Read more]
Footy Un/certainty
May 5, 2011 by 1 Comment
A couple of weeks ago, Friday night football hosted Collingwood and Richmond. As the first half drew to a close, the Pies up by some 8 goals, the ABC’s David Parkin lamented the unevenness of the match. He wasn’t having fun anymore: ‘The joy of any contest surely comes from the uncertainty.’ * On the [Read more]
Reflections on a royal wedding and other miscalculations
May 5, 2011 by 3 Comments
by Jim Young (author of Any Old Eleven) Thirty years ago, before plastic was invented, the first thing you had to do in a foreign country was make sure your banking arrangements were in order. In London that meant a trip to The Strand, where the local representatives of all Australia’s banks huddled under the [Read more]
My (not so) favourite drop-kick, part 7
May 5, 2011 by 5 Comments
Vin Maskell hears the ugly truth in part seven of his meandering series. The train stuttered and stopped as it tried to pull out of the station. “Passengers,” announced the driver, “we’ve had to stop because some drop-kick in a red cap is trying to force open the doors.” You know the game is just [Read more]
Dining Out All Round
May 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment
This game scares “all the heck” out of me. To think that the Essendon Football Club, a great club with over one hundred and forty years of history could be defeated by this new creation of the AFL, is unthinkable. But there we are, the Dons are to play the Gold Coast Meter Maids at [Read more]
The View From Shepparton: Rd 6
May 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The View” has been delivered late this week as the events organiser and myself have made a sudden decision to relocate within Shepparton. We found this retirement village with facilities that one could only dream of, for example a library, a table tennis table (very important)! a bar, gym, 15 metre lap pool,a gold star [Read more]
Haiku Bob Rd 6: clear moments after
May 5, 2011 by 1 Comment
wet afternoon the football used as a lure Johnno subbed off the game loses a little right-side brain sprinting in the clear then on meeting Luke Ball stopped wind-tossed rain a perfect pass by mistake moon strains through clouds a goal clear moments after watering my dead plant Leeroy explodes to life the rain lighter [Read more]
Culture wars: the new frontier of player development?
May 4, 2011 by 4 Comments
by Peter Baulderstone Chris Reardon’s incisive piece on football team ‘culture’, and the thoughtful responses from other contributors inspires me to make my own observations on the closely related issue of young player development I have been following the WAFL colts competition pretty closely for the last 3 years. These Saturday morning matches are a [Read more]
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