Family spills the beans

It’s not often that the Swans play in Melbourne. And I always try to make an effort to see my boys live every possible time when they are in Melbourne. But sometimes it just doesn’t work like that. Sometimes I have footy to play. Other times I have work. And sometimes it happens to be [Read more]

Haiku Bob- the twirling sherrin

footy season begins all the teams freshly tattooed first game of the year – Ball tackles without hesitation umpire’s whistle – side by side fingers point together crisp autumn shadows – they answer each one of our goals feeling closer to home – Cloke shanks one sun slips through clouds Pendlebury finds himself on the [Read more]

A Bad Start and a Good Start

Before the first bounce of the footy at the Collingwood/Port Adelaide game, the teams lined up and loudspeaker played the National Anthem. “WTF “ I thought to myself. If I had looked at the Footy Recod I would have realised that “Gertie by the Sea” was being played at the start of all Round One [Read more]

Crio’s Q: Head to Head

Apparently another Pies Flag is a given. The world, it seems, is back on its hyperbolic axis – despite their last consecutive (can’t bear “back-to-back) premierships being over 70 years ago! Here’s a way to stay interested in what will manifestly otherwise be a “cakewalk” – using the increasingly popular “head-to-head” betting. And it is [Read more]

North Melbourne vs West Cost/Collingwood

By Corey McKernan The season is up and under way, and Round One saw yet another brilliant, tight clash between North Melbourne and the West Coast Eagles. Looking ahead to round two, North come up against my childhood side, Collingwood, and I thought it would be appropriate to share my experiences as a North player [Read more]

The View From Shepparton: Round 1

The View can await from its slumbers. Or nightmares as far as the cricket team is concerned. On the latter, despite all of the breast beating surely it is as simple as this. The team has slipped but this was as inevitable as day follows night. So at end of the day Tait, Lee, Johnson, [Read more]

THE WRAP – ROUND I

WHERE LIFE IMITATES FOOTBALL What a round it’s been in Footy Eddie.  The round started with The Bluebaggers come from behind win against the dogged but ragged Tigers on the Thursday night.  Friday night’s clash between two September contenders droned on until the time keeper could stand it no longer and rang the bell with [Read more]

Harms on Round 1

Thursday evening. I am thankful for football. Football takes Anna and me to the North Fitzroy Arms where we join the footy tipping comp, and catch up with the grey-haired wits who gather there. Anna has a lemonade-Coke (as we call it on our household). We head home. An hour off the opening bounce. Fish [Read more]

Better your own socks…

I have no better description of Geelong’s win over the stodgy Saints than to say it was a bit like smelling your own socks; not a particularly pleasant experience but better than the alternative which would be smelling someone else’s. The game had a peculiar feeling about it right from the start. The crowd was [Read more]

Round 1 Geelong v St-Kilda: Winning Ugly

Tennis journeyman Brad Gilbert penned a ripping book called Winning Ugly. His tome details all manner of methods used to conquer more talented opponents. He concentrates on the mental rather than the physical. He details myriad ways to finagle. Gilbert didn’t have the panache of a McEnroe (although after beating him in three sets at [Read more]

NT Grand Final: a run and gun affair

By Peter Argent Uniquely Territorian and full of all the dynamic aspects of our national football code, the NT Football League Grand Final day, held at TIO Stadium, in Darwin, on March 19 was simply a festival of all things good about the game. Because of the big wet up north had been bigger and [Read more]

Frank Yamma at Brunswick Music Festival

Frank Yamma plays at Brunswick Music Festival East Brunswick Club  8pm Sunday 27 March Also playing: LJ Hill Come and support Wantok artist Frank Yamma as he plays a rare Melbourne concert this Sunday as part of the Brunswick Music Festival. Frank Yamma is a traditional Pitjantjatjara man from Australia’s central desert and speaks five languages. [Read more]

A grand Friday night of Cats and Caviar

THE bride aside, the two greatest joys in life are watching the equine athlete in battle and investing on the outcome (the punt), along with watching the mighty Cats in full flight. As the Geelong faithful enveloped the stands at the G on Friday night and belted out We Are Geelong The Greatest Team Of [Read more]

CATS SHAKE OFF SAINTS TO WIN BY ONE POINT AT MCG

26 March 2011 By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery AFL ROUND 1 GEELONG CATS V ST KILDA SAINTS GEELONG overcame a twenty-one point deficit late in the third quarter to defeat the Saints by just one point at the MCG tonight in front of a disappointing crowd of 42,869, thanks to a goal from ‘super sub’ Darren [Read more]

And the footy is back on…

Whilst I would like to preface with stating I am not usually a whingey person, at this point that just ain’t true. Though able to recognize the trials of Libya under Gaddafi, Queensland’s struggle after the terrible floods, New Zealand’s earthquake troubles and the mass of misfortune currently going on in Japan are far more [Read more]

I’m sick of footy

  I’m sick of footy. I’m tired of 24 hour, 365 days a year media saturation.  Hirdy on the front page in January.  Fev playing the pokies in February.  Ricky Nixon and a teenage girl.  Sordid, seedy, eploitive, embarrassing, boring.  I don’t need to hear and read about that stuff.  I don’t frigging care about [Read more]

Camerooned

  My friend, Michael, is soon to rejoin the Aussie foreign legion. It consists of expats spread throughout the earth who need to rely on the internet to keep up with the footy scores. The connection is none-too-reliable in the far north of Cameroon in Africa. Michael barracks for Carlton and is working with his [Read more]

FPS: Pies open campaign without pain

Pies open campaign without pain   Round One (now known by the AFL as “Opening Round”) is a time characterised by hope, expectation and over-interpretation of results.  Supporters head off expectantly to see their club’s new chums and gauge their team’s prospects for the coming season. Round One, 2011 was unique for me in that [Read more]

Middle East Grand Final Preview: the one day in March

Today (Friday 25th) )is the biggest day of the year for AFL in the Middle East. The Abu Dhabi Falcons have made it through to the last Friday in March (LFIM, apologies Mr. Mosig!) with no defeats although have been put under pressure at times during the five round games. The Doha Kangaroos have earned [Read more]

Tragedy inspires comeback for an old stager

OK, so I did lie a little, my retirement lasted slightly shorter than an Australian swimmer but I guess the bug hits some people earlier than it does to others. Don’t ask why I’m doing this (I’m about to tell you anyway!), but unfinished business actually has nothing to do with it. I am typing [Read more]