Saturday morning. Sunny and mild, but the breeze picking up, and bringing with it northern stickiness. Family Harms is pottering about: no plans. I am thinking about Collingwood. They have done it pretty easily the night before. Dawes and Daisy Thomas continue to mature. They are good, and there is much improvement in the squad [Read more]
Apologies in Advance
March 13, 2011 by 9 Comments
In a misguided gesture of good will, last week I decided to volunteer to fill in a place on the school swim team for an upcoming inter school competition. This was promoted by the desperation on the face of the girl attempting to recruit Year 12s from our homeroom and the rude shock I received [Read more]
Yes we won the NAB Cup but I want Medders back!
March 12, 2011 by 15 Comments
I kinda thought it would be pretty exciting to win the NAB Cup, but when it happend I wasn’t exactly happy dancing or anything. The year could not have started any worse, with our deteriorating backline of champions sidelined with injury, our captain tweeting photos of himself in a hospital bed (mind you in seeing that [Read more]
The Abu Dhabi Falcons juice Muscat
March 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Abu Dhabi Falcons made the 4 ½ hour trip to Muscat for the third time in as many years. It’s one of the best and worst places to go. The best because the Magpies put on a great ‘after game’ in Rugby Union club facilities, (bbq feast and plentiful beers) and worst because it [Read more]
Why we all need a Clive the Concierge
March 12, 2011 by 3 Comments
Tickets to the English Premier League are a hot commodity. Tickets to the Premier League between teams occupying the ‘big four’ are even hotter with most games sold out well in advance. However, with a little persistence and a constant ear to the ground tickets can be sourced. What do you think the chances are [Read more]
Almanac Racing: Newmarket Hcp
March 11, 2011 by 17 Comments
The media gush for Black Caviar is further proof that a great racehorse, moreso than a jumping castle or a hat competition, is the best possible product for promoting our “game”. The VRC is now crossing its fingers for good weather and hopefully a bumper crowd for the “Super Saturday” meeting. Moody’s mighty mare has [Read more]
Think Tank At Work
March 11, 2011 by 13 Comments
Extract from secret tapes inside an AFL team’s coaches’ meeting: Forward Coach: We’ve got to do something about the inside 50s differential. Midfield Coach: Yep. We’ve run that through our processes. We’re going to increase the rotations of mids and smalls through the front half. Forward Coach: That’s fine but will the smalls know how [Read more]
Fifteen
March 11, 2011 by 7 Comments
In answer to your question, a story… Fifteen. I never played junior footy. I was 15, skinny, and went straight to the tatts and knuckles league of a suburb that is now gone. The oval is still there, but it is now a smooth, green thing. The creek at the city end is no-longer toxic. [Read more]
Do Real Sports Cry?
March 10, 2011 by 13 Comments
Craig Little provided this link to an Atlantic piece on crying in sport. Do we still regard it as unmanly? Surely we’ve moved on in these “enlightened” times? To judge from elements of this article, the debate in the USA hasn’t entirely advanced. What do you think Knackers? http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2011/03/attention-miami-heat-in-sports-crying-is-for-winners/72205/
We Want Cossie
March 10, 2011 by 8 Comments
In choosing Mike Hussey as the replacement player for the injured Doug Bollinger, the Australian selectors have missed a big opportunity to mould the national team into a group with which the general public could more easily identify, and once again grow to love. Much has been written about the “disconnect” that the grass-roots cricket [Read more]
Home sweet Waverley
March 9, 2011 by 5 Comments
What’s it like living in the forward pocket of footy history? Vin Maskell took his camera to Waverley Park to see what happens when a stadium becomes a housing estate. You’ll find the pics at: http://www.23hq.com/vinm/album/6551185
Giga Bites 5 – Director’s Cut
March 9, 2011 by 3 Comments
Below is an extended version of Giga Bites, which appeared in the Saturday Age on 5th March, 2011. by Andrew Gigacz RYDERS RIDE AGAIN Two sporting Ryders were scheduled to be in action last night. Paddy Ryder was due to line up for Essendon in its NAB Cup semi-final against St Kilda; and Jesse Ryder [Read more]
Giga Bites 4 – Director’s Cut
March 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Below is an extended version of Giga Bites, which appeared in the Saturday Age on 19th February, 2011. by Andrew Gigacz DRAWN-AGAIN SAINTS There appears to be something about drawn matches that attracts the St Kilda Football Club. Last Friday night the Saints drew with Essendon in Round 1 of the NAB Cup. This came, [Read more]
Giga Bites 3 – Director’s Cut
March 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Below is an extended version of Giga Bites, which appeared in the Saturday Age on 19th February, 2011. by Andrew Gigacz FIRST UP WINNERS With cricket’s one-day World Cup kicking off tonight, advice might be in order for the captain who ends up winning the toss in the final on April 2. In seven of [Read more]
Real footy: kicking game
March 8, 2011 by 9 Comments
Kicking Game. Real Footy. I met Christiano at his home after work. He was covered in dust and stank of sweat. Another day like every other in twenty years on the demolition crew. He hit Billy and hit it and hit it and hit it and hit it and okay, he was ready to leave [Read more]
Tip the Top 8 comp
March 8, 2011 by 1 Comment
Each season Loose Men Charities and The Footy Almanac crew hold a tip the top eight competition. The idea is to select the finishing order (at the end of the home and away season) of the AFL’s top eight. It’s $10 to enter. Half the cash goes to the winner, and half goes to a [Read more]
Hidden gems
March 8, 2011 by 5 Comments
by Dips O’Donnell About twenty years ago I worked for a business called Visy Pack. The Visy Pack factory was next door to Visy Board which was a major part of Richard Pratt’s packaging empire. Visy Pack was situated at the end of Edwards Street in Reservoir just down the road from Edwards Lake. The [Read more]
Venue names
March 8, 2011 by 28 Comments
by Chris Riordan I’ve never been to Anfield – “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – but the hype preceding the EPL clash with ManU rekindled a life’s ambition to visit the Merseyside stadium – and I support neither Club. St. Kilda at Etihad or Arsenal at Emirates doesn’t carry the charm of El Clásico at the [Read more]
In A League of Its Own: Prelim Edition
March 7, 2011 by 4 Comments
Tom’s Weekly Outlook on the A-league After a long season, we are finally at the Grand Final, and after Brisbane emphatically destroyed every team in the competition, it came down to Central Coast and Gold Coast to decide who would take on the title favourites. Central Coast hosted Gold Coast on a beautiful Saturday night [Read more]
Up There Cazaly and The Myth of Icarus
March 7, 2011 by 22 Comments
Phil Dimitriadis presented this paper at the 150 Years of Australian Football Conference: Up There Cazaly and The Myth of Icarus: An exploration into the narrative of freedom and failure in Australian Rules football. This is the abstract. [Interesting – wish I heard it. JTH]
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