by Rod Oaten One of my favourite days of the sporting calendar is day one of the Australian Open. No-one’s been beaten, and from the the player with the lowest ranking, who dreams of a major upset, to one of the top dogs, everyone is in with a chance. Unlike last year, when the weather was [Read more]
In A League of its Own – Week 23
January 19, 2011 by 4 Comments
Tom’s Weekly outlook on the A-League With the finals series approaching, many teams are now scrambling to get points to launch themselves up a few places on the table. Teams that have their position on the table wrapped up are Brisbane to finish top and North Queensland to finish last. Every other team can either [Read more]
GIGSTUFF – Edition #46: From Kew to Z
January 17, 2011 by 23 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz 17th January 2011 WHAT HO! WATTO And we begin this week’s “Stuff” with the not so unusual news that Shane Watson has scored another three 50s against England. What is unusual is that, this time, those three 50s were all part of the same innings. Watto’s unbeaten 161 at the MCG on [Read more]
Prepare to Scream
January 17, 2011 by 17 Comments
I went to the T20 match between Australia and England on Friday night at the MCG. On the train going in from Merri (where the MCG’s centre wicket once came from) I looked at the plastic card-ticket on the lanyard that hung around my neck. It had a barcode, and a clear warning that no [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Changes in Sport
January 17, 2011 by 61 Comments
We are being ambushed with old images. Hairy ODIs and sun-drenched Kooyong. Promoters love nostalgia. It can be interesting some times to reflect on what change has slipped by during your lifetime. Often it is quite difficult to recall where and when it came about. Who was last to “turn out the lights”? Who did [Read more]
On the Brisbane floods
January 17, 2011 by 3 Comments
Some interesting stuff on Brisbane and floods: Just in case you didn’t know that Queensland was a flood-province here is the Bureau of Meteorology’s history of flooding on the Bremer and the Brisbane Rivers. Have a look at how many floods and especially at the 1893 flood – and the extracts from the papers/journals/diaries. http://www.bom.gov.au/hydro/flood/qld/fld_history/brisbane_history.shtml [Read more]
Recent AFL Rookie Drafts
January 16, 2011 by 4 Comments
It must be a terrible feeling on the National Draft day, when your name doesn’t get called out by any of the officials representing the 16 (now 18) clubs. There is hope a month later though, in the form of the Pre-Season and Rookie drafts. The fact is, most players taken in the latter draft [Read more]
Cricket Losing Out In Schools
January 14, 2011 by 5 Comments
By Peter Hulthen In my last few years in education I could see the writing on the wall . One of the unsaid that is besetting our Australian Cricket is that it is not promoted in schools to anything like the extent it should be. Sports such as Rugby League, Basketball , AFL and some [Read more]
What do you say?
January 14, 2011 by 4 Comments
What do you say when you are living in a place, where on the day the floods hit Toowoomba and Grantham, we received our first rain for 12 months and probably only rain for the next 12 months? Barely enough to justify turning the wipers on. What do you say to the mate you’ve known [Read more]
GIGSTUFF – Edition #45
January 13, 2011 by 3 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz 13th January 2011 A Happy New Year to Almanackers everywhere from the Useless Information Department at the Footy Almanac. So, what can we glean from recent events in the world of sporting statistics and facts? Well… Peter Siddle’s batting average in the recently completed Ashes series was higher than that of Ricky [Read more]
Almanac Racing: A Tough Start to the New Year
January 13, 2011 by 18 Comments
Somewhat early in the week to be hastily typing a weekend racing piece. But please bear with me. The major weekend races are scheduled to coincide with the Magic Millions extravaganza and Sales on the Gold Coast. The glitz and glam will seem inappropriate against the destructive pictures we are now watching of the developing [Read more]
Andrew Fithall’s Top 10 of 2010
January 13, 2011 by 67 Comments
There was a recent reference on this site to the Kanye West album which seems to have reminded people that he can do things other than be an irritating moron at awards events. However, I am still not a fan. But each to their own. With the Ashes lost and football yet to re-commence, I [Read more]
Putting it in context
January 12, 2011 by 2 Comments
by Dave Bruce Pleasingly, Monday’s game against the PM’s XI where the Poms got 3 for 225 was only the fourth worst day that an Australian team has had against England on this tour, which is not a bad result at all. Even better, there were five other days that are arguably as bad or [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Tough times in Goodna
January 12, 2011 by 28 Comments
John Harms wrote this piece about Goodna at the time of the major floods in 2011.
Donna’s Bicycle
January 11, 2011 by 5 Comments
©Noelene Goodwin First appeared in The Launceston Examiner 3rd August 2008 Charlie was a fisherman and he supported his family of five children with the limited catch taken from the Don River in Devonport. When his daughter was growing up she was told by her father, “If anyone asks if you’re related to Don and [Read more]
Brand Bland – Why is the Australian cricket team unpopular?
January 10, 2011 by 38 Comments
Was it just me, or were you increasingly aggrieved by those merciless TV ads as the summer of Ashes discontent dragged on? You know the one’s – Vodafone, VB, the bloody Colonel. Over after over. Session after session. Day after day. While a guest spot on The Gruen Transfer is perhaps beyond my capabilities, my [Read more]
My favourite drop kick, part four
January 10, 2011 by 8 Comments
The latest instalment in Vin Maskell’s tangential series. Are the Dropkick Murphys a bunch of punk-folk frauds? None of their names are Murphy and I doubt any of their songs are about that once noble expression of grace and distance, the Australian Rules drop kick. The Boston-based band of seven sing about work and unions, [Read more]
COMMENT: What has happened to the world?
January 10, 2011 by 59 Comments
Fair dinkum, I’m going nuts. And if it wasn’t so sad, it would be funny. It’s sad because this is the world my kids are growing up in. It’s a world where the disingenuous thrive, where mendacity is trumps, and truth is the currency of fools. Well call me a fool. And take me to [Read more]
Homicide’s credibility, worth pays price for social network self gratification
January 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Michael Scibilia For a man with a lot to say, Corey Williams’ medium of choice is an odd one. The Melbourne Tigers import was the centre of attention during his side’s clash with Perth on Friday night, entering the game on the back of accusations that he’d defaced a courtside banner belonging to the [Read more]
There is hope
By Damian O’Donnell Recently on this forum John Harms asked “What has happened to the world?” He made the point that we live in a world where “the disingenuous thrive, where mendacity is trumps…..” and he lays a lot of the blame at the feet of “rum-fart academics who have been seduced by the faddish [Read more]