I am excited about this match. The Doggies haven’t beaten North Melbourne since 2005, North having won the last five games. What would normally have been just a normal encounter between these two teams, it was given some extra meaning with the game becoming the “Victorian Services Appreciation Match”, acknowledging the work the Victorian Emergency [Read more]
Again and again and yet again by Cheryl Critchley
April 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
It has taken 10 long days to finally confront the traumatic events of March 26, 2009. Like many others stuck in a bad relationship, the first stage is denial. That didn’t really happen did it? It couldn’t have been that bad. Maybe I’m overreacting. Didn’t they promise never to break our hearts again? Of course [Read more]
Friday night footy from the comfort of home
April 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
by Josh Barnstable I’m on the computer talking with friends. I am excited. School has finished for two weeks, the footy is back and I’m to play a match on Saturday morning. I’m still talking to friends, oblivious of the time. The computer all of a sudden restarts and I start getting frustrated. But I [Read more]
The Friday Night of Broken Dreams
April 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Adelaide v St Kilda AAMI Stadium, Fri 3 April 2009 by Richard Arrowsmith Friday night. First home game of the season. And all the familiar faces, and sights, and smells, are there. The friendly volunteers at the Seaton High oval are out in force, lined up in their hi-vis jackets and waving torches to guide [Read more]
Four Quarters of Psychosis by David Enticott
April 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
First Quarter. Transference, n. “Unconscious transferring of one’s hopes, desires, fears etc. from one person to another” (The Chambers Dictionary). Thomas has been looking forward to the game all week. At five years of age he is making his AFL debut. Like all good Enticotts he barracks for Collingwood. The morning starts with Auskick where [Read more]
Lakeside premiership aint what it used to be by Stephen Healy (Grade 9)
April 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment
St. Kilda V Sydney Reflect back on the last two times these teams have played at Docklands. Round Seven, 2007, and Round One, 2008. St.Kilda have taken the chocolates both times, but somewhat more importantly, they have been unattractive, messy games that frustrate the crowd. Both teams seem to cancel each other out and the [Read more]
Lyons’ monotone beats Swans monotony by Andrew Gigacz
April 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment
One thing I’ve noticed about St Kilda’s playing style since Ross Lyon took over as coach is that it sort of reflects his vocal characteristics: a lack of flare. When Lyon speaks his voice lacks cadence. This is not to say what he is saying is not intelligent and insightful. Indeed, since he took on [Read more]
Round 1
April 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment
As many have said, so why not one more, not much can be taken out of the first of 22 rounds. Still, I would rather be a Brisbane than a Richmond supporter as the Lions commence their relentless march to the finals. Hope that they don’t expect to keep on winning though by producing one [Read more]
Tell them Junior’s dreamin’
April 3, 2009 by 2 Comments
By Chris Riordan Like most footy fans, I tend to base judgements and opinions on an inconsistent range of often contradictory observations or even pig-headed bias. The gathering of evidence can come later! I’ve never embraced the DreamTeam concept. I vaguely recall once watching an awful quarter of Port possession and hearing someone behind me [Read more]
No Blues for these Blues by Anthony Reed
April 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
How good was the build up for this game? For a first round match, I’d never encountered anything like it – and I now live in Sydney. Fans of both Richmond and Carlton were upbeat about the future and hoping to break their respective final ducks this year, with an improving 2008. More realistically the [Read more]
The New Magpies – guest writer Mark O’Connell
April 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Despite two wooden spoons in my lifetime, no season could ever be as bad as 1982. Coming off 3 grand final appearances in a row, we slipped to 10th in a 12 team competition with only 4 wins for the season. We were only propped up by perennial whipping boys St Kilda and Footscray. In [Read more]
New season brings hope
April 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The beginning of a new footy season is always eagerly anticipated, but after getting engaged over the summer and being consumed by wedding talk for a couple of months, I couldn’t wait for round one – even as a supporter of the reigning wooden spooners. Walking through the Fitzroy Gardens to the ‘G, my chances [Read more]
Gabba lights stay on for Lions mirth hour
April 1, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Geoff Woolcock Hailed as the Lions favourite son’s coaching debut, up against the club for whom he’d already purchased guernseys for his kids before Lethal’s resignation saw him turn the removalist trucks around just before leaving for Perth. We were at the Gabbatoir for this blustery dusk opening siren primarily because my oldest son [Read more]
NAB Cup Practice Oops Grand Final Match Geelong v Collingwood by Carolyn Straford
March 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment
I went to the NAB cup grand final full of optimism and a little confused. Being a Hawthorn supporter I had no allegiance although I went with two Collingwood fans. However I do admit secretly to having a soft spot for Collingwood, (I may be the only Hawthorn supporter that does). My excuse is that [Read more]
Coaching Dilemma
March 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The telephone number flashed up on the screen and I recognised it immediately. Mark Hunter is an ex- Bulldogs player – 130 senior games. And he has demonstrated over the past few years that he is also a very good junior coach. His boy Lachlan and my son Bill share a year of birth and [Read more]
Canadian Pyke mounts his challenge
March 31, 2009 by 1 Comment
by Merryn Sherwood I have to say, I’m already a little bit in love with Mike Pyke. Not just because his name rolls off the tongue so lightly, although that’s part of it, and not just because he is a Canadian international rugby fullback that just through he would give Australian Rules football a [Read more]
Collingwood v Adelaide
March 31, 2009 by 172 Comments
by Steve Healy It’s Saturday Afternoon and I’m in my bedroom, sitting on the chair at my desk, my own personal stronghold of football. Posters hang upon the walls and there are many discarded pieces of paper around the place with statistics that I have thought of and compared. The radio sits on the left [Read more]
Go North, after a long drive south
March 31, 2009 by 86 Comments
by Josh Barnstable “Josh wake up”. That was Mum, coming in to wake me up at 7:30; 7:30 on a Sunday morning. I would have thrown something at her if I had not already been awake, already thinking about the day ahead. I got up, grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and settled down to [Read more]
Slow Start by Pamela Sherpa (Snowy Mountains correspondent)
March 31, 2009 by 2 Comments
We think this is our first ever story on the Almanac site.
Round 1 – Fremantle v Western Bulldogs: Beer and footy make for a pleasant Sunday afternoon
March 31, 2009 by 2 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz Round 1 for the Doggies means a trip to Subiaco to play the Dockers. It also means I need to find a place to watch the game because it’s not on free-to-air. My moral compass (that, and my scabbiness) dictates that pay-TV is evil and shall never enter our household. [Read more]
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