2010 FIFA World Cup Preview: Part 5 of 8

GROUP E Netherlands: Highly fancied to win the tournament, the classy Dutch team boasts incredible skill and talent. Solid at the back and fluent through the midfield, players like Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder will look to both assist and score goals.  The only superpower in the group and should advance with no troubles. Player [Read more]

Poetry: A Lament To Kings All

By Tim Pekin A LAMENT TO KINGS ALL It’s as if some kings have never been not Attracting the strong, the poor, the traditional hero’s lot Unearthing dreams on a quest for the Holy Grail Performing epic deeds for the populace to hail They lead their men into battle, at the fore Mercurial imposing figures, [Read more]

Let Me Give You The Tip

By Anthea  Abell It’s happened again. Every year I swear I won’t get involved because it always happens. All it takes is one week of forgetting and it’s all over. Two weeks ago I forgot to put my tips in. It was a crazy day at the office and I ignored the email reminder sent [Read more]

Geoff Sinclair’s Home and Away Games- Round 11

ROUND 11 Sydney Swans versus Essendon Sunday, June 6th., S.C.G. Jackson is the bloke who has just got the parcel delivery contract for our neck of the woods, and when I tell him why it’s so easy for me to remember his name, he gives me a nervous, crooked grin, shrugs and says sorry, but [Read more]

Swans win the proverbial drought breaker

By Neil Jackson SWANS VS ESSENDON 6TH June 2010 The headlines for this game will probably read: “An arm-wrestle on a raining afternoon”. From a Sydney Swans fan’s prospective it should read: “From the dark clouds comes the bright light-finally a close and important win. ‘ Swans-Bombers games have for eight years honoured the “Marngrook” [Read more]

Oh To Be An Arrogant Magpie!

An arrogant Collingwood supporter. How I wish I was an arrogant Collingwood supporter. Unfortunately, being fifty years old and having supported Collingwood since pre-birth (my mother tells me I went to a post-season night game while still in the womb),  there has been only one premiership in my lifetime. And that was twenty years ago. [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Confounded Sporting Expectations

To go down “like a lead balloon” is vernacular for an underwhelming performance…deflating.* What should have been a fairytale moment for Sam Stosur seemed very quickly to become a “given” – an expectation that she, on Australia’s behalf, would win. The loss was greeted with incredulity. What in previews would have been gauged a triumph [Read more]

The Albatross Rules, Chapter 14- Faith

14. Round 6, Mt Logan Cobras (away): Faith Albertville had its tiger back and Mt Logan had been humiliated on national television. Suddenly the stakes in the game between the two arch-rivals had been raised. No possible advantage was overlooked during preparation for these clashes. While Con could attend to fitness and hone the skills [Read more]

The View From Shepparton Round 11.

Last week I wrote that couldn’t care less about North Melbourne, well I do now. I have long complained about the accuracy or lack of it of AFL players when they are attempting set shots at goal. John Anthony after last year’s effort against the Crows was an honorable exception. Well now we have that [Read more]

Livewire Leon lets loose.

By Ramon Dobb Don’t you just love the AFL draw, as we play OUR home game against Footascray at the Doggie Dome.  It seems like we’ve played the Doggies four times in the past 19 rounds all at Doggie Dome….  Hang on, we have!! Yep, sorry its me again, after seeing Steve’s pleas for a [Read more]

The Unwelcome Guest

You don’t barrack for Collingwood; you ache for them. Following the Pies is an illness, a lifelong disease with no apparent cure. I go to Etihad then on a bleak winter’s night with few hopes of anything good and the expectation that afterwards I might need a panadol or two. It’s been a tough weekend. [Read more]

THE WRAP – ROUND XI

WHERE LIFE IMITATES FOOTBALL What a round it’s been in Footy Eddie.  The Junction Oval Seagulls consolidated their September Credentials at the expense of The Tigers to open proceedings for Round XI.  The Northern Bullants, in true Winter conditions, kicked The Sweep against the Gold Cost Meter Maids with an untroubled 26-10 (166) to win [Read more]

Haiku World Cup

In less than a week, South Africa plays host to The Greatest Show on Earth when the World Cup kicks off in Johannesburg. Pretty soon, the Knackery will be full of punditry and prognostication on the fortunes of the Socceroos as they take on the world’s best. To celebrate, a panel of experts (actually, a [Read more]

2010 FIFA World Cup Preview: Part 4 of 8

GROUP D Germany: One of the powerhouses of international football. They boast experience, speed and class in a well balanced team that is picked out mostly from the German Bundes Liga. However, the omission of Captain Michael Ballack through injury is a big loss. A man that is the heart of soul of German football [Read more]

Demons give the Blues too much of a start (again)

What gives a football club its identity? This is a question that could easily occupy a book. It is certainly beyond the proper scope of a match report. But it’s a question that comes to me when I ponder Melbourne’s current predicament. In the range of footy stereotypes, both Carlton and Melbourne are establishment clubs. [Read more]

SOMETIMES WE WIN

I make my way up the escalator at Southern Cross Station in a sanguine mood. The Tigers are no longer winless. All parallels with Fitzroy in ’64, the last league team to endure an entire season without a victory, are banished. Richmond may be on the bottom of the ladder, but hey, we win sometimes. [Read more]

Saints see off the Tigers in Simmonds’ final hurrah

By Steve Healy Troy Simmonds played his first match back in Round 4, 1999 against Carlton at Princes Park, wearing the red and blue and in number 46. He had four kicks in his first outing of what would be a career of highs and lows and many a criticism. Fast forward 4,031 days and [Read more]

West Coast go down fighting

West Coast v Geelong Almost two years ago, Geelong absolutely obliterated West Coast at Subiaco Oval on a Saturday night by 135 points. Sadly, I missed the game. But I was hoping that I would get a repeat of it in this match-up. All the signs pointed to an even bigger win, James Podsiadly in [Read more]

Demons not the only ones feeling the pain

After a week of work experience at the Shepparton News, I was readily looking forward to the weekend of footy, as is the case most weeks. All the time in fact. I stayed at my sister Hayley’s place for the whole week so I could easily get to the Shepp News instead of driving from [Read more]

Saints continue their streak

Last week Richmond won their first game of the year by 47 points over the hapless Port Power but that was last week, this week my boys Richmond come up against the Saints who we haven’t been able to defeat since round 4 2003, to think I’ve lost 11 bets since that game to my [Read more]