By Keiran Croker “There’s always next year”. That’s what my Dad used to say. And growing up a South Melbourne supporter in the 60’s, the hope of the next footy season was what you held onto. That and perhaps a glimpse of seeing Bobby Skilton play. In those days as kids we were only ever [Read more]
AFL Round 2 – Collingwood v Melbourne: So close but no cigar
April 9, 2010 by 4 Comments
By Steve Healy Some things stay the same, and some things change. For the second week in a row I am off to watch the Dees play with my friend Damo. But it’s a bit different going to the footy this afternoon, knowing that my beloved dog might not be with us when I get [Read more]
Bendigo Easter
April 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Wednesday 7 April 2010 There are bats living in Bendigo’s beautiful Rosalind Park. Grey-headed flying foxes, to be precise. Their arrival is the most preposterously unlikely thing to happen in the city since Phil Carman joined the local umpires’ association. Apparently, the heavy rainfall and storms up in Queensland and New South Wales sent the [Read more]
Golf: Mastering Augusta
April 9, 2010 by 18 Comments
by Peter Flynn The second weekend of April is always a special (I’d even go as far as to say a delicious) time for golf fans. It’s US Masters time. It’s like Christmas when you were a kid. The challenging Augusta National layout in conjunction with the tournament’s mystique and quirky traditions present a thorough [Read more]
Round 2 – The View from Shepparton: MCG classic makes up for missed Gabba glory
April 9, 2010 by 2 Comments
by Peter Schumacher What a great round of footy we have just observed, well most of us. For me, after all of my moaning and complaining about delayed telecasts, the Gabba seemingly in outer space somewhere with no communication to or from, here was a live direct telecast and broadcast.”And guess what”? as our fearless [Read more]
AJC Derby: Quality and intrigue
April 9, 2010 by 14 Comments
by Chris Riordan Racing purists love the Randwick Carnival which begins this Saturday with The Derby. The AJC Derby is Australia’s premiere 3 year-old event and the 2010 edition has quality and intrigue. Whilst discards like Manhattan Rain reinforce my “no pre-post” evangelism, those who make it to the barriers are chasing prestige, stud kudos [Read more]
AFL Round 2 – Richmond vs Footscray: No Easter miracle for the Tigers
April 8, 2010 by 2 Comments
by Domenic Favata Running up and down listening to the radio at Grandpa’s was stressful. Expecting a mighty Bulldogs win or a Richmond miracle on Easter Sunday. The truth was that even Jesus Christ himself couldn’t help Richmond to win.
AFL Round 2 – Richmond v Footscray: Bad Team, Bad Game, Bad Season
April 8, 2010 by 1 Comment
by Michael Allan One week down and Tigers season has already been written off, that’s got to be a record. After last week’s loss to Carlton I looked to see who we were playing next week only to find we were playing the team that many regarded as premiership favourites with a point to prove. [Read more]
Footy: New VFL season prompts review of a classic grand final
April 8, 2010 by 35 Comments
By Michael Rees The Victorian Football League, formerly the Victorian Football Association, kicks off its 133rd season this weekend. Perhaps the most intriguing clash on opening weekend will see the newest member of the league Gold Coast locking horns with old stager Port Melbourne at Southport. At a time when the competition is suffering an [Read more]
JOHN HARMS – Easter Monday: West Coast Dave and the Cats make it feel great to be alive
April 8, 2010 by 4 Comments
by John Harms It’s Easter Monday. Perfect sunny Canberra day. The Bruces are over for lunch. The kids, post sausage-in-bread, are kicking the soccer ball, and Theo (aged two) is filling up the golf hole with dirt from the marigold garden. There are no marigolds as the snails have eaten anything that resembles new growth. [Read more]
Big Jon, Big Shadow
April 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment
For the second week running the tone of my weekend was to be determined by Thursday evening. Having spent the past seven days on the fine line between great expectation and misguided hope the clash between the Blues and the Lions would give the Juddites a truer indication of “where we are at”. Buoyed by [Read more]
Hawthorn v Geelong: just another classic in the rivalry
April 8, 2010 by 7 Comments
My memories of Geelong/Hawthorn games stretches as far back to about 1995, when I was five, and the Cats (I think) beat Hawks at Kardinia Park/Baytec/Shell Stadium. We were in the box and Dad (a Hawks man) got very drunk and disgraced himself all the way home; fast forward to the 2008 grand final and [Read more]
AFL Round 2 – Essendon v Fremantle: High fashion at Docklands
April 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by Danni Eid After an hour of rushing around the house with one high heel while trying to get ready to leave to my grandparents house for left over’s from last nights barbie, my uncle rocks up in his Essendon attire and looks at me a little confused. I’m wearing a pretty blue summery dress [Read more]
VFL 1982 Grand Final: You really can’t stop the music
April 7, 2010 by 5 Comments
By Alex Wadelton. Early on a Sunday morning, Channel Seven’s digital channel, the creatively named 7Two, features classics from the VFL vaults. This week’s was the 1982 Grand Final between Carlton and Richmond. Now before any younger readers begin thinking this is a fictional piece, Richmond truly did, once upon a time, compete in finals [Read more]
Stawell: The Gift that keeps on giving
April 7, 2010 by 11 Comments
by Damian O’Donnell A boy, perhaps sixteen years old, works the pedals of his bicycle as he struggles with the blustery wind that is blowing across his right shoulder. It threatens on several occasions to blow him off the bitumen. The undulating road carves its way through the tough dry country of north western Victoria. [Read more]
AFL Round 2 – Hawthorn v Geelong: Classy Cats Claw Their Way to Victory
April 7, 2010 by 11 Comments
By Sasha Lennon Reigning premier Geelong now officially has ‘the wood’ over Hawthorn after a hard-fought nine point victory on Easter Monday. In front of a crowd of almost 70,000 people at the MCG, Geelong clawed its way through four quarters to eventually wear down a tiring Hawthorn who, for a good part of the [Read more]
The Albatross Rules, Chapter 5: A Pleasant Sunday Arvo
April 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Albatross Rules (a football chronicle) Con and the Prof have been putting the team together. With the season fast approaching it’s time for the social club to play its part in the Albatrosses’ revival. 5. A Pleasant Sunday Arvo The boys had been training hard and the recruiting effort, though at times unconventional, had [Read more]
Haiku Bob Round 2: waiting for the moon
April 6, 2010 by 3 Comments
warm up – Leon practices kicking opportunistic goals my entire life coming here not knowing what will happen waiting for the moon – we can’t get it out of the middle daylight savings ends – Collingwood whittles away the light approaching dusk… the moment between winning and losing shades of pink in the ghost gum [Read more]
Stawell Gift: The Call of Stawell
April 6, 2010 by 5 Comments
by Rod Oaten As it turned out I was very happy I didn’t go to the Fish Bowl behind Spencer Street railway station for the Don’s game against a team called Fremantle. I even had a free ticket but no one in their right mind would want to see a game against a corporate team [Read more]
Feature: A way to go: despondency and expectation in the life of a Freo supporter
April 6, 2010 by 16 Comments
Malcolm Allbrook The life of a Fremantle Dockers supporter, one of perpetual disappointment, of occasional bursts of joy mingled with frustration, gloom, pitying looks and occasional patronizing reassurances from teams confident of their sustained superiority. The team of the colour purple with all its contradictory implications, of the symbolic anchor intended to signify our maritime [Read more]
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