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]
Crio’s Question: How are the experts going?
April 6, 2010 by 4 Comments
by Chris Riordan It’s not just the players who face judgement as a new season gets underway. Footy fans have been hit by a wall of forecasts/previews/broadcasts/reviews…some funny, some stern, some pithy… How are they going? Reviews and recommendations welcome as we sift for the best footy info and entertainment.
AFL Round 2 – Collingwood v Melbourne: Magpies Made of Steele
April 6, 2010 by 16 Comments
by Danielle Eid Let’s cut to the point shall we. That was the worst I think I have seen these boys play, I mean seriously! After last weeks performance I was excepting a big BANG! Something that would make me parade down my street with my flag. I was wrong, very, very wrong.
Gigs’ Stats Round 2: Dial N for ‘No chance’
April 6, 2010 by 29 Comments
Stats Entertainment – Round 2 by Andrew Gigacz DIAL N FOR ‘NO CHANCE’ Two weeks into the season and a clear trend is already emerging. And that trend revolves around a single letter of the alphabet. That letter is ‘N’. Disparage if you will, but the facts speak for themselves.
AFL Round 2 – Richmond v Footscray: Beware of angry Dogs
April 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by John Green I can imagine a “Beware of the Dogs” sign displayed over Gate 3 of the MCG as I wend my way from Jolimont Station for the Richmond-Western Bulldogs clash. The Bulldogs had won the NAB Cup just three weeks before and were being lauded as premiership favourites. They seemed set to rule [Read more]
AFL Round 2 – Hawthorn v Geelong: Hawks run out of steam, Barnstable runs out of daylight.
April 5, 2010 by 14 Comments
by Josh Barnstable I have a theory on Easter Mondays. After a solid day of eating chocolate the day before, you get the day off Monday to work off all the weight you may or may not have put on. Anyway, as it seems hot outside, I’ll put this off for later on.
AFL Round 2 – Collingwood v Melbourne: Pies juggle form without dropping the game
April 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by Steve Merry It has been said that there are no easy wins in football. In the lead-up to this clash between Collingwood and Melbourne, however, the football world seemed to have forgotten the old cliché, with even club stalwarts Garry Lyon and David Schwarz conceding that Melbourne had no hope of winning. The only [Read more]
AFL Round 2 – St Kilda v Nth Melbourne: Saints get the chocolates as North turn back the clock to the bad old days
April 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
By Darren Dawson Was it the anticipation of Easter eggs to be received the next morning that had me thinking of chocolates as I watched Nick Riewoldt jog to the St. Kilda goal-square? If so, a sudden vision of boiled lollies came to mind as I turned to see David Hale take his position at [Read more]
AFL Round 1 – Collingwood v Melbourne: Melbourne have a Jolly Ball
April 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by Paul Harkin (with Danny Roach votes by Phil Cornell) I was looking for some positive omens before the big match and found one in a most unusual place. My new 2010 Collingwood cap told me to wash it in “luke warm water” (without a capital “L”). Despite Darren Jolly having an ordinary game last [Read more]
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