Saturday morning. For the first time in a couple of years, Clare and I are heading off to the track at the same time. (She called heads and got to attend the Derby Day car park last year and I spent my first eight hours straight as a single father, changing seven nappies, feeding four [Read more]
Princes Park Days: Blue Reflections
October 12, 2009 by 1 Comment
By John Butler Nostalgia is said to be a sure product of advancing age. It is equally sure that those of us old enough to remember the days of suburban footy grounds are susceptible to rose coloured remembrance. Like favourite songs forever linked to formative life experiences, each tribe has a repository of memories held [Read more]
General Footy Writing: Diary of a Top End Saint
October 12, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Joc Ledwidge A bonza ten days. Friday: Flew in lunchtime of Preliminary Final day. Picked up by West Melbourne-dwelling, Essendon-barracking mate, so hung around Puckle Street then Lygon Street and witnessed a few Saints scarves (a future theme as it turns out). Bought some additional winter warmers, in colours of course. Transport Bar pre-game. [Read more]
Racing: You want winners? Look no further than this site
October 11, 2009 by 17 Comments
By Chris Riordan Every Saturday and most public holidays I stand in the betting ring, bag around my neck, grabbing money from the dreamers and the greedy. Inevitably I am asked for a tip. “You must know?!” It bemuses me. I want to point out that I’m the one who is working during everyone else’s [Read more]
AFL Grand Final: Victory belongs to the people of Geelong
October 11, 2009 by 6 Comments
By Ramon Fowler If there is anyone out there who still doubts that the MCG is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the founding spirit of our game is alive in our time, who still questions the sheer magnificence of Australian football, then the 2009 AFL grand final is your [Read more]
AFL Semi-Finals: Bulldogs fire in my first finals match
October 11, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Callum O’Connor This year, I had expected to go to the finals. I would be there, urging on my Tigers with my uncle as they played their first final since 2001. Well, here I am. Going to the finals? Check. To watch a big cat team with a relative? Check. Pity it’s the wrong [Read more]
Racing: The Mug gets an early whack on The Beaver
October 11, 2009 by 8 Comments
It was set up to be a magnificent day’s racing at Caulfield yesterday, and it was. I have been extremely conscientious in fulfilling my duty to celebrate the premiership properly which has meant I have not paid much attention to the form guide. However there is nothing like a couple hours in an airport and [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Who’ll take No.5 at the Demons and other quandaries
October 10, 2009 by 12 Comments
All those players traded to new clubs during the week will have to find a new number as well as a new jumper at their new home. I’m happy for Barry “The Brawl” Hall to wear No.1 at the Doggies, though I’ll be demanding a bit more physicality than from previous lockermen Farren Ray and Simon Minton-Connell. [Read more]
Local Footy: Sydney footy makes up for unfortunate events of a century ago to claim new home at Blacktown
October 10, 2009 by 5 Comments
By Rod Gillett The recent Sydney AFL Grand Final was played at the new stadium at the Blacktown Olympic Park, which has become the new “home” for local footy in Sydney. It is significant location given that the GWS AFL team is to be based at this facility. GWS is of course, the acronym being [Read more]
AFL Club Awards: Barnstable’s breakdown on Crows’ top ten
October 10, 2009 by 433 Comments
By Josh Barnstable One of the most exciting seasons for the Adelaide Crows, the Red, Blue and Gold hoops finished 5th on the ladder and were third favourite to win the flag going into the finals after an enormous second half of the season, in which the young team blitzed the competition with an amazing [Read more]
Racing: If you’re having a quaddie, make sure you close the gate
October 10, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By LES EVERETT I’ve tried hard not to mention this. I do so as a Spring Carnival service. In the weeks to come the punting gene will be reactivated in some of us while others will believe a year of betting and studying will have somehow set them up for Group 1 success. Whatever our [Read more]
General Footy Writing: You leave my Jack out of any trade deals
October 10, 2009 by 568 Comments
I’ve always wanted to create an alter-ego for myself, not too unlike my character , just different enough to still be true. So now I present to you the WAG of Collingwood’s Jack Anthony. Jack is in one of those moods again, I think it’s all this trade week drama!
Racing: Denman the logical choice in an intriguing Guineas field
October 9, 2009 by 7 Comments
By Chris Riordan Early prognostications for Caulfield. Great meeting. Always a beauty and yet to reach the public pandemonium of the next three Saturdays. Go (unless you’re at the Manangatang Cup!). The feature race, The Guineas, is, as has been recounted, “vintage”. I doubted Denman could stay up this long but he seems bomb-proof. Logical [Read more]
Racing: Guineas looks a vintage edition on my favourite race day of the year
October 9, 2009 by 8 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman Magnificent card at Caulfield on Saturday, punters, and the weather is shaping up perfectly. My favourite day of spring, and easily the best to get along to. The Guineas looks a vintage edition, with those classy Sydney colts set to battle it out. I like Trusting from his last effort, and [Read more]
General Footy Writing: All over, bar the weeping
October 8, 2009 by 17 Comments
By John Kingsmill Every year fifteen teams run out of air. Some are shot early in the season; coaches walk, players have operations, fans think about a second team or go back to reading books. Two teams exit in the first week of the finals. Two others tease their fans only to experience a ruder [Read more]
Floreat Pica Society: Pendles hangs on to win prestigious Horsburgh Medal
October 8, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By Steve Fahey gala festive occasion; festive gathering for sports galah (slang) fool, simpleton, show-off The fifth annual gathering of the Floreat Pica Society was again a gala/galah evening, with twenty-something Floreat Picans gathered to celebrate another year’s pleasure and pain watching the Pies and to count the votes after Round 17 for the prestigious [Read more]
General Footy Writing: The Geelong DNA is strong
October 8, 2009 by 2 Comments
By Ramon Fowler I have a confession to make: I’m in love with a Pies supporter; have been for nearly three years; didn’t plan it. These things just happen, I guess. It was the off season; I had other things on my mind apart from football. I don’t think I even asked her which team [Read more]
General Footy Writing: The days of plain sailing in the AFL may well be numbered
October 7, 2009 by 3 Comments
By Sam Steele AFL entered the new millennium on Wednesday 8 March 2000. A midweek matching of Melbourne and Richmond at an unusually early time of year, was followed the next evening by Essendon hosting Port Adelaide, in the first match for premiership points at the Docklands Stadium. If such radical scheduling was meant to [Read more]
AFL Club awards: Barnstable’s breakdown on Roos’ top ten
October 7, 2009 by 327 Comments
By Josh Barnstable If you told me the two top placings of the 2009 Syd Barker Medal, I would have called you crazy and told you to get back to your Lexus Centre. But, after a shocking season for the blue and white stripes, two young players came through with plenty of credentials, and gained [Read more]
World Footy: Dubai Heat the hot tip in Middle East AFL
October 7, 2009 by 3 Comments
By Sheikh Mohammed bin Rocket Reigning Middle East AFL premier the Dubai Heat, fresh from their triumph at the Asian Club Championship in Kuala Lumpur in early September, again look the team to beat when the competition gets underway this weekend. The Heat will be at home to the Doha Kangaroos, who have had forty [Read more]
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