by Josh Barnstable It’s a question I would have to work hard to find the answer for. But I would enjoy sifting through the memories my brain has stored. What is my favourite moment I have experienced in a game of AFL footy? It would have to be from the Round 19 clash between North [Read more]
Morality and sport
November 24, 2009 by 10 Comments
by Chris Riordan Morality in Sport is a very broad, interesting and controversial topic. Fine Cotton. Shoeless Joe Jackson. Recent Euro soccer and tennis betting scandals. All palpably deceitful. But it’s not always so clear. The “gentleman’s game” has had its problems. Trevor Chappell was within the rules (and following orders) when he rolled McKechnie. [Read more]
My footy Cinderella moment – aka “The Launch”
November 24, 2009 by 47 Comments
The Melbourne launch for the Almanac was like a celebrity event, like the Brownlow minus the huge amount of AFL stars, but still it turned out to be a great night. The hectic run home after a day of 3 exams had me running around the house, half dressed, hair straightener in hand while everyone [Read more]
What were your favourite Almanac pieces of 2009?
November 24, 2009 by 42 Comments
This is not a forum for ranking. However, one of the pitfalls of this fantastic site is that so many articles can appear and then be smothered soon after. In the spirit of end of year lists, I wish to highlight some of my memorable reads from footyalmanac.com.au in 2009.
A great night. (At least that’s the Waaia remember it.)
November 23, 2009 by 68 Comments
by Josh Barnstable It’s Wednesday. I wait for Thursday to come. I have been waiting since Daff told me that the launch would be on the 19th of November. It’s the 18th. I’m at tennis training, wearing my Waaia guernsey, I’m in full concentration with my coach, we are doing some work at the net [Read more]
Fab 5 together for the first time!
November 23, 2009 by 51 Comments
By Steve Healy What a great night this was. As I stepped into the Clyde Hotel on Thursday, I was excited about meeting a group of people I knew so well but I had never met before, a group of people with one common link: footy. I walk inside, a pool table or two, a [Read more]
A launch to remember
November 22, 2009 by 2 Comments
by Chris Riordan Dennis Denuto, in The Castle, immortalized “the vibe of the thing” in his stirring support of “everyman”. Anson Cameron, writer and footy fan, clearly sensed it as he launched the “traditional” 2009 edition of The Footy Almanac. His galloping, gloriously irreverent speech captured the spirit of this compilation and of the happy [Read more]
Schauble likely to miss grand final re-match
November 19, 2009 by 6 Comments
by Rod Gillett Former Sydney Swans best & fairest Andrew Schauble is likely to miss the Middle East AFL grand final re-match when the Dubai Heat travel to the Sultanate of Oman to play the Muscat Magpies in their round 3 at the Muscat Rugby Club on Friday. Schauble is suffering from a flu virus [Read more]
Off to South Africa along the All White road
November 18, 2009 by 5 Comments
by Tim Ivins World Cup Football provides me with some of the strongest emotions I’ve experienced as a sports fan. It’s almost like the golden path in the Wizard of Oz, countries play-off for the right to play in the greatest show of all. The show which causes me to shift my body clock to [Read more]
Is poor player management the reason why players get a premature exit?
November 17, 2009 by 7 Comments
by Clint Youlden I met this AFL footballer (let’s call him Player X) through a friend of mine, Tavis Perry. Tavis has long been involved with me, and my training innovations, for the past 5 years and encouraged this player to seek out my expertise in speed and coordination training. Tav floated the idea to [Read more]
Stone the Crows (or at least their recruiting policy)
November 17, 2009 by 2 Comments
by Lynda Morphett These are my ideas on how the Adelaide Footy Club could improve their recruiting (it probably applies to other clubs as well): Recruiting criteria: Our recruiting criteria perhaps needs revising. (Without seeing it – can’t say for sure!) More focus on skilfulness and decision making ability, and less focus on beep tests, [Read more]
The table
November 16, 2009 by 3 Comments
by Damian “Dips” O’Donnell Our dinners at home were always noisy, cluttered affairs. The eight of us would sit around the delightful (though tiny) old mahogany table, which seemed to have a talent for expanding whenever Mum found there were additional mouths to feed. It could have been someone’s mate, a cousin, the local parish [Read more]
Footy Talk: Ziggy Stardust & Chris Judd discuss the Messiah burden (and other matters)
November 15, 2009 by Leave a Comment
by John Butler Setting: Fleeing the rock ‘n’ roll craziness of the 70’s, Ziggy Stardust ended up running an underground backpacker’s in Coober Pedy (a long story). He finds that he blends in with the local wildlife surprisingly well. His hair now tends more grey than fluorescent red, and a middle age paunch hangs over [Read more]
Sandown Classic: Freeman and Flynn’s final spring fling
November 15, 2009 by 5 Comments
by Mark “Makybe” Freeman True to form, Sandown Classic Day proved a benefit for punters, with very gettable trifectas and first fours in the Guineas and Classic, a very gettable quaddie (even I managed 4 per cent of it!) and even a very gettable Big 6 that paid more than three large.
Footy: Denning’s death ends links to Roys’ last flag
November 13, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Adam Muyt The 1944 Fitzroy premiership player Clen Denning died on 10 November. He was 98. One of Clen’s teammates in the Gorillas’ premiership, Laurie Bickerton, died just three months earlier, marking 2009 as the year the two final living links to Fitzroy’s eight VFL flags ended. Denning was, by all accounts, a very [Read more]
Footy: Say it isn’t so Richo … or then again … maybe the time is right
November 13, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Sam Steele I don’t think a better verbal portrait of Richo can be painted than Waleed Aly’s piece that prefaced the 2008 Almanac. Nor can a better image be conceived that Jim Pavlidis’ wonderful cover picture. I won’t even attempt to compete with these. My contribution to what will doubtless be a host of [Read more]
Racing: Let’s turn those few rusty shekels into an even bigger stash with a collective effort
November 13, 2009 by 7 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman Ahhh, Sandown Classic Day. I think it’s held as a benefit for the year-long punters. It’s almost as if all participants – jocks, trainers, books, horses even – conspire to share with the workaday punters what the once-a-year mugs drop in over the carnival. “You’ve had to suffer the goons,” they [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Richo’s out. Who else will be miss when they’re gone?
November 13, 2009 by 2 Comments
So Richo’s gone. Like all footy fans, I’ve shaken my head and clapped my hands at his soap opera of a career. What I knew all along, though, was that we’d miss him when he’s gone. Far too often we scold players and then, a few years later, lament the lack of characters in the [Read more]
Music: Recollections of an old fart at Meredith
November 11, 2009 by 7 Comments
By Andrew Fithall In 2008 I attended my first Meredith. Some people think that is a little bit weird for a then 49-year -old. And some people might be a little bit right. But I have come late to this music festival scene. In fact, live music generally has not taken up a lot of [Read more]
Footy: Superdogs find plenty to yap about on trip south
November 11, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By Nick Kossatch The Riverland Superdogs ventured to the south east of South Australia over the weekend and by all reports, that region was painted red. Bordertown was the overnight stop on Friday night. The Bordertown Roosters Footy Club were the hosts and provided many beverages and plenty of food for the hungry and thirsty [Read more]
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