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]
Racing: What a fine day it is at the Gunny races
October 7, 2009 by 3 Comments
Horse racing at Gunbower dates back to1881.The “Gunny” races used to be held in the heat of January but last year the date was changed to the more weather-friendly first weekend in October. Gunbower is a small town on the Murray Valley Highway, half an hour from Echuca. The flat plains stretch out on the south side [Read more]
Racing: Makybe’s lowdown on the tipsters
October 7, 2009 by 13 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman While your correspondent got lucky on the weekend and other Knacker racing contributors, Crio, Budge, Craig and Peter, have done same in recent weeks, what of the pundits out there on the airwaves and in the dailies? Since some of you Knackers will find yourselves trackside in coming weeks, it’s timely [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Given Victoria’s triumphs in so many codes, does footy have anything to fear in its heartland?
October 5, 2009 by 6 Comments
When “other” national codes begun a concerted push in to Melbourne, many “dedicated” AFL fans (and the parent body, I suspect) exhibited ill-will towards them. It was us or them. Even the Socceroos and the Wallabies were not to be supported lest a foothold be conceded in Victoria. According to my son Tom, untainted from [Read more]
Racing: Melbourne punters need to note tricky track traits
October 5, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Chris Riordan Despite the relatively fine weather, cracking fixture and healthy attendance, it was pretty much business as usual in the main betting ring at Flemington on Saturday. For bookies it was predominantly a winning day after a tough start. The Turnbull Stakes and Gilgai Stakes put the ledger in their favour, although the [Read more]
AFL Draft: Fev sideshow further darkens footy’s big anti-climax
October 5, 2009 by 12 Comments
By Jason Feldman Just as Grand Finals are the climax of the footy season, trade week is the true anti-climax. For weeks the tension builds. Player X is being traded to team Y for pick Z and player W. Footy websites crack under the traffic of footy fans eager to scrounge any information on, say, [Read more]
Horseracing: All not silent on the Freeman front
October 4, 2009 by 8 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman Like our Sally McLellan would have it: “Did you see him go?” All Silent’s the guy we’re on about – we were aboard, and not since Shaftsbury Avenue slayed ’em in the Lightning have we seen such a blinding finish in a quality sprint race. The Mercedes-driving bookies we mentioned in [Read more]
AFL club awards: All the best-and-fairest top tens
October 3, 2009 by 4 Comments
Adelaide (Malcolm Blight Medal) 43 Bernie Vince 41 Jason Porplyzia 39 Simon Goodwin 38 Michael Doughty 38 Graham Johncock 38 Kurt Tippett 36 Scott Thompson 30 Tyson Edwards 30 Andrew McLeod 29 Chris Knights Brisbane (Merrett-Murray Medal) 57.5 Jonathan Brown 56.5 Simon Black 54 Mitch Clak 51.5 Luke Power 45 Justin Sherman 41.5 Daniel Rich [Read more]
The Wrap: Don’t say I didn’t warn you
October 2, 2009 by 3 Comments
HEADLINES WE’LL BE SEEING IN 2010 Here you go Wrappers. We’ve just got the Wrap Crystal Ball back from the dry cleaners. We gave it a bit of a rub and these are the headlines that materialized out of the mist. How do they match up with your crystal ball? PRE SEASON AFL CEO Ayatollah [Read more]
Racing: Red Ruler’s my Turnbull tip under the conditions
October 2, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Chris Riordan I’m heading to Flemington with a spring in my step but hopefully a zip on my pocket as I’m keen to look but not commit yet. By tomorrow night we’ll be scouring the doubles boards, but it is a tough meeting which will need careful strategy. Sydney races, too, will be tempting. [Read more]
Horseracing: Black type everyhwere on Turnbull Stakes day
October 2, 2009 by 19 Comments
by Mark “Makybe” Freeman Wow, punters (he barked, with eyes lolling and tongue wagging), Turnbull/Epsom Day is as big as ever this year. For footy fans joining us, this weekend is similar to the first week of the finals – the early home-and-away-like skirmishes are done with and we have top level racing in multiple [Read more]
AFL General Writing: He’s not a role model, he’s just a naughty boy
October 1, 2009 by 1 Comment
By John Butler A fine football season has reached a fitting climax. The rituals of triumph and despair will play themselves out in the competing team camps for some time to come. Grand Finals never turn out grand for everyone. Another growing post-season ritual has already snuck an early start. The annual Spot the Drunken [Read more]
AFL Grand Final: Go St Killdog! Having two teams leaves me doubled up in pain
September 30, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Andrew Gigacz If there’s one piece of advice that’s been delivered ad nauseum to investors, it’s that they should diversify. Put all your eggs in a single basket, they say, and you’ll be regretting it when that basket falls under a steamroller. But put a little here and a little there and if one [Read more]
AFL Grand Final – Haiku Bob – a thin mist
September 30, 2009 by 4 Comments
Grand final day every seat taken on the couch clouds black and blue the crunch of bodies to kill the ball no goals… wild applause greets a smother shots for goal sprayed far and wide like Goddard’s nose all day the rain Ablett not falling [Read more]
AFL Grand Final: It’s a great game that can bring tears on a neutral supporter
September 30, 2009 by 2 Comments
By Sam Duncan Generally if Essendon isn’t playing I don’t really care who wins. I love watching footy – I love observing the match-ups, the contests, the tactics and the play. I love observing the raw, unbridled emotions of the fans. I love how much Australia’s very own game means to Australians. You only had [Read more]
Fantasy Fixture 2010: Steve whets his appetite for next season
September 29, 2009 by 263 Comments
We have come to the end of the footy season, which means that all minds turn to the release of the upcoming fixture. I have made my own fixture, while keeping in mind of the rules that the AFL uses (no teams play each other twice within seven rounds, one game at Subiaco per week, [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Who are the perennial losers?
September 29, 2009 by 35 Comments
St Kilda has lost another AFL Grand Final. Glenelg has again bowed out early in the SANFL finals. South Africa is out of the Champion’s Trophy. Who are the other perennial losers?
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