THE PRE WRAP – WEEK 1 OF SEPTEMBER For the Philosophical Marngrook Follower What a week it’s been in Footy Eddie. Out at Whinging Hill, The Bombers stood up in the tackle. Taking sound advice from the Senior Associate at Downright Lie & Procrastinate, Sir Frank Downright, they swallowed their medicine and pleaded guilty as [Read more]
Racing: Preview for Flemington, Randwick, Morphettville and Warracknabeal on 5 September
September 3, 2009 by 19 Comments
Mark “Makybe” Freeman writes: The march to the big races in spring continues apace, punters, and it’s a big, fascinating and punting-wise tough card at Headquarters tomorrow. It’s always been a real spring set-up day, Craiglee Stakes day, and there’s quality beasts across the program. I’ll be keeping a watch on Nicastro and Shamoline Warrior [Read more]
AFL Finals — Week 1: If you think Cats are under more pressure than Dogs, you’re kidding yourself
September 3, 2009 by 13 Comments
I was sitting at a family dinner on Sunday night, enjoying the lamb shanks but wondering who the Cats would play next week. I had no preference between the Pies and the Bulldogs – if you’re going to go all the way then you have to beat whoever fronts up – and the last update [Read more]
General Footy Writing: All’s fair in love and footy
September 3, 2009 by 10 Comments
Ursula, Audrey and Herb were born nine weeks ahead of schedule in May 1997. For quite a few years we didn’t let on to the children the actual order of birth. We thought it might avoid the “I’m older than you” hierarchical claims. After all, that is how Mark Waugh got the nickname “Junior”. However, [Read more]
General Footy Writing: A Father’s Day reflection
September 2, 2009 by 10 Comments
By Steve Fahey One of the many things I am grateful to my parents for is my passion for the black and white. Dad’s passion for the Pies was life-long – he was raised in Langridge Street, Collingwood, upstairs from the fruit shop that my grandparents ran. Collingwood in the early 1930s was a struggling, [Read more]
Footy lunch: Roll up, roll up for Lighthouse Foundation function at the MCG
September 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Poetry: A Barry Crocker of a Year
September 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By Rick Trewavas Screw the game, it’s not the same If your mob’s not out there. It’s the final stanza for all but five, Too late to sell a game alive to the NT, bugger it – it was worth plenty. But at least our B&F Tink is rid of umpies’ mistakes, Ducks and drakes, [Read more]
In the Sheds: Peckett skates through busy life as father and footballer
September 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
WHEN this column yesterday rang former St Kilda defender Justin “Frankie” Peckett, he was skateboarding through the streets of Brighton. Peckett, 36, often gets about on his skateboard, especially if he has to commute from the North Melbourne office of Leading Teams, where he works, for an appointment with a corporate big shot in the [Read more]
General Footy Writing: Birdman’s mark ranks as high as any in my mind
September 2, 2009 by 7 Comments
By John Kingsmill Late in the third quarter of the Round 22 game between Adelaide and Carlton at Etihad, Brett Burton took what Channel Ten described as the Mark of the Century. Jason Dunstall said: “During the third quarter break, I think we will probably show this mark maybe twenty times. That won’t be enough [Read more]
AFL Round 22: Crows’ win keeps me awake all night
September 2, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Anne Fedorowytsch I restlessly woke in the early hours of Sunday morning in my Melbourne hotel room suffering from a case of Crows-induced insomnia. My mind was murky with mesmerising memories from the evening before and now I was wide-awake reliving them over and over. The walkway connecting Melbourne’s grey-city streets to Etihad Stadium [Read more]
AFL Round 22: Bend it like Blighty
September 2, 2009 by 2 Comments
Port Adelaide versus North Melbourne 7.10pm, Saturday, August 29 AAMI Stadium I don’t like watching footy on TV. I feel disengaged, not part of the action. I can’t smell the air, feel the atmosphere or become emotionally involved with the game. The screen is too small to capture all the action on our large, oval [Read more]
Haiku Bob – AFL Round 22 – unmistakable stench
September 2, 2009 by 2 Comments
twilight game the city’s groan circles the Dome from wing to wing we try to make the ball go forward Dogs on another fast break paint peeling from the rafters leisurely Leon spears a pass to his opponent getting jumpy Wellingham crumbs and goals his own fumble twilight our hopes slowly fade but fade they [Read more]
AFL Round 22: Pies need to go back to the drawing board
September 1, 2009 by 2 Comments
By Tony Scully Evening, Floreat Picans, or should I say, Mourning? I went for a long and arduous pushbike ride on Sunday morning. As I struggled into a headwind (I was thinking of the match later in the day to take my mind off the pain) I was swooped by a zealous Magpie. I thought [Read more]
Ireland Correspondent: Kennelly stars in ill-starred final
September 1, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Peter Lenaghan There are five minutes to go in the second All-Ireland football semi final. Emily and I are watching the game in a south Dublin bar, but we are distracted by a bowl of hot chips and the rain tumbling down outside. In truth, the game lost our attention a while ago.
Crio’s Question: What is a pass mark for the top four teams?
September 1, 2009 by 5 Comments
All real fans get excited when their team reaches September and has genuine claims of raising that cup. (What is it actually?) I’d guess that, although Carlton, Essendon and Brisbane are given no chance of getting through, each would rate their season as a success. Adelaide, now contenders, also will emerge with ticks. But what [Read more]
Gigs’ Stats: Season’s highest score, flag omens and much, much more
September 1, 2009 by 6 Comments
Andrew Gigacz’s Round 22 Stat. Declaration A PLEASIN’ SEASON FOR MORE THAN ONE REASON Everyone knows who won and we know who’s playing who and where and when next week, so let’s get straight down to the stats that really don’t matter:
Local Footy: CYs fall short in tight, tense affair
September 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment
SENIORS PENINSULA 1.4 3.8 9.11 15.16-106 WILLIAMSTOWN 1.1 5.3 9.4 11.6-72 PENINSULA Goal Kickers: J. Rombotis 4, J. Coghlan 3, T. Coghlan 2, B. Southam 2, S. Payze, A. Wood, J. Heron, T. Scarpella Best Players: A. Wood, S. Barbour, T. Coghlan, S. Grigg, R. Powney, S. Payze WILLIAMSTOWN Goal Kickers: T. Wheeler 5, J. [Read more]
View From Shepparton: Lions with a home final? Wish I still lived in Queensland
August 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Brisbane get a home final, how good is that? I never dreamed at the beginning of the year that they would achieve that. In my heart rather than my mind I thought that they might finish eighth but I wasn’t really a believer. What better test than to beat an emotionally charged Sydney in Sydney?
AFL Round 22: Dees see out legends with plucky performance
August 31, 2009 by 67 Comments
Walking into the MCG is harder than normal today, knowing that a few club champions’ careers are at an end. I sit in my usual reserved seat, with the usual 50-year old man sitting in front of me, who I notice isn’t wearing a hat for the first home game this year.
AFL Round 22: Roos win match that is much better than it looked on paper
August 31, 2009 by 5 Comments
This game on paper looks terrible. But there’s more meaning behind it when two Port players, who’ve been there since it all started, are hanging up their boots. Brendon Lade and Peter Burgoyne will finish with 474 games and 374 goals between them. In Round 1, 1997, both of them kicked a goal each in [Read more]
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