Almanac Punting: The Cooler’s 2023 Finals and Premiership Form Guide

Contemplating a flutter? Searching for a finals form guide? Look no further than Steve “The Cooler” Baker’s guide to the AFL’s September spring carnival. And remember to gamble responsibly!!

NRL Week 1 Finals: The Road to the Finals – Part One

Matthew O’Hanlon has put together his thoughts for the lead up to Week 1 of the NRL Finals.

NRL Week 1 Finals and NRLW Round 8: Going with the rankings

It’s the pointy end of the NRL season while the pressure is on in the NRLW for finals spots. Ian Hauser offers his thoughts ahead of a big weekend in rugby league.

Almanac Sporting Science Fiction: Millimetre Bob and the Royboys

In this short story, Paul Harman combines sci-fi, footy history and inner-city Melbourne life.

Almanac Music: Jimmy Buffett – a reflection

Like many, the announcement of Jimmy Buffett’s death was a surprise and shock. Daryl Schramm remembers his introduction to the music of Jimmy Buffett.

Up the Mighty Murray! – Episode 21: ‘The MCG of the Bush’

We have come along way ‘Up The Mighty Murray’. This week in Episode 21 Peter Clark sails up the Mitta Arm of Lake Hume to Tallangatta and the Tallangatta and District Football League. Feature matches are finals games – Kiewa-Sandy Creek v Yackandandah, and Beechworth v Chiltern.

Almanac Poetry: ‘I play the perfect cover drive’ – James Walton

With the cricket season upon us, it is timely for a poem about the great sport. James Walton gets in some practice and relates his thoughts in verse of his cracking cover drive, but are his children impressed by the shot?

Almanac Music: Vale Jimmy Buffett

Another icon of the music world has passed away – this time Jimmy Buffett. Col Ritchie remembers Jimmy and his music.

Almanac Teams: Players in a Grand Final with less than 20 Games

This week, Rodney Boyd delves into footy’s past to provide us with a team of premiership players and a team of grand finalists who had played less than 20 games prior to the big day

Almanac Photography: The Brilliance of Platon

Ian Wilson has recently discovered the work of British-Greek photographer Platon Antoniou, who currently has an exhibition at the Ballarat Art Gallery

Almanac Poetry: Fiona, Me, and the Moon

Jerry Seinfeld may have said the following about this week’s poem from Kevin Densley: ‘Hey, what’s the deal with the moon? What’s it doing up there?’

Almanac Memoir: Meeting John Birt and Kooka Epis

Johno ‘Snowy’ Nugent has sent another email to John Harms, this time to tell the tale of he,as a twelve year old, he got a lift back to Niddrie with a couple of Bombers players.

Almanac Racing: Sal’s Preview – Let the Group 1s begin

Sal Ciardulli has cast his eye over the beginning of the Group 1 racing season at Caulfield to tip a few winners for punters.

Almanac Music: Not Quite Bob – Americana Part 1: Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Golden Smog

Can the NQB series by Trevor Blainey get better than this? This week, Trevor takes us back to the beginnings of the Americana genre profiling some of the crème de la crème acts of this musical genre, and it’s a cracker! [With the 2024 AmericanaFest about to take place in Nashville later this month, it is an appropriate time to reprise this episode from the series. – Ed.]

Almanac Memoir: Uncle Colin

Kevin Densley has written a short memoir about his Uncle Colin, a tough man who grew up in ‘God’s Country’.

Almanac Rugby: A tale of two World Cups, or even three

In the run-up to France 2023, Tim Burke reflects on Australian rugby’s ‘status anxiety’, its preoccupation with World Cups, and the relationship between rugby and rugby league.

Almanac Travel: The Bolivian salt plains

Dips O’Donnell continues his extraordinary South American travels and highlights his visit exploring the incredible Bolivian salt plains. [Another ripping read Dips! – Ed]

NRL Round 27 and NRLW Round 7: Rubbed out, left out and a break out

Another crazy week in rugby league – kicked out, sitting out and breaking out! Ian Hauser surveys the scene.

Finals Week 1 – AFL Fixture Finals 2023: Qualifying and Elimination Finals

The AFL season 2023 Finals commence with the Qualifying and Elimination round of matches – check who, where, and when theta’s are playing.

Almanac Golf : Thank you Peter Floyd

Mark Poustie pays tribute to Peter Floyd and a select group of men he met along the way while being introduced and taught about golf at a very young age. The lesson Mark shares is when given the opportunity, to take some time and help a child with a pursuit, they may learn to love it and your small effort may produce a life altering outcome.