Sal’s Preview – Round 4: All Aboard The Coaching Cycle – Bring your Alibi to the Championships

Sal takes the coach critics to task for their two-handed approach to the suitability or otherwise of particular coaches. But the continuing daytime Grand Final time slot gets a big tick.

Almanac Life and Music: The Eighth Caller Through – The Cars, Neil Young, and Goanna

Mickey Randall’s mate Lukey dropped off some old vinyl albums recently. They took Mickey back to a special time in his life. Is nostalgia ‘right now — the way it found us in the first place?’

2026 NRL – The Prospector’s Pickaxe: NRL is an 80-minute game. Or is it?

The Prospector swings his pickaxe at the illusion of rugby league being an 80 minute game. It’s not, but how can we make it closer to that goal without causing too much collateral damage?

RITV – Athletics: The 2026 Maurie Plant Meet

For a change of pace (no pun intended), RITV reviews last weekend’s Maurie Plant Meet, formerly the Melbourne Track Classic, one of the highlights of the annual athletics calendar in Australia.

2026 NRL – Prop by the Sea: You gotta love footy! – Round 5

Prop by the Sea has gone all Bee Gees this week, a soundtrack with which many of us of slightly advanced years will certainly identify. Does anyone remember George Wallace and ‘Theatre Royal’ from the early 60s with the Gibb kiddies in their white t-shirts, shorts, socks and sandshoes? (‘Cucumber Castle’, Prop? I, for one, recall that! – Ed.)

Round 3 – Geelong v Adelaide: From the Premiership Stand

Marcus Holt was in the Premiership Stand to see his Cats triumph over the Crows at a soggy Kardinia Park

Round 3 – Haiku Bob: unnatural things

Haiku Bob saw rather more polish in the Magpies’ performance under the dome in Round 3.

Almanac Horseracing: Boo ars only

Pestwac, as we know, spent a lot of time on the punt where he came into contact with any number of colourful characters. Today it’s Dickie, a man of military bearing – although he probably wasn’t!

2026 NRL – Upsets on and off the field

After a weekend with several surprise results, the NRL is full of people and clubs who are more than a tad miffed this week.

Cam Hooke’s Collingwood Life 2026: Round 3 Review and Round 4 Preview

A good Round 3 win to the Pies over the Giants is reviewed by Cam Hooke’s Collingwood Life 2026, and the Round 4 match against Brisbane is previewed.

Almanac Footy: 2026 AFL Draftees Preview – Ch.1

Micky McTigger looks ahead to some of the likely prospects for this year’s AFL draft.

Round 4 – AFL Footy Fixture 2026: Who, where, and when

Find out who, where, and when your team is playing in Round 4 of AFL Season 2026.

Almanac Poetry: ‘High on the low down in Wonthaggi (even though I have to jump), reprise’

Except for the personnel involved, play remains much the same on the streets of Wonthaggi as it has for ages recalls James Walton in his poem.

Round 3 – Collingwood v GWS: No surprises at Marvel

Richard Griffiths was unable make the match with the Giants playing Collingwood at Marvel on Friday night. Thunderstorms and high winds delayed his flight from Sydney, but his nephew’s wedding on Saturday atoned for the disappointment of the missed match.

The People’s Elbow: No longer angry, but conditioned.

The People’s Elbow comes off the top rope and offers some sobering insights into the Carlton Condition.

Round 3 – Carlton v Melbourne: Voss to a half-back flank?

In a past life, Greg A held the Blues close to his heart as a South Australian with an adopted VFL side that featured many big names from west of Horsham…but now he finds more to like in their opponents, the Demons.

Round 3 – Essendon v North Melbourne: Another crash landing!

Although beaten again, the Bombers put up a much better effort against North Melbourne to go down by 2 goals.

Almanac Poetry: Stone and Darkness

We reprise Kevin Densley’s seasonal poem in the lead up to Easter, set at dawn in the precinct of St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne.

Round 3 – Geelong v Adelaide: Jealous Of The Cats Success, But Gee! I Admire Them!

In summing up Thursday night’s game at Kardinia Park, Dan Lonergan believes Adelaide has a lot to prove while you just have to respect the Cats’ winning ways.

Round 3 – Port Adelaide v West Coast Eagles: Young guns shoot down Port

The old and the young of the West Coast Eagles combined to pull off a win for the ages on the road against the Power, writes Nick Kossatch.