If you want every piece of information about the top candidates for the 2025 AFL Draft on Nov 19 and 20, download Rookie Me Central’s Draft Guide here. Compiled by Almanac member Murray Bird and Peter Williams with much of the text by Michael Alvaro, it gives a clear and concise look at the talent.
Almanac Footy: Rookie Me Central 2025 AFL Draft Guide available here
Almanac Rugby League – The Third Ashes Test and Pacific Championships Finals
The Kangaroos won the Ashes and the Pacific Championships have two monster clashes on finals day on Sunday. In Cup week, Ian Hauser runs his eye over the rugby league form guide.
Almanac Books – Extracts: ‘The Hugamug Club’ by Andy Thurlow
In the lead up to the launch of his book ‘The Hugamug Club’ later this month, Andy Thurlow provides a few extracts to whet our appetites.
Sal’s Preview 2025: Oaks Day Preview – I’ve Got a Good Feeling!
It will be another fabulous day of Spring Carnival horseracing with the Oaks Day meeting. Sal Ciardulli presents his thoughts and tips for the meeting.
Almanac Music – ‘Class of ’57’ by The Statler Brothers: My rendition
RagingBull has been thinking a lot about the Statler Brothers song ‘The class of ’57’, so much so that he reworked some of the lyrics to reflect both his and his wife’s real life experiences.
Almanac Life: Templeton and Cordy
Neil Cordy has known Kelvin Templeton, who is three years his senior, since he was a lad. Their paths have crossed many, many times and in some interesting ways, including on the footy field. In his Almanac debut, Neil writes about the respect he has for his dear friend and explains that it’s no surprise that he has written a terrific novel. [Welcome Neil – Eds]
Melbourne Cup: The Almanac sweep and trifecta
Here’s what the mugs at the Footy Almanac came up with.
Almanac Poetry: Cracker Night
Kevin Densley remembers that one night of the year – November 5th – when many parents allowed their kids the recreational use of small, dangerous explosives … (worthy of reprising – ed)
Almanac (Film) Reviews – ‘Bugonia’ and ‘After The Hunt’
Ian Wilson takes us to the cinema again to review two films that attracted his attention. He wasn’t disappointed.
Almanac (Club) Cricket – Round 2: West Warrion v Tomahawk Creek
Country cricket at its best! Liam McCullagh reports on the Round 2 Colac District Cricket Association match between West Warrion CC and Tomahawk CreekCC resulting in a convincing win for the home side.
Almanac Horseracing – Cup Day Preview: can Valiant King drive us home?
Sal’s back with a fine-toothed comb run over the field for the Melbourne Cup today.
Almanac Poetry: ‘The Race That Stopped A Nation’ by Patrick Smith
Today is the running of one of the world’s greatest horse races, The Melbourne Cup. Patrick Smith recalls in verse the circumstances surrounding Damien Oliver’s win on Media Puzzle in 2002, ‘The Race That Stopped A Nation’.
Almanac Poetry: The Story of Fisher’s Ghost Creek
‘Tis the season (of sorts); Kevin Densley follows on from his spooky Halloween poem with a reprise of an older work on Fisher’s Ghost Creek.
The 2025 Melbourne Cup Field and an invitation to Monday evening’s digital (Teams) meeting of the tipping minds
Join the annual Almanac Melbourne Cup tipping round table, via Microsoft Teams, Monday night from 8pm EDST. Sweeps and form analysis to decide on the Almanac Trifecta.
Almanac Weather: The new BOM website
My Weather. Or The Weather. John Harms is wondering about the new BOM site.
Almanac Tributes: Vale Derek Chadwick – 22 lives on
Derek Chadwick, East Perth FC champion has passed away. Les Everett remembers his boyhood sporting hero and pays a fitting tribute to Derek Chadwick..
Kelvin Templeton: On Writing ‘Collision’
We’ll be publishing a number of pieces on Kelvin Templeton and his debut novel ‘Collision’ over the coming weeks. We start today with a few words from Kelvin on his early life as a reader and his progress along the (sometimes rocky) path towards becoming a writer. [Congratulations Kelvin – from your fellow members at The Footy Almanac]
Almanac Horseracing – Confessions of a teenage racegoer Part IV: the 1980 Golden Slipper Stakes and other Yobbo headline grabbers
Wayne Peake provides us with another hugely entertaining excerpt from ‘Confessions of a Teenage Racegoer of the 1970s’ a section of his book ‘Sydney Racing in the 1970s’.
Almanac Book Preview – ‘The Hugamug Club’ by Andy Thurlow
Andy Thurlow provides us with the background that led to the writing of his latest book ‘The Hugamug Club’. See also details of the launch on November 27 in the Barossa Valley.
Sal’s Preview 2025: Derby Day – What will Racing Santa Bring Us?
It’s Derby Day at Flemington on Saturday and Sal Ciardulli presents his thoughts and tips for the meeting.











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