Search Results for: matt watson

The Albatross Rules, Chapter 5: A Pleasant Sunday Arvo

The Albatross Rules (a football chronicle) Con and the Prof have been putting the team together. With the season fast approaching it’s time for the social club to play its part in the Albatrosses’ revival. 5. A Pleasant Sunday Arvo The boys had been training hard and the recruiting effort, though at times unconventional, had [Read more]

Freo no Easter bunnies this year.

On this day a long time ago, Jesus rose again and said “Let Daylight Savings Time end” and it did. And to celebrate this, I, along with a lot of other people around Australia, got an extra hours sleep as we turned the clock back an hour. Oh, and we also get Easter eggs.

Zig Zagging to Suburban Grounds (Part 1)

By Damian Watson In the eyes of the teenage folk, the end of March represents the beginning of a two week break from school. On Saturday fellow Almanacker Steve Healy, trying to shield himself from witnessing another Melbourne annihilation at the hands of Hawthorn, accepted my suggestion that we should roam around suburban Melbourne at some stage [Read more]

AFL Round 1 – Fremantle v Adelaide: Are these the Dockers’ true colours?

by Josh Barnstable After a slightly uneventful day which saw Port Adelaide withstand a fast-finishing North Melbourne outfit by 14 points and Collingwood surprising everyone, dominating the Bulldogs to win by 36 points. I was feeling a bit down after the Roos lost to the Power, but I looked forward to the prospect of a [Read more]

NAB Cup, Round 2: Freo beat Roos in a match worthy of the real season

By Steve Healy I’m on my way to the footy again, for the second week in a row. Last week it was Geelong V North Melbourne, this week, the Roos are up against the Dockers. Both of which, twilight games at Etihad Stadium. Does it matter? I think not. I’m meeting up with Almanacker and [Read more]

NAB Cup Round 2: Big Bad Barry Back In Town

By Damian Watson This particular Friday is filled with high anticipation as two star forwards, who after departing from their previous respective clubs following undisciplined actions last year, begin to pull on a different guernsey in 2010. Carlton’s summer of turmoil may have stemmed from Brendan Fevola’s Brownlow antics and I am delighted as the Blues prevail over Brisbane in a Visy Park practice match in [Read more]

NAB Cup, Round 1: The day I met Josh, Steve, Michael, Damo and Majak

NAB CUP ROUND 1 – NORTH MELBOURNE vs GEELONG When I announced my plans during the week to go to the footy with some people I’d never met, the responses from my parents were mixed. Mum was strongly disapproving of the whole idea. “You say you’re 100% sure they are who they say they are, [Read more]

Cricket: The Summer of Cricket. Or was it the Season of Watto?

By John Butler Whilst lowering the curtain on the slow death that was the Hobart Test, Exalted Supremo of the Almanac, Paul Daffey, declared it had been a strange summer. Amen to that! The date was 18 January. It seems a very long time ago. As the Australian team returned from an ill-fated Ashes campaign, [Read more]

NAB Cup, Round 1: Go you Roo boys!

by Josh Barnstable What a great way to start the NAB Cup for North Melbourne with a first round match against Geelong, just terrific, thanks a lot AFL. Despite the fact that I knew we would get absolutely flogged, Dad and I planned to go to the game, and soon enough we had all planned [Read more]

NAB Cup, Round 1: Eagles and Bombers get season off to a flying start

By Steve Healy Naitanui… Naitanui. He was the star of the night, the crowd pleaser; he was almost worth the price of admission. But even more astonishing, arguably, was the thirteen goals scored by the Eagles to turn the game around midway through the second quarter. One thing’s for sure: West Coast are going to [Read more]

NAB Cup, Round 1: Eagles win and I feel whole again

West Coast v Essendon It was a strange day at school. Celebrating Valentines Day, the Year 12s had organized an Out of Uniform day, which I always look forward to. So I don my black cobra shirt and black shorts with black shoes, not a good option for a hot day. I look forward to [Read more]

NAB Cup, Round 1: Eagles easily exterminate Essendon

After a long break from footy, it was refreshing to watch the exploits of West Coast’s dreadlocked Fijian excitement machine.

Pakistan proceed quietly to a Hobart demise

Not even the most determined spin doctor would have succeeded in whipping up much anticipation prior to the start of this day’s play. In a manner that’s become depressingly predictable, Pakistan had ended Day 2 in comic opera disarray, with selfishly negligent running from Salman Butt seeing off his side’s two most dangerous batsmen. At [Read more]

Third Test, Day 1: Dysfunction, thy name is Pakistan

3rd Test Australia v Pakistan at Bellerive Oval, Hobart Day 1, Thursday 14 January 2010 [Stumps score: Aust 3/302. Ponting 137*, Clarke 111*.] by Tony Roberts Preview My return to work having blessedly liberated me from reliance on Channel Nine or the ABC’s deteriorating radio commentary, I followed the first day of this match via [Read more]

Mysteries and Demons: Not a Dan Brown sequel, but a Pakistani blockbuster

Pakistan has always been one of the most fascinating cricketing nations; though not always for the right reasons. There’s usually an alleged teenage prodigy of indeterminate age, who often turns out to be 26 years old and a father of three; the continual unexplained revolving door of captains, coaches and virtually everyone else in the [Read more]

Barney’s 2010 AFL Crystal Ball Part 3: Essendon and Fremantle

by Josh Barnstable Essendon: A tough year for the Bombers finished in an unlikely finals berth that they didn’t deserve, and it showed with a 96-point thumping by the Crows showing them the exit from September. Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas are gone, their two goalkicking stars of the past decade. The Bombers don’t have [Read more]

First Test, Day 4: In search of the pivotal moment

By Andrew Gigacz Day four of the Boxing Day Test match. Potentially the best day. I’ve never really understood the whole Boxing Day thing. I mean I understand that it’s become a bit of a Melbourne sporting tradition. Huge crowd. Big expectations, no matter who the opposition. But in the context of a Test Match, [Read more]

First Test, Day 1: The smoking lady, the PM and the photo finish

    by Matt O’Connor   It doesn’t take me long on Christmas Day to start thinking about my main present: cricket at the MCG the next day. Today we were entertained by Michael Burke in the MCC Dining Room. But before we get to that, let’s topple a couple of Boxing Day myths. First, [Read more]

Punter’s Predicament

A good trick in life is to get out while you’re ahead. No one wants to be stuck with the cleanup when the party’s over. It’s often better for your reputation to remain a vision of eternally splendid youth, than to suffer the indignities of ageing. To be Jim Morrison, not Mick Jagger. Team sports [Read more]

Third Test, Day 1: Gabba grass memories – cheery; WACA prospects – dreary.

I was reminded by the WACA test today, and I’m not sure why, of December 1979 when the West Indies came to the Darling Downs, to Gold Park, in Toowoomba. I had played quite a few Colts games there. The Windies side included Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge and Desi Haynes, IVA himself, and both Murrays, DA [Read more]