By Joc Ledwidge A bonza ten days. Friday: Flew in lunchtime of Preliminary Final day. Picked up by West Melbourne-dwelling, Essendon-barracking mate, so hung around Puckle Street then Lygon Street and witnessed a few Saints scarves (a future theme as it turns out). Bought some additional winter warmers, in colours of course. Transport Bar pre-game. [Read more]
Search Results for: the muse
Racing: You want winners? Look no further than this site
October 11, 2009 by 17 Comments
By Chris Riordan Every Saturday and most public holidays I stand in the betting ring, bag around my neck, grabbing money from the dreamers and the greedy. Inevitably I am asked for a tip. “You must know?!” It bemuses me. I want to point out that I’m the one who is working during everyone else’s [Read more]
View From Shepparton: Magnificent match reminds me of Kline-Mackay final-wicket partnership in Adelaide
September 28, 2009 by 9 Comments
To all of you Almanackers and everyone else, as the self-appointed writer of the “The View” I always try to think about John Harm’s idea on writing, which as I recall is to the effect of: write something that others will find interesting and that you would want to read yourself. As I sit here [Read more]
Ireland Correspondent: The toy leprechaun can go back on the shelf
September 16, 2009 by 13 Comments
By Peter Lenaghan It is a dilemma that I have been wrestling with for weeks. Our time in Ireland is drawing to a close and I need a souvenir. In stores across the island there are enough tacky postcards, fridge magnets, flat caps, toy leprechauns and T-shirts and trinkets advertising a certain black beverage to [Read more]
AFL Finals — Week 1: Cats’ victory completes family circle
September 6, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By Roy Hay It was never a problem hitching one’s wagon to a Geelong star in 1977. Having supported provincial losers all my life, specifically Ayr United whose trophy drought in Association Football in Scotland exceeded that of Geelong in the AFL until 2007, I was always a gimme. For years I sat in the [Read more]
The Wrap: Come Sunday and the boilovers continued
August 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The Penultimate Home & Away Round What a round it’s been in Footy Eddie. The Doggies chewed up The Pradas which is sure to lift spirits around at The Kennel and have The Handbags thinking about changing their brand name (Maybe to the wet paper bags – Ed). Carlton win comfortably without looking convincing. The [Read more]
Racing: Look, Mum, a Waterhouse!
August 21, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Chris Riordan Not just old-timers can amuse me in the betting ring. Last year my brother, his wife, their 8-year-old and I ventured to the Valley one night to watch his horse run. He gave it a rough show so we went into the betting ring to plan our attack.
AFL Round 17 preview: John Mosig’s pre-Wrap XVII
July 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment
John Mosig THE LADDER ST KILDA 16 0 169.80 64 GEELONG 14 2 138.96 56 FOOTSCRAY 11 5 128.72 44 COLLYWOBBLES 10 6 112.21 40 BRISBANE 10 6 108.96 40 ADELAIDE 10 6 107.16 40 CARLTON 9 7 112.53 36 THE BOMBERS 8 8 101.33 32 ——————————————————————- THE POWER 8 8 [Read more]
General Footy Writing: The game that never happened
July 23, 2009 by 13 Comments
by Ian Syson It’s a long-standing problem for soccer in Australia that many of its elite juniors end up playing other codes of football at the senior level. AFL players like Adam Goodes and Brad Green were standout junior soccer players. Rugby League’s Andrew Johns starred with the round ball as a junior in Newcastle. [Read more]
Memoir: My best match
July 23, 2009 by 9 Comments
by Josh Barnstable I’m happy to know that every AFL game I go to, I savour it. And I’ve been one of the lucky ones, with every match I’ve gone too; it’s been either a special occasion or a really good game. Due to living in country Victoria, I only get to go to about [Read more]
AFL Round 13: North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs: I like Roos’ approach but Dogs do enough to win
July 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
North Melbourne versus Western Bulldogs 2.10pm, Sunday, June 28 Melbourne Cricket Ground By Andrew Starkie It’s funny what the mid-season break, a new coach, Boomer’s return and school holidays can do. I’m looking forward to today’s game. There’s a freshness in the air, like the start of a new season. I have another reason to [Read more]
General Sportswriting: My ten best sports films
July 3, 2009 by 26 Comments
By Paul Daffey Rocky (1976): While the later Rocky sequels are rightly regarded as cinematic featherweights, the original Rocky outstrips all contenders in the battle for the heavyweight sporting film of the world. One of only two sports films to win the Oscar Award for Best Picture, it features a storyline that happens to feature [Read more]
General Footy Writing: Tired of silence in the stands? Now sit down and listen to this …
June 17, 2009 by 3 Comments
By Bill Mapleston Recently I was walking past the telly. The match of the day was on at the ’G, Cometti was commentating, and the match looked to be at an exciting phase. So I took a minute out to watch – “Luv the game,” as they say. Cometti kept me amused with his “right [Read more]
General footy writing: May 17, 1859 and the codification of footy
May 20, 2009 by 4 Comments
by John Harms The date, May 17, is of great significance to the Australian nation. Especially footy-lovers. Not that too many of us know about it. On May 17, 1859, at the Parade Hotel, on Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, four men from the committee of the fledgling Melbourne Football Club (and maybe [Read more]
Local footy: Lunch with the hyphens at Old Geelong
May 12, 2009 by 5 Comments
by John Harms It’s midday Saturday. I am Yarraside, standing on the balcony of the wonderful art-deco pavilion at Como Park. I know it well. In summer it is the home of the South Yarra Cricket Club made (more) famous in GCJD Haigh’s celebrated yarn The Vincibles. GCJD is the inspiration of [Read more]
Pies Fans
May 1, 2009 by 9 Comments
by John Harms Whenever I sit in the vicinity of the Collingwood Cheer Squad, I am reminded of the Sermon on the Mount. I look at the array in black and white around me, and I see lives lived tough. “Blessed are the Collingwood fans,” I think to myself. Only I’m not sure what they [Read more]
Oh for the days when the Tigers had the wood on the Swans
May 1, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Paul Daffey In my boyhood Richmond beat teams like Sydney as if we were having a kick in the park. Robbie McGhie would send his curling drop punts (they reflected the arc of his bandy legs) towards the forward line, where Royce Hart flew from the side before wheeling on to his left foot. [Read more]
Hawthorn v Geelong
March 29, 2009 by 2 Comments
by Craig Down “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result” Albert Einstein I didn’t, for obvious reasons, enjoy the 2008 Grand Final as much as I’d hoped I would. I’d floated through the season, watching the Cats’ 21 victories in full (and having left at three quarter time [Read more]
Recent Comments