Blood-blisters to the Blacks, a Richmond Oval reverie

‘On the field of play you know whose side you are on’. The Bloods are in the blood. So are the Blacks. Tom Martin describes living, playing, being footy – with thanks to his parents.

AFL Round 2 – Fremantle v Gold Coast: Aunty Mary

A good win for your team covers all sins. John Burmej finds it in his heart to forgive son Nicholas for forgetting to pack the jacket on the first rainy day in Perth for 4 months. Nat Fyfe brings a smile to all faces.

Oh Brother, thou-est see-est some victories (or Yvette and Andre, part 3)

Yvette Wroby and her brother, Andre, decided to watch their boys play Carlton after all. How happy were they with that decision? Happy enpugh to sing the song four times.

AFL Round 6- Collingwood v St.Kilda: Oh Brother…thou art here

Yvette Wroby’s brother, Andre, flew in from the US just in time for Friday night’s clash. He’s reassessing his plan to watch the Saints play the Blues this Monday.

AFL Round 3 – Geelong v Carlton: It’s a family thing

Family and football is a good combination, even when it involves Carlton, writes Stephen Cooke.

AFL Round 2- Collingwood v Carlton: I could have (should have) barracked for Carlton

A chance meeting between Collingwood champ Des Tuddenham and his father set Luke Reynolds on a black and white path for life.

NAB Cup – Richmond v Hawthorn: 21 candles

John Green provides yet another example of what Richmond fans must go through to support their team.

Which team did you go for after the war, Grand-dad?

Writing dialogue between a grandfather and his grandson jolted Neil Anderson into thinking about events of sixty years ago and the changes to VFL/AFL in that time. How do you explain that to a child?

Max

Andrew Starkie sat alone with his father-in-law, Max, for the first time at Christmas. Conversation flowed once he asked him about his life’s journey.

‘Get your camera ready, three photos and bub can’t go in the cup’

It is 37 degrees and I have had a horrible day at the office, however, I am determined to battle peak hour traffic and a screaming 8 month old baby to go and get my picture taken with a silver cup with red and white streamers.. Why?

Grandpa

Peter Flynn’s grandfather would have turned 100 today. He shares the eulogy he prepared in 2010.

My son hates footy

  By Cheryl Critchley The love of our great game is not genetic. As a Richmond tragic I can prove it. My son hates AFL footy and is angling for a spot in the Guiness Book of Records as the person who has attended the most AFL games but NEVER watched one. Now nine, Ben [Read more]

Defining moments in a basketball life

In life, there are what I like to call “defining moments”. Sometimes these defining moments pass you by, and at the time you don’t even notice. You may not ever notice. But there are many defining moments – some small, some large – which find you stopping for a moment, or even longer, to reflect. [Read more]

Swimming For Life

Sometimes sport can surprise you in an unexpected way. It can catch you off guard and make you reassess. But perhaps it’s not the sport so much as it is the participants. Last Sunday I was at a swimming carnival. It was held at the Doug Ellis Pool on the grounds of Monash University in [Read more]

AFL Round 9: What pain is that?

By Andrew Gigacz   When my son Oliver was about three, he took an interest in birds. Living near a park afforded us an opportunity to be exposed to all manner of feathered creatures. Many were easy to identify: magpies, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets.   But Oliver has an eye for detail and he soon became [Read more]

Weekend read: John ‘Pa’ O’Keeffe – a true football person

by Patrick O’Keeffe   Pa taught me how to kick a stab pass, torpedo and drop kick. I think that I might have been about 6 or 7 at the time. I remember it being an overcast day, in a park not too far from Glenelg Oval. I was eager to impress my grandfather. Unfortunately [Read more]

Essendon fan gets the same old feeling

by Rod Oaten I guess it started some 15 years ago as a Da/Father/Son day but Da gave up about 5 years ago due to age, he is now over 92, and stays in his aged care facility in Northcote and listens on the radio. Family days at the footy have always been important to [Read more]