We played at home this week, against the bottom side. Everybody says to everybody, always, “Don’t take them for granted!” and “It’s not just gunna happen,” and “Go hard!” but they say it without the fire in their eyes, then Saturday comes and they play without fire. Then, at half time, when the bottom side [Read more]
A history of football
May 22, 2011 by 1 Comment
A football career is a life. It is it’s own world, it has its own language, which you learn. It tests every emotion, builds character and breaks the weak. It has a birth, adolesence, maturity and, if done right, if seen through, a decline. In this decline you desperately try to pass your strength and [Read more]
What Makes a Footballer?
May 20, 2011 by 10 Comments
I can marvel at Judd. But barrack for Goodes. Voss was a Champion. Pike was a legend. Campbell Brown can be a goose. That’s why we love and hate him.
A Good Mean Club Song.
May 16, 2011 by 5 Comments
Fengal rock up to play us. Their reserves have three men as old as me. At one stage, one of them fair bowls me over, then helps me up. “You’re my vintage.” he says. Later, I try to run through him, as he would me. In play, it’s all respect and fair.
Geoff Raines
May 11, 2011 by 3 Comments
Football Fact No. 1,000,000,002 Geoff Raines. Geoff Raines was the crispest player to ever pull on a boot. I don’t care that the father of Andrew was a pretty boy, or that the umps didn’t like him, or that he chased the dollar. Not a bit. In his days at Richmond he would take the [Read more]
Chris Judd v Football
May 2, 2011 by 1 Comment
Many players have pace. Even the AFL’s plodders are quick by any other league’s standards. Many of them can mark. Not just hold one, but squeeze that damn ball under hard physical pressure. Many of them can weave. Man, Brent Harvey can weave! Or get stats. Garry Jr, he can really rack ’em up. What [Read more]
Friday II
April 30, 2011 by 12 Comments
You ever wake up and think: what happened to the rest of the Clokes? Where’s Martin Pike these days? Damn, he was a gun! Seeing him line up on a pretty boy like Hird was a compliment to both of them, and football. How good would Darren Bewick have been if given one more year [Read more]
The human element
April 26, 2011 by 13 Comments
Have you even noticed how most racists start their rant with: “I’m not racist, but…” Just as most commontators start with: “Now I don’t want to take all the colour out of the game, but…” This piece is for them… Goal Umpires and Video Calls Some time this year, as sure as Brisbane aren’t much [Read more]
Friday
April 24, 2011 by 4 Comments
The chainsaw packed up well before dusk, but I was already up the other side of Mt Sloak, so locked in the hubs and pushed the ute through the regrowth of an old, steep loggers’ track, looking for Sunday’s jag, thinking too much, until, before I knew it, the sun had fucked off. I had [Read more]
Saturday night footy
April 21, 2011 by 5 Comments
The years click over, but the leathery crack of a good pack mark still makes me horny. It’s only reserves now, but so what? They can hurt you, and try to hurt you, but don’t know how to be a bastard with their bodies when the ball’s in the air. I lead with my [Read more]
Fitzy and the kid
April 19, 2011 by 5 Comments
What the hell was Mike Fitzpatrick thinking? He was a mountain. Tough, no thug, just honest tough. A damn good sort of strong to be. Carl Dietrich would make the headlines, Don Scott punch out his own teammates at training. Neil Balme was crazier than any of them. He’d do more damage than the lot [Read more]
Where old footballers go to die
April 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
The ball comes in on the bounce. I’ve been killing it in the air for ours. The bald No. 13 has been killing it on the ground for his. When I squint I can imagine Martin Pike. We reach for it at the same time, knocking it on, then, in heat of moment and snap [Read more]
Rain in Tasmania, but training might still be on
April 12, 2011 by 23 Comments
I’d spent two days in Hobart drinking with a mate who has nothing to do with football or the bush, which was great. By the second day, though, I was champing to get back to the mountains and hard work. To the rhythm of small waves from every ute I pass and the chubby clucks [Read more]
Torn Thighs and Golden Boys
April 7, 2011 by 8 Comments
I tore my thigh muscle in a practice game a few weeks ago, nursed my way through Round 1, couldn’t really train, but rolled out for Round 2, where the opposition ruckman split the injury back open at the first bounce. I played through. With about ten minutes left, I flew for a pack mark, [Read more]
Richo
April 3, 2011 by 4 Comments
Matty Richardson is known to the people on the ridge. To every one of us. When he was in his prime – fast, unstoppable, winning matches, splitting packs, dominating the air- one of the kids from up here got cancer. Denis was the oldest of six, from a battler’s family, up in the cold drizzle [Read more]
Recent Comments