Write. From the Heart.
On the first day of the AFLW 2025 season, we reprise John Harms’s piece on the first-ever AFLW game:
John Harms and family went to Princes Park last Friday night. He regards the Carlton v Collingwood match for premiership points as one of the most memorable sporting events he’s attended. Although he will never do it justice, here’s a glimpse into why.
Robert Walls, who died recently, had a prominent life in football. John Harms looks back over the years and recalls a fireside chat with him.
John Nugent recently told the story of meeting (and selling newspapers to) John Coleman. He follows up with a piece about a childhood influence.
A rollicking ride from Shane Thomas as he riffs on the fans who aren’t singing the Blues for Carlton anymore. It might be a long way to the top, but there’s plenty of sausage rolls along the way!
Rob Spurr takes a nostalgic look back to his early days supporting Carlton at Princes Park with family and friends.
Shane Thomas reflects on the sense of comfort in this trying time, borne of watching two sporting greats who continue to duck and weave around the grips of Father Time: Jimmy Anderson and Kade Simpson.
Our Japanese AFL correspondent Yoshi is struggling to find good news at the moment but hasn’t given up. He shares his on-field and off-field battles as well as his thoughts about his beloved Saints in the AFLW.
Cathi Johnston has been a Melbourne-based West Coast Eagles fan for over twenty years but that hasn’t stopped her from seeing her seeing her boys in blue and gold regularly in both Melbourne and other non-WA venues. A trip to Alice Springs is in the offing soon. Here’s her journey over the years.
A day in the life of Igor as he visits Melbourne to meet up with The Rooster to watch her Blues take on his Lions at Princes Park. [Epic – JTH]
While technical difficulties made it hard for Yoshi to watch the AFLW Grand Final, watch it he did. Emotions were high & recent lessons from his time with the Dingoes made this classic encounter all the more significant
Visiting Princes Park for the first time since the 80’s, Alan Stewart saw Melbourne easily defeat the Blues.
Yoshi watches his Sainters from Japan and is working out what number he should wear when playing for the Osaka Dingoes.
Jamie Simmons is being Jamie Simmons in his observation of Brisbane’s visit Down South. His Tayla has left him.
John Butler recounts Friday night’s AFLW Season Opener and despite a low-scoring and defensive match, he sees enormous potential for development in the years to come.
It was strange for Gillian Dite to transition back into football in February after being immersed in summer sports but she still made it to Princes Park on the Opening Night of AFLW to experience the excitement.
The diverse crowd at Princes Park contributed significantly to Jack Banister’s match day experience at Friday night’s AFLW Season Opener.
For Yvette Wroby, a game of footy starts way before the siren and the countdown to Friday night’s AFLW Season Opener was full of excitement and anticipation.
Read Kate O’Halloran’s latest piece on AFLW Opening Night on The Guardian website. [Great article Kate – KS]
Jackie Lynch and the Big Kid (with Paul Jennings’ help) have the best seats in the VFLW house, as outrageous wind smashes Carlton. In tricky conditions, Daisy Pearce shows why she’s the best.
….and we’ll call them “curtain raisers”.
Joe Beatty loves the character and integrity of VFL matches played at Princes Park or Preston. He laments their seeming demise as they increasingly become ‘curtain raisers’ for the AFL in the soulless, grey-roofed cavern that is Marvel Stadium.