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Building a sustained platform…
Brendan Bolton is going to coach Carlton. He seems a good choice, having been in the system for 13-years. Most recently he was assistant to Alistair Clarkson at Hawthorn. It gives him credibility...
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Desperation without demand for victory
At the weekend, for the first time in years, I tanked a game of football involving North Melbourne. As Richmond got on top during the third quarter, I gave up. Tanked it. Stopped watching. Stopped...
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Do Tigers eat Kangaroos?
Several years ago I had patted an old tiger called Mohan at Dreamworld. Mohan was chained by the neck to a platform so he couldn’t kill me. A white Bengal tiger, he was huge. And he stunk worse than...
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The Tigers of old – for the vanquished
Football fans love a loser as much as they hate a winner. There has been a lot to love about Richmond for 35-years. They haven’t won a final since 2001. Their last premiership was decades ago. They...
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Crazy fantasies about victory
History is on my mind. How top four teams usually rebound from defeat in a qualifying final. How few top four teams lose consecutive finals. So Sydney should beat North Melbourne. It doesn’t matter...
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An empty forward line, space in cupboards
The Arden Street Bar was full. A pseudo celebration and hope of victory. Eight men, none with any empathy or desire for Sydney. Support rested with North, the underdogs from eighth. I’d already...
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Difficult, not impossible
A plane has travelled west, carrying North Melbourne’s football team. They’re said to be on a mission to beat West Coast in a preliminary final. West Coast is fresh after a week off. North Melbourne...
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Eagles do eat Roo meat
During the build up to the second preliminary final, a mate sent me a text questioning North Melbourne’s September victories. Roos super lucky. Tigers super soft. Swans super depleted. Eagles super...
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No ticket no worries
I lived in Melbourne for the first seventeen years of my life and never went to a grand final. I did attend the MCG on grand final day from 1978 to 1980, but that was to line the boundary with...
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No ticket, no worries – part two
Friday morning… I’d been in Melbourne one night and woke up in hell. Paul and I were in the Queen Victoria Markets to buy meat for Sunday’s grand final recovery. While ordering a much needed coffee,...
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The Snake at full-forward
The white board contained a list of Ron Barassi’s physical, mental and tactical demands. Words to influence his men to win the 1977 grand final replay between Collingwood and North Melbourne. Phil...
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Ancient Caribbean Memories
It is shocking what has happened to the West Indies. I am left with ancient memories of Australian men battered like crash-test dummies. Remember the old days... Memories of a nation’s psyche reduced...
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North Melbourne v Carlton: Round 9 ancient history
Football has an innate ability to invade our memories and recycle the past. A reminder of youth. A reminder of a garage and a cat. Of bullets and tools. Of a clock and an old radio. North Melbourne...
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Darryl Sutton – poise and consistency
There is a photo of Darryl Sutton taken after the 1977 semi-final. Sutton is slumped on a bench, his back against the wall, eyes closed and legs stretched out. Lathered in sweat, Sutton is completely...
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Journalists have the right to resist compulsion to intrude
Do no more damage. Respect privacy. Never exploit a person’s vulnerability. This is what I was taught at university while studying journalism. It’s called ethics. There are 12 ethical points...
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Girl footy – Don’t you dare laugh
The assembly wasn’t paying attention. The principal, Mrs Hannebery asked for silence three times. She looked frustrated. Her first name is lost somewhere in my memory, but she was tall, thin and...
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Historical similarities
It is shocking to see what’s happened to Hawthorn. More so because it’s happened so quickly. After finishing third on percentage last year, the Hawks were a straight kick away from making another...
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Girl footy part two – Girls against boys
Gym soccer took Oak Park High School by storm in 1984. Stephen McNamara, a geography and history teacher, organised a competition among year eight students, eight teams to contest for the inaugural...
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Fabulous Phil – gathering the story
We all have life changing events. On Friday night in August 2015, Geelong played Collingwood at the MCG in round 23. As Collingwood dismantled Geelong in the first quarter, my relationship was...
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School teacher to champion
Jeff Horn. Bullied at school. Undecided afterwards. Boxing or rugby league while studying for a teaching degree. Horn chose boxing. His trainer, Glen Rushton, developed an eight year plan, from...
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