In fact, I recall visiting the boy next door and listening to it with him in a treehouse.

I think he was a North Melbourne support, and obviously was delighted with the result.

North had a terrific side in those years, with great players like Keith Greig, Wayne Schimmelbusch, David Dench, Malcolm Blight and Doug Wade.

Their coach was the legendary Ron Barassi, who had taken Carlton to premierships in 1968 and 1970.

For the record, North Melbourne 19.8.122 d Hawthorn 9.13.67 in front of 110,551 people at the MCG.

I’m old enough to remember when Malcolm Fraser was Prime Minister. I never agreed with him much at the time and that hasn’t changed. I think of Fraser as Mugabe’s mate.

Jeff Kennett tore the guts out of country Victoria. His forced amalgamation of councils ripped the heart and soul from many towns.

Funnily enough, as Hawthorn Football Club president he sometimes makes sense.

Even when he doesn’t make sense, it’s refreshing to see someone with his authority tackle the AFL orthodoxy; the latest example being the Ricky Nixon fiasco.

Kennett has said Nixon should be stripped of his player agent accreditation. He said he was dumbfounded at Nixon’s apparent relationship with the 17-year-old girl at the centre of an ongoing controversy.

“I was incredulous, I thought it couldn’t be true, you couldn’t be that stupid and I guess I’m a bit disappointed in the AFL not coming out very strongly at the time,” Kennett told Radio 3AW.

Spot on.

Brad is a 192cm mobile, strong-marking forward who has spent the past eight seasons with Carlton in the AFL, playing a total of 99 games and kicking 127 goals.

The 26-year-old from East Burwood underwent knee surgery after the 2009 season. He was drafted at pick 72 in 2002.

Wikipedia says: “Fisher plays both in the forward line and at half-forward. He is recognised as an excellent and safe one-grab overhead mark, perhaps the best at the club, and regularly takes strong contested marks in forward packs.”

He sounds an ideal player for West Adelaide to pick up.

I hope he has a sensational year and puts himself back in the frame for AFL consideration, if that’s what he wants.

According to the club’s media release, Brad said:

“I’m extremely excited to have signed with the West Adelaide Football Club for the next two years. After speaking to well over 50 football clubs, I chose West Adelaide because of their great reputation and professionalism. Having met with the coach and some senior players I was very impressed with their future vision and the team culture. At just 26 years old, I know my best football is to come and I can’t wait to help contribute to some real success in the coming years for the West Adelaide Football Club.”

Scott Turner, general manager football operations said:

“Brad is a key signing for our club and a quality young man. We are really pleased to have him on board as he has been a dominant forward at both AFL and VFL level in recent years. He will be a valuable addition to our club.”

Update (December 30, 2011): I thought Fisher had a pretty good season, despite some missed games through injury and our lack of fluency through the midfield. We were really getting carved up in the middle during the losing streak and the ball just wasn’t finding its way forward with any precision. Fisher will be a key player in 2012 if the Bloods are to make the finals.

I remember him as one of the most consistent players for Fitzroy in 1995-96. He was a reliable defender who floated across half-back and initiated many attacking moves.

I thought he was the best of the club’s recruits.

However, Steven’s son Billy, 14, is in line to be considered as a “father-son” selection for Melbourne if he makes the grade.

Regarding his distinguished father, Wikipedia states:

A wingman, Stretch won the 1987 Keith “Bluey” Truscott Medal for the Demon’s best and fairest player. Stretch also played in 13 finals for the Demons including the 1988 VFL grand final. In 1994 he was traded to Fitzroy in the pre-season draft and played his final two seasons at the club.

He was a great contributor at Fitzroy, which may be overlooked by some given the club’s demise.

I certainly thanked God every time Steven roamed across half back to repel an opposition attack.

I hope Billy does well, albeit I would rather see him in West Adelaide colors, or with the Lions.

As a footnote, I recall Steven being in the mix as a possible coach of Myrtleford in 1997. I’m not sure where he ended up that year, if anywhere.

The main arguments against such a move are tradition and money.

The game has moved so far from its historical roots that I don’t place much weight on the “tradition” argument.

This is the first drawn grand final in AFL history. There were only two in the former VFL and the last was in 1977. I remember that one.

If the AFL resists introducing an extra-time decider it will be because of money. The league stands to make a massive windfall in ticket sales and other revenue from the rematch.

I think the mechanism for deciding the result in earlier finals if scores are still deadlocked after extra time is a “golden goal”.

I’d like to see a goal-scoring shootout instead. Players should kick for goal from 40 metres out on a 45-degree angle.

That should guarantee a Collingwood loss!

Heading to the football, I walked through suburban streets, with fans streaming toward the ground carrying flags and wrapped in club colors.

On arrival at the ground I found a space on the terrace and took in the view while savoring the smell of steak sandwiches and meat pies.

The crowd roared when the home team scored a goal and heckled opposition supporters who complained about the umpiring.

It might have been Princes Park or the Western Oval for a Fitzroy game in the 1980s or 90s, but it wasn’t.

Instead, I was at Richmond Oval, known as City Mazda Stadium, for the SANFL match between home team West Adelaide and the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles.

I might well have been a West Torrens supporter if the clubs hadn’t amalgamated or if games were still played at Thebarton.

Richmond Oval, home of West Adelaide

There was a bigger crowd today than in the picture from Austadiums and the atmosphere was terrific.

The biggest crowd at the ground was 15,742 in 1969 for West Adelaide v Glenelg.

SANFL crowds have dropped away since the Crows and Port Adelaide joined the AFL, but it’s still the highest standard competition outside the AFL and the best attended.

For the record, West Adelaide won.

During the quarter-time break against St Kilda on Friday night, Malthouse was captured on television appearing to speak forcefully to Saints players.

Questioned after the game, Malthouse said to reporters: “I didn’t have words to the Saints players, I had words to my players to make sure they didn’t get involved, let’s get that right from the start.”

It later emerged that Malthouse had called Stephen Milne a “f***ing rapist”.

Milne, now aged 30, faced allegations of rape in 2004, but was never charged and the case was closed.

In other words, he is innocent. However, he has had to face sledging from rivals and fans since that time.

Malthouse must have had a brain explosion to lose his cool and abuse an opposition player during the break.

He should be better than that, but it sometimes happens that people act out of character in the heat of the moment.

It’s less easy to understand or forgive his post-match deception.

Webster’s dictionary defines a lie as: “A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth; an untruth spoken with the intention to deceive.”

This is what Malthouse had to say on Collingwood’s website:

Following my apology for inappropriate comments I made to Stephen Milne, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the reasoning behind the initial position I took in the post-match press conference on Friday night.

When asked if I was directing comments at St Kilda players or my own players, I chose the latter option basically under the old code of what happens on the field stays on the field.

I largely took this decision based on my belief that, if I had said I was directing comments at a St Kilda player(s), this would lead to follow up questions such as “who were you talking to?”, “what did you say?”, “were you responding to provocation?”, etc etc. This would in turn create unnecessary angst and controversy for both clubs, and individuals from both clubs.

However, having seen that St Kilda and their players were obviously aggrieved the next day, and with St Kilda wanting to take the matter further, and having reflected on my involvement in the verbal exchange, I felt it was necessary for me to acknowledge the inappropriate nature of my comments, and to offer the subsequent apology.

I strenuously object to being branded a liar. I acknowledge my original position has caused me much embarrassment and my family great distress, but the reason I reacted to the question the way I did was because at that moment, I felt it was the best outcome not to drag the two clubs and a number of individuals into an obvious controversy.

I’ve been involved in the game for over four decades and have always had the best interests of the game at heart, and will continue to do so.

I hope this explanation, in conjunction with my record and reputation, gives you, the Collingwood supporter, a greater understanding of this situation.

If Malthouse genuinely wanted to avoid “unnecessary angst and controversy” he failed miserably. He issued a public apology and was fined $7500 by the AFL for engaging in aggressive or threatening conduct.

As respected columnist Caroline Wilson observed in The Age, Malthouse’s apology was negotiated by others, was conditional and impersonal towards Milne.

And she reminds us that on Saturday, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire “was still telling anyone who would listen that the coach had used the word ‘pest’ not ‘rapist’. Did Malthouse lie to him too? Or was McGuire still clinging to controlling the uncontrollable?”

Malthouse lied on Friday night. It’s a fallacy to claim otherwise.

If he didn’t want to cause unnecessary angst he should have said nothing. “No comment” would have been his best response and his integrity would still be intact.

Coaches often tell white lies about players’ injuries, team selections and possible match-ups.

Most of us excuse that as part of the game.

When it comes to abusing an individual and then denying it, I find it impossible to excuse that, especially when there’s a lack of contrition.

Menzies was Prime Minister from 1939-41 and 1949-66.

Mitchell writes how a car ramp was installed between the Heatley and Harris Stands at Princes Park for Menzies’ Bentleigh.

The ramp was always up about 20 minutes before game time and as the time approached for Sir Robert’s arrival, people would be looking over their shoulders wanting his tinted-window black Bentleigh drive up that ramp to give Sir Robert and his wife, Dame Pattie, a view of the game above the crowd. As the minutes ticked by, there would always be a sense of apprehension and excitement. Apprehension because we didn’t want him to miss the game – or worse – and excitement that he had arrived safely and we could all get on with supporting the Mighties who were a fantastic team in those glory years. There was always a cheer when the Bentleigh drove up and it was universal. Labor and Liberal supporters forgetting their political differences and being united by the arrival of the club’s number one ticket holder and a true Carlton man.

I don’t normally quote such a long extract, but Mitchell captured the scene so well.

I saw it once. I can’t remember the date or even the year. Dad barracked for Carlton and took me to a few games at Princes Park in 1976 and 1977 before Menzies died.

It must have been one of those games at which Menzies arrived in his Bentleigh. Dad didn’t like Menzies, but I gained the impression he had a grudging respect for him as a Carlton supporter.

Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies with Carlton defender John James.

It was more than half way through the season, with North on top of the ladder and Fitzroy third.

Fitzroy totally obliterated the Kangaroos to win 34.16.220 to 10.10.70. I’m pretty sure it was the highest winning margin ever recorded against a ladder-leading side.

The current AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou played for North Melbourne in that game, probably one he would rather forget. Ruckman Matt Rendell booted eight goals for the Lions, Mick Conlan and Bernie Quinlan seven each.

Here’s a clip showing two of Conlan’s goals:

Conlan is best remembered for kicking the winning goal in the 1986 elimination final against Essendon:

The song was recorded in 1979, intended as a promotion for Channel Seven’s VFL coverage, and the following year, it was used in the film version of David Williamson’s The Club.

According to Wikipedia, The single, released on the independent Fable Records label, sold more than 250,000 copies and became the largest-selling Australian single ever released up to that time.

Since then it has entered Australian folklore as a song synonymous with the sport of Australian Rules Football, and has been a feature as part of the pre/post-match entertainment of many VFL/AFL grand finals.

Roy Cazaly was a champion footballer for St Kilda and South Melbourne in the 1910s and 1920s, noted for his high-flying marks. Here is the song: