Fitzroy’s last premiership was in the VFL reserves in 1989:
Football and soccer mums
Patrick Smith writes in The Australian the AFL is concerned about “soccer mums” in trying to reduce physical contact in the game. It’s a good point, especially in light of the Maxwell tribunal fiasco. Parents, especially mothers, probably feel more secure watching their sons play soccer than Australian football or rugby. My own son started [...]
Fitzroy against the odds
What a treasure, and thanks to YouTube. Fitzroy left the AFL in 1996 so quality video is hard to come by. I came across this clip tonight, which I think is from a game in 1991. Whatever the year, I remember coach Robert Shaw taking the team across to supporters at three-quarter-time for a rev-up [...]
The Ballad of Haydn Bunton
Ken Mansell wrote The Ballad of Haydn Bunton a few years ago and released it on CD with Peter Bell. Bunton was probably the greatest ever Australian footballer. Even though his performances are now beyond living memory for most people, he still rates in the top 10 all-time players when people compile those lists. He [...]
Forget the fourth umpire
There is a new campaign to add a fourth umpire to AFL matches. I can’t believe I read that or wrote it. There used to be one umpire! When football started, the captains acted as umpires. Now we need four white rabbits/maggots? Running midfielders are being tagged out of the game, according to some. Let’s [...]
