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        <title>Get Blogged!</title>
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        <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/</link>
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            <title>It started off so good, then...</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/11</link>
            <description><![CDATA[What a perfect day it started out to be today.

After days of cloud, rain &amp; bloody cold weather, this morning was sunny &amp; warm with just a slight breeze to help dry the footy jumper on the Hills Hoist. 
The Parrots &amp; Magpies were singing in the back yard.
And Collingwood was playing Richmond (for the first time since Round 3 last year!) at the MCG later that afternoon.
Almost like a dress-rehearsal for Spring, I thought.
The day got better at the 'G' during the second quarter when 'The Blue' started.
I havent seen a good old fashioned dust-up like that since the 1980's, when it was a regular occurance between Collingwood &amp; Carlton, and Hawthorn &amp; Essendon. 
It was wonderful! Nobody was injured. Just all the players showing a bit of strength &amp; fire. 
Jack Dyer &amp; Harry Collier would have LOVED it!!!
Nowdays they call it a melee &amp; everyone cops a huge fine.
I love those shows of agression from players every now &amp; then. 
So do 99% of the fans. 
Even the great Premiership player &amp; coach and Brownlow winner, Malcolm Blight, admitted on the telly that &quot;it got him a bit excited!&quot;.

But the 'powers-that-be' have all but eliminated it from the top level of our great game. What a shame that is.
'The Blue' was a fantastic part of the game, and as long as nobody gets hurt it should be encouraged. 
But that will never happen. 
Mummy wont want 'Little Johnny' playing if there are any scuffles. Instead she will take him down to the local Sooker pitch where he can learn to be a sook &amp; collapse in pain every time someone breaths on him. Pathetic game with pathetic offside rules and even more pathetic scorelines!

Anyway, after feeling contented after watching the Maggies &amp; Tigers put on a bit of a display of nostalgia, I was shaken back into the reality of the modern day and the realisation that more tradition is being flushed down the toilet.

And that tradition is the good old club nickname.

If it was not bad enough that the AFL 'new boys' Gold Coast decided to abandon the traditional practice of having a nickname for the team (although many opposition fans WILL be calling them the 'No Names' or 'Budgie Smugglers'), we then heard that the new Western Sydney team are being called 'Team GWS'.

WHY???

It is stupid! What are the fans going to yell out? &quot;Carna Mighty GWS's&quot;? 

A nickname should, in my opinion, be a reflection of the image that the team projects. Fear, danger, agression.

In fact the last four additions to the AFL have had pathetic nicknames...The Power (well not too bad I guess, but not great.), The Dockers (I call them The Anchors) and now The Mighty GWS's and The Mighty Blanks.

A visit to the Gold Coast site will reveal why they have not adopted a nickname.

Club Chairman John Witheriff is quoted as saying The GC 17 Bid Team carefully considered all the available information and community input from the process. The overwhelming response was that people were passionate about the Gold Coast and wanted the teams identity to reflect the symbols of the Gold Coast&quot; 
Why not at least call them 'The Meter-Maids' then?
Further on the question is asked &quot;Do you think people will understand why you have chosen Gold Coast instead of a name like Titans or Blaze?&quot;
The answer given is &quot;Yes and because of that we believe we had a unique opportunity to position ourselves around the City and its values. Some of the worlds great sporting teams and brands are synonymous with the cities they come from. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea are just a few. Gold Coasters love the Gold Coast and they will be just as passionate about their footy team&quot;. 

And there is our point. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea ARE ALL SOOKER TEAMS!!! 
This is Aussie Rules, not Sooker! 
And Aussies have a nickname for everything. Even Virgin Airlines are called Virgin Blue in Australia because their planes are Red. We call everyone with red hair 'Bluey'. It's the Australian way. And this is the great Australian game. Lets not stuff it up by trying to compare it to Sooker.
When 9-a-side Aussie Rules is admitted to the Olympic Games as a permanent sport, then Sooker officials will be looking over their shoulders wondering when Aussie Rules will start impacting on their boring game. And they will be worried about it.

If the AFL are fair dinkum, they should not be letting any teams into the competition unless they have a decent nickname.

Like the good old 'Blue', the nickname is a very special part of our wonderful game and everything should be done to make sure that every team has one and the tradition is preserved.]]></description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:20:50 +0100</pubDate>
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            <title>A.F.L. GRAND FINAL TICKET GUIDE</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/10</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Do you find Grand Final time stressful?

Does the cost of expensive grand final tickets cause you concern? 

Do you fly into a panic trying to organise interstate travel and accommodation at short notice for the grand final? 

Are you driven to despair by the complicated process of grand final ticket ordering systems? 

Does the shortage of grand final tickets and the likelihood that competing club members will miss out get you down?

Don't panic. 

Don't despair. 

A solution is at hand...... 

.... 
....
.... 
....
....
....
.... 
....
.... 
....
.... 
....
.... 
....
.... 
....



SUPPORT RICHMOND INSTEAD. 

No need for expensive grand final travel and accommodation. 

No grand final ticket angst.

Give Grand Final stress the Punt. 

Support Richmond. No heart, no worries. 

Punt Road - donating their organs for gutless performances since 1982.

(Written, spoken &amp; authorised by Graham Davis...proud &amp; passionate Collingwood supporter)]]></description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 01:59:31 +0100</pubDate>
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            <title>CHOCO OR MICK IN 2010?</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/9</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Are Collingwood supporters just cynical, bad losers or do they have a valid point?

Travelling on the train back to Bendigo after Collingwood's loss to the mighty Geelong team at the M.C.G. produced some very interesting observations from disappointed Magpie fans...and they seem to have some very valid points.
Comments such as '...bad kicking is bad football&quot; and &quot;...why travel down the wing, when the shortest distance to goal is straight up the guts&quot; are logical complaints, especially when Collingwood had some very real opportunities to defeat the all-conquering Cats on Easter Thursday night.

But was it surprising to hear the many calls for Mick Malthouse to be replaced by current Port Power coach Mark 'Choco' Williams rather than Magpie legend Nathan Buckley?

Not really, when one considers the facts.
Port are having quite a few financial problems at the moment, and 'Choco' is in the final year of his contract at the Power. 
Williams, a former Magpie skipper, was well known for his tenacious ability to lift his team when things were getting tough, and as such is still very much loved by a large majority of the Magpie faithful. 
Add to that his coaching performance under extreme pressure to win a premiership for Port after his 'showdown' with Power sponsor Allan Scott, who famously declared that Williams would never win a flag while he was coach of Port. 
Well win he did, and at the same time stopping Brisbane from duplicating Collingwoods proud and long standing record of 4 premierships in a row. 

It is amazing how many Magpie supporters believe that Williams won that flag as much for Collingwood, as he did for the Power.

Add to that the fact that Williams has been often quoted as saying that he would love to return to Melbourne to coach because (a) his wife is from Melbourne, and (b) he has many friends in Melbourne from his days at Collingwood and Essendon.

But why would members of the Magpie Army want him instead of the much loved Buckley?

Well, they DO want Buckley, but as an assistant to 'Choco'. They don't want a repeat of what happened with another favorite son, Tony Shaw, who knocked back an assistants job at Carlton the year he was appointed the coach of the Magpies. Many thought that he was still too close to the players, and did not have the experience required to become coach at that time.
Even Leigh Matthews served an apprenticeship under the late Bobby Rose, albeit a short one.

One thing that the Magpie fans were certain about, however, is that Malthouse's gameplan just is not working, and that there seem to be too many coaches at the club. 
It was amazing the displeasure shown by supporters at Collingwood's tactic of having a different coach for every pre-season match. They believe that it was almost as stupid as some club's that have had rotating captains during the season.

And I agree. There should be ONE voice as a coach, and ONE voice as a captain, not a different one each week.
A case of too many chiefs and not enough indians.

Plus, Malthouse's record at the Magpies is no better than former coach Tom Hafey. 
And look what happened to him in the end!

One thing is for sure however, and that is that every Collingwood fan I spoke to on the train wants Essendon to make the finals this year, just to make Matthew Knights job at Essendon more secure, and hopefully stopping the Bombers from grabbing 'Choco' before Collingwood have a chance to replace Malthouse with him.

After all, how many times have Collingwood failed at getting what they have needed in the past, either though bad luck or bad management. Tony Lockett, Bernie Quinlan, John Kennedy and Kevin Bartlett are just some of the examples of 'big fish' who should have been at the Magpies in the past, and the Magpie fans are sick of missing out on those quality people who may have helped Collingwood win a lot more Premierships than the 14 they have at the moment.]]></description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:46:34 +0100</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>Is This The Best Footy Club Song ?</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/8</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Almost everybody who follows an Aussie Rules team knows the words to their theme song.

I dont think there would be any established Aussie Rules clubs in the world who do not have a theme song. They are a vital part of a clubs victory celebrations.
Most of the songs are fairly similar in the message that their lyrics portray...statements like &quot;...the greatest team of all...&quot;, &quot;...we know how to play the game...&quot; and other statements that portray an image of strength, loyalty, and pride in the club.
However I had never heard a club theme song that made me laugh. That was until I heard the brilliant song from the Nagambie Football Club.
Established in 1897, Nagambie Football Club is part of the Kyabram &amp; District Football League based in North Eastern Victoria.
Known as 'The Lakers', Nagambie wear a red, white &amp; black jumper similar to St.Kilda's.
They have won 12 Premierships, and I cannot wait for them to win another one, just so their song can be sung over &amp; over again.
Even though we at AustralianRulesFootball.com.au have the greatest respect for all the various Police Forces around the world, the Nagambie F.C. theme song is the only one in Australia which makes reference to assaulting a Police officer. And although there is nothing funny about assaulting any member of the Police Force, their song is an absolute classic!
In fact, I reckon it is probably the best theme song that has been written.
So here it is...
&quot;As I was walking down the street, 
a copper said to me,
if you're one of the Laker boys 
you'd better come with me, 
he grabbed me by the collar 
and tried to run me in, 
I cracked a fat and knocked him flat 
and then began to sing! 
We are the Lakers we are supreme, 
we can't be beaten as you have seen, 
at the end of the season 
you'll know the reason 
that we are the premiership team!!!&quot;

WHAT A CLASSIC!!!]]></description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:38:44 +0100</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>&amp;quot;Gee, My bus is running a bit late!&amp;quot;</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/6</link>
            <description><![CDATA[There have been some strange (and funny) incidents happen in the history of the VFL/AFL, but is this something that could happen today?

Could you magine a player missing the 2009 Preliminary Final because he missed the bus?

And if he did, what would happen if his replacement had consumed a feast of fast-food and half a packet of cigarettes in the hour, or two, leading up to the match?

It sounds like another one of the strange adventures of Bryan Strauchan, but it did happen.

Not to Strauchney, but to one of St.Kilda's former captains.

Read more in the 'Headlines From History' section at 
http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/HFH_archives]]></description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:20:35 +0100</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>Shawly Heath Will Be Captain.</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/7</link>
            <description><![CDATA[For the first time ever, in an AFL/VFL pre-season Grand Final, Geelong tackle Collingwood at Telstra Dome Etihad Stadium.

And although the bean-counters at the AFL would have loved to have seen Carlton meet the Pies this Friday, a record crowd is still expected to watch what should be a bruising and close encounter.
Collingwood have been keenly waiting to play Geelong for some silverware since their narrow loss to the Cats in the 2007 Preliminary Final.
Collingwood further cemented their belief that they had Geelongs measure after they tackled their way to a huge win over them during the Home &amp; Away season in 2008.
Although Geelong have won two Pre-season Premierships (1961 &amp; 2006), they have also been defeated in five others (1957, 88, 89, 87 &amp; 2004). Collingwood have only had one victory (1979) and two losses (1980 &amp; 2003), although Collingwood supporters believe that the farcical 1980 result should have been reversed or a no-game called. This was the game that the controlling umpire, Ian Robinson, did not hear the Final siren and allowed  Malcolm Blight to kick the ball to Kerry Good after it sounded. This resulted in a goal to North Melbourne and they won by less than a goal.
One interesting fact is that the two teams that Geelong have defeated in their victories are North Melbourne &amp; Adelaide. These are the same two clubs who have defeated Collingwood in their losses.
And we at AustralianRulesFootball.com.au are expecting Collingwood to win on Friday, especially after we were advised of a rumour of a secret shock tactic that the Collingwood match committee have devised.
It is rumoured that Collingwood are dumping Nick Maxwell as captain on Friday and are expected to name Heath Shaw as the new skipper. And it makes perfect sense to us. 
Nothing against Nick Maxwell, but how many captains with his surname have captained Collingwood to a Premiership? None.
But the last two Premierships have had a Shaw at the helm. Ray in 1979 and Tony in 1990. 
In fact Collingwood should be taking this concept further by changing all of the listed and rookie players names by Deed poll to Shaw.
Josh Shaw, Tarkyn Shaw, Dane Shawevery Magpie a Shaw! 
Imagine how handy this would be. Every player would be a potential premiership captain, and if the REAL captain was injured or out of form it wouldnt matter because all of the leadership group would be a Shaw.
If only the Club had changed Nathan Buckleys name by deed poll to Nathan Shaw then who knows what would have happened in the two Grand Finals they lost to the Brisbane Lions.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:30:13 +0100</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>What A Bummer Of A Name!</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/4</link>
            <description><![CDATA[All of us at AustralianRulesFootball.com.au are beginning to feel sorry for Collingwood's first draft choice Steele Sidebottom.

Only a week training with the Magpies and he has already become the target for some good-natured jokes at the hands of his new teammates at Magpieland regarding his name.

We just hope that they don't resort to comparing him to former St.Kilda and Geelong star, Gary Sidebottom, and start giving him bus timetables.

However, seeing as the new Magpie believes that his stunning 10 goal performance for the Murray Bushrangers in the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final was just 'one of those nights', then we at AustralianRulesFootball.com.au feel obliged to give him, what should be, an official nickname...'Tinny-arse'.

Hopefully he turns into the 'Man of Steel' when he dons the Black &amp; White in 2009!

http://afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=70584
]]></description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:58:42 +0100</pubDate>
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            <title>Awaiting the 2009 Fev show...</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/2</link>
            <description><![CDATA[I wonder whether there been any other players in the history of the VFL/AFL who have had such an action-packed year as the Fev had in 2008?

Even Cousins, Didak, Millane and Richmond's 'Captain Kane' would be struggling to achieve the lows that Brendan Fevola achieved this year.

And even through all the unsavoury incidents that he was involved in, he (unlike Cousins &amp; Didak) never even copped a suspension of any sort from Carlton.

INCREDIBLE!!!

But at least it proves that the AFL still has some 'larger-than-life' characters taking the field in this monotonous political-correct society that we live in...And that is good for Footy!

Personally I didn't really care that Fevola was getting headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2008, but what really pissed me off was the ridiculous accusations of 'bad sportsmanship' levelled against Hawthorn when they stopped The Fev from getting his century in the final Home &amp; Away match.
What a load of rot. The Fev had many opportunities, but missed them. And why on earth would (or should) a team let an opposition player get his century against them.

Would Carlton have given a Collingwood player an armchair ride if a similar situation occured?
NO WAY!!!
100 goal seasons have to be earned, and The Fev stuffed up in front of goal way too many times.

So it is with pleasure that I present this wonderful tribute to The Fev that I found on another site.

http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/99FevBalloons
Cut &amp; paste the above link onto your browser and ENJOY!!!

I certainly did!]]></description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:38:29 +0100</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title>The Peanut Man</title>
            <link>http://www.australianrulesfootball.com.au/pages/GetBlogged/op/extended/article/1</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Todays 'Y Generation' Football crowds don't know what they missed in the 70's &amp; 80's. Only us 'Baby Boomers' and the 'Old Timers' can remember the good old days of the VFL.

Todays 'Y Generation' Football crowds don't know what they missed in the 70's &amp; 80's. Only us 'Baby Boomers' and the 'Old Timers' can remember the good old days of the VFL.

Standing Room. 

Splinters in your backside from wooden bench seats. 

Lining up outside the ground at 6am to get one of the very few precious seats around the fence. 

Watching the 'Two's' to see how the young recruits, and the senior players recovering from injuries or lack of form, were going. 

Working out where you would meet your mates at the VFA game the next day.

Throwing a five or ten cent coin at the cheer squad walking around the boundary with an outstreched blanket at half-time, while the 'Little League' players played their usual entertaining match wearing the club colours of the two teams playing that day. 

Running out onto the ground at the final siren to kick the Sherrin with your Dad, brothers, some mates or even total strangers.

Forming a queue around the ground prepared for an all-night vigil to present your Seasons ticket to the club secretary the next morning to be able to purchase the treasured Finals Series tickets. 

Sometimes the club would leave the few lights on around the oval so supporters in the Finals ticket queue could have a 'hundred a side' impromptu footy match on the ground between 10pm and some ungodly hour of the morning. 

And if you didn't join in the footy game, you would sit around an old 20 gallon drum with a wonderful hot fire blazing in it, and listen to the old-timers yarning about the days when Bobby Rose, 'E.J.', Hayden Bunton, the Colliers, and so many other champions graced the suburban fields across Melbourne.

And of course, the Peanut Man. Nobody who went to any of the VFL grounds in those days will ever forget the Peanut Man. Nearly everyone bought peanuts from him, and you didnt even have to leave your seat. He could throw the bag of peanuts from almost any distance, and never miss the outstretched hand that was waiting for them.

The following story was published in 'Hot Pies', an 'unofficial' Collingwood FC fanzine created by well-known Magpie supporter &amp; cartoonist Fred Negro, that was distributed last millenium. It appeared in issue #4 (August 1999), which was also the issue that also featured the sad farewell to that wonderful battleground, Victoria Park.

The story was written by another Magpie fan, John Dear, and it will bring back memories for everyone that attended a VFL game back in those wonderful 'Good Old Days' of VFL footy.

***
'The Peanut Man'
(by John Dear)

&quot;Earnuts, twennysensabag!&quot;
&quot;Earnuts, twennysensabag!&quot;

I wonder how many regular footygoers of the seventies and eighties remember that familiar gravelly chant that for some of us was as much a part of the game as the game itself.

He was there every week, at Victoria park, the rotund little man with eyes wedged between a tousled mop of hair and black rimmed glasses that were held together with tape, threadbare brown jumper with more holes than material and pants that always alluringly showed half the crack of his shapeless old arse.

In fact, the huge hessian sack of peanuts he lugged around over his shoulder was the most attractive piece of material I ever saw him adorned with.

Perhaps that was just the clobber he wore when he sold his peanuts at the footy but I always suspected that if I saw him in the city on a Tuesday or walking through the gardens on a Sunday morning he'd have the same gear on and possibly even a sack full of peanuts over his shoulder.

He was that type of bloke. He didn't care about fashion, he was far too old for that. He just sold peanuts for tweeysensabag at the footy.

He was a bit of an institution, the Peanut Man. He was a relic of the gritty, industrial inner suburban school of hard knocks. A survivor.

When you saw the Peanut Man you thought of the Great Depression and Collingwood boot factories. Phonse Kyne and gladstone bags.

I saw him plying his trade at Waverley a few times but it just wasn't the same. He was a little piece of the past walking the boundary line, out of place, his aura swallowed up by the cavernous, concrete mountains.

People didn't see him in all his dilapidated glory out there, they just saw a funny looking old bloke with a sack.

They don't want peanuts for twennysensabag at Waverley, they want Hyperspace dogs that cost $27.50 or Alpha Centauri burgers in exchange for their first born from the 48th floor snack bar.

They want to be served by people who are dressed like Captain Kirks love children, not bloody old deros with sacks.

&quot;Don't go near that dirty old man, Trent, I don't like the look of his sack.&quot;

No, the Peanut Man belonged at Collingwood. He belonged on the working class gravel terraces, surrounded by blue smoke haze and corrogated iron fences and chimneys.

I think about the Peanut Man now and then. When I go to the footy I always hope that raspy chant will come wafting over the crowd. It doesn't anymore. Maybe he died.

Maybe he got mugged by an Elephant.

If he died I hope they buried his sack with him, I wouldn't like to think it could go on without him.

I liked the Peanut Man.

***

What a great story!

I am certain that I read somewhere that he did die a few years ago, but I cannot confirm it anywhere. I also heard that he used to drive his Mercedes to every VFL ground on the Saturday to sell his beloved bags of peanuts. I also heard that he died a very rich man. I hope that he was rich, because he was certainly a rich part of the tradition of the old VFL days.

It is time that characters like the Peanut Man were allowed to be nominated for the 'AFL Hall of Fame'. 
I, and many others, certainly would not object.

I just wish I knew his real name!

The Peanut Man...a true VFL Legend!
]]></description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:57:33 +0100</pubDate>
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