Who is your favourite football writer or journalist?

[Silvagnis]

Martin Flanagan is great at capturing a moment with words and my favourite when he writes about footy.

Shag-haired villain Fev restores the roar - Martin Flanagan

Melbourne is a different place when Carlton's good. You start seeing the old Lygon Street swagger. This club, after all, has won as many premierships as any other in what is now called the AFL. Carlton knows what it is to be a power but, for the past few years, the Blues have known the multiple humiliations of poverty.

Then they got Dick Pratt as president. Then they got Eddie's chief executive at Collingwood, Greg Swann. Then they got Chris Judd. They made the right choice with Brett Ratten. There is a fundamental honesty about him that the best coaches have to have since they must be believed. And there is one other thing Carlton has — what Shakespeare called a "shag-haired villain".

Fev.

Carlton's first goal of the second half came when Setanta led for the ball, got his long angular form into the air, drew two defenders then saw the Sherrin drop straight through his arms. Waiting on the ground was Fev. He grabbed it and was gone like a kid with a stolen apple.

Open goal square, bang! And then he did this other thing right in front of where I was sitting on the fence. He ran past and blew the crowd a kiss, but that is a poor description. There was enormous vigour in the gesture. It was the act of a man saying: "Watch me!" and, in response, I heard something I haven't heard for a few years — the mighty Carlton roar.

 

[Dramoth]

To Be honest TG, that was a bloody good read and after all the vitriol and sniping from Caro, Fatprick and all the rest of the journo w***ers, it is good to read something from a neutral observer who loves the game.

Martin Flanagan: good writer

 

[one eyed bluey]

ditto....liked his article and his right about Melbourne being so much better when carlton is winning, well for me anyway

 

[thylacine60]

Lovely article, quality writer. Les Carlyon and Peter Roebuck are about the best two sports writers in this country - horse-racing and cricket respectively. Footy? Used to respect Alf Brown. He wrote in a time when being a print journo didn't immediately make you a media "superstar". You barely knew what a paper man looked like.

Back in the early 80's I used to knock off work on a Friday and take a few potato-cakes into Y & J's. There I'd find a nook and over a few pots read Mike Sheahan's article on the big match the next day. It usually included Carlton back then and would run the entire back page of the Herald. This was back in the days when they played footy on Saturday afternoons. He was excellent.

For some reason I really like listening to the aggressive veracity that Mark Fine brings to an argument. He is knowledgeable and a good thinker on the game despite his confessed love affair with the Saints.

I like Robbie Walls. Makes big claims but usually justifies them well.

All in all I would have to say my favourite would be Rohan Connelly. Great sense of history and occasion. He can actually see past Essendon and most times builds a really well-structured, informative column. Hope that doesn't make too many people want to eat their own vomit.

 

[lopezz]

Tony De Bolfo

 

[blue gunslinger]

The late Clinton Grybas deserves a mention
Otherwise Parko on AFL teams is the only opinion I listen to

 

[The_Groscz]

Greg Baum is easily the best. He's really impartial, and writes about sport really well...

Then I'd pick Wallsy, just coz he cares about footy and says some interesting things.

I actually don't mind Buckley and Judd's columns, and Robert Murphy's, though I reckon his writing has made him a worse footballer (if he ever was a good one!)

I used to read the Herald-Sun for their footy coverage, but bugger me, the last 2 years it has become absolute and total rubbish. Sheehan just states the obvious, Healy never gets it right and Lyon is OK in his negativity, but doesn't dig deep, Robbo is just a 4th rate Scotty Palmer and the rest don't really say anything, but try to come across as 'intelligent' since they are muffled by their front-line drongos, and then there's Bolt. LOL! Seriously if there wasn't ink on it I'd use it as toilet paper, sad as I used to like the Hun's footy coverage.

Sadprick isn't even a journalist. Doesn't know anything about sport, let alone sports writing. He's just a loudmouth. I really hope someone does something to shut that mouth up as he does nothing for footy or anyone else, for that matter.

 

[a1118374]

The late Clinton Grybas deserves a mention
Otherwise Parko on AFL teams is the only opinion I listen to

yeh agree. On Tv grybas was head shoulders and torso above anyone. The perfect commentator and good guy, such a tragedy.

 

[BBSK]

i actually had a good chat with Sheahan yesterday........... asked him about the flak he recieves over his top 50 and why so and so wasn't in it and he said he'd rather place new players in there that aren't as well known rather than stating the obvious and putting players we know have been good over the years... yes made complete sense to me

i also asked him who he barracked for and he said "i barrack for the story" which i think is good when you compare it to the bias crap spun by people like caro................ although if ur a journo and ur a carlton supporter i would not complain about what i read if there is bias

also said he checks his blog comments every now and then and it completely deflates his ego.. so if u see something that pisses u off be sure to comment it!

 

[Dramoth]

Lovely article, quality writer. Les Carlyon and Peter Roebuck are about the best two sports writers in this country - horse-racing and cricket respectively. Footy? Used to respect Alf Brown. He wrote in a time when being a print journo didn't immediately make you a media "superstar". You barely knew what a paper man looked like.

Back in the early 80's I used to knock off work on a Friday and take a few potato-cakes into Y & J's. There I'd find a nook and over a few pots read Mike Sheahan's article on the big match the next day. It usually included Carlton back then and would run the entire back page of the Herald. This was back in the days when they played footy on Saturday afternoons. He was excellent.

For some reason I really like listening to the aggressive veracity that Mark Fine brings to an argument. He is knowledgeable and a good thinker on the game despite his confessed love affair with the Saints.

I like Robbie Walls. Makes big claims but usually justifies them well.

All in all I would have to say my favourite would be Rohan Connelly. Great sense of history and occasion. He can actually see past Essendon and most times builds a really well-structured, informative column. Hope that doesn't make too many people want to eat their own vomit.

Hey Thyla,

You dont think that Robbie Walls might soon start getting the old blues blood bubbling through his veins again and we might have a football pundit firmly ino our court again?

 

[HBF]

i also asked him who he barracked for and he said "i barrack for the story" which i think is good when you compare it to the bias crap spun by people like caro................ although if ur a journo and ur a carlton supporter i would not complain about what i read if there is bias

Mike Sheahan is a Melbourne "supporter", although you would hardly know it. I don't think I have ever read an article of his, or heard him comment where i thought he was being biased.

I do like reading what Mike has to say. Just writes about the story, doesn't concern himself with the off-field stuff too much like that scrag from The Age, and doesn't write with an agenda either.

 

[HBF]

Hey Thyla,

You dont think that Robbie Walls might soon start getting the old blues blood bubbling through his veins again and we might have a football pundit firmly ino our court again?

I watched On the Couch on Monday night with him, Gerard and Mike, and was most certainly up and about about the Blues win over Collingwood. He was pretty happy with the win, and thought the old dark navy blues might be just starting to turn the corner.

 

[blue gunslinger]

I watched On the Couch on Monday night with him, Gerard and Mike, and was most certainly up and about about the Blues win over Collingwood. He was pretty happy with the win, and thought the old dark navy blues might be just starting to turn the corner.[/quot
I love Walls as well but he does think he is the centre of the universe a little too much. And that my friend is our own EddieB!One day we will be saying that young fella is the benchmark of journalism!

 

[celtic_pride]

Rohan Connolley is probably my fave print media ...

Hutchy shits me bigtime, he's nothing but an obsessive and player stalking gossip ...

Robbo from the Hun is not bad as well.

 

[Blue Bawls]

The late Clinton Grybas deserves a mention
Otherwise Parko on AFL teams is the only opinion I listen to

I like David Parkin for the obvious reason that he was our best ever coach, but the way he wrote us off this season I found galling. Prior to Sunday's match, he said he believed the first game we could win was against Melbourne and basically suggested we had nothing.

I would have thought anyone with even only a passing interest in Carlton could see how close we were to a result on the scoreboard. I would have thought that someone as astute as Parkin would have noticed our development, but no, he wrote us off.

He also essentially apologised for bringing Fev into the team and said he should go. He had so little faith in the big bloke to again write him off, and what happens? Fev turns over the leaf and reinvents himself on the footy field to be a true champion.

Perhaps this was all part of Parko's plan, to jibe us into performing, I hope so, because I like the guy too, but he made bad judgement calls on our team and one of our favourite sons.

 

[blue gunslinger]

I like David Parkin for the obvious reason that he was our best ever coach, but the way he wrote us off this season I found galling. Prior to Sunday's match, he said he believed the first game we could win was against Melbourne and basically suggested we had nothing.

I would have thought anyone with even only a passing interest in Carlton could see how close we were to a result on the scoreboard. I would have thought that someone as astute as Parkin would have noticed our development, but no, he wrote us off.

He also essentially apologised for bringing Fev into the team and said he should go. He had so little faith in the big bloke to again write him off, and what happens? Fev turns over the leaf and reinvents himself on the footy field to be a true champion.

Perhaps this was all part of Parko's plan, to jibe us into performing, I hope so, because I like the guy too, but he made bad judgement calls on our team and one of our favourite sons.

True - but I think he is usually honest, and usually correct and the agendas he does push are usually to promote or inspire.Unlike others he is not usually negative to pull people down but to put a mirror up so they can have a look at themselves and make the necessary changes.

 

[Silvagnis]

More of Flanagan.

Saints and Cats offer season jump-off point

Like a lot of people, I suspect, I looked to Chris Judd to get my season going. It's hard to describe just how good Judd was at his best. It was like seeing a hare running through a pack of hounds with none of the hounds quite able to bring the hare down because it's so nimble and quick-witted and, in its way, strong.

Judd was good in a way I'd never seen before. He wasn't like other former greats. He wasn't like Gary Ablett snr. He wasn't a great kick. He took few overhead marks.

But he did something else that seemed especially attuned to the game as it is now being played, with massive collisions of 10 or 12 bodies or more in the midfield. He kept getting the ball and breaking free with it.

Robert Walls, an awfully hard man on occasions, rated Judd's game for Carlton against St Kilda last week as a six out of 10. Initially, I thought he was a bit kind as he had given another player three.

Judd's not blasting games apart like he once did, but when he gets the ball, he's still good enough to hang on to it and make his possession count.

In the first term, Marc Murphy twice sliced open the St Kilda defence like a piece of fruit and I thought, "Hello! The Blues have got something new, something special, happening".

Judd gets the first defensive midfielder. Nick Stevens, who is back from injury, gets the second. Young Murphy's suddenly got the third best stopper trying to catch him, and a young team is away. But, no, the rest of the match was like seeing small vehicles running into heavy equipment. The Saints are big boys.

John Harms is a good writer.

At every ground, in every bar; a dominator

 

[Salaryman]

Emma Quayle....nice girl, has a book coming out at some stage, keep an eye out for it

 

[Silvagnis]

Emma Quayle....nice girl, has a book coming out at some stage, keep an eye out for it

Emma rated Cotchin as the number one kid in the 2007 draft, so she's a dud and you're biased.

Quayle's piece about Carlton's development academy was great.

Rhythm and Blues

 

[Salaryman]

Emma rated Cotchin as the number one kid in the 2007 draft, so she's a dud and you're biased.

Quayle's piece about Carlton's development academy was great.

Rhythm and Blues

I had kreuzer 1 in the end.

 

[thylacine60]

Hey Thyla,

You dont think that Robbie Walls might soon start getting the old blues blood bubbling through his veins again and we might have a football pundit firmly ino our court again?

Never fear, he's been suffering these past years. I think he has been quietly simmering with anger over what had happened to his beloved club.

It's pretty tough for him being such a public performer to wave the flag - particularly when we have been such a basket-case. Think he may have been one of the pundits who suggested our draft penalties would see us in the wilderness for 10 years.

He'll be in the front row when we hold No 17 up.

 

[Silvagnis]

*bump*

Improved Pies have chance to show their mettle Martin Flanagan

Today is the Magpies' day. It has to be. I saw them last week when they strangled Carlton. It was the most savagely efficient display of negative football that I have ever witnessed. That's not to say Collingwood played without skill but, rather, that so much of its skill was directed at successfully harassing its opponents.

Improved Pies have chance to show their mettle Martin Flanagan

Footy fans have such short memories.

Every time a new player comes along and stars from the outset, Joel Selwood's debut season has become chop liver overnight.

Flanagan needs to watch the 1995 Grand Final like I did last week.

That thrashing was one of the best examples of hard and negative, yet attacking football I've ever seen. Carlton's harassing of the second best team in AFL was arguably ahead of it's time. Fraser Brown was limping around, yet was playing like his life depended on it.

But for the garbage goals scored by Geelong, that would have been a record GF win

Quartermain tipped the Cats.

Flanagan has gone down hill.

 

[blue gunslinger]

The late Clinton Grybas deserves a mention
Otherwise Parko on AFL teams is the only opinion I listen to

stand by this

 

[Silvagnis]

In: Emma Quayle
Out: Martin Flanagan

 

[Buzz/Sticks/bryce]

Jon Anderson for mine