The People's Game

It's now pissing with rain in Melbourne and we should be nursing a thermos on the wing of the MCG. Instead, we're continuing our dive into footy's past.  This week, we're joined by author, speaker and former Hawks player Tony Wilson. He's written the definitive account of the 1989 Grand Final, out now via Audible.  For our Rewatchables we're going to dip into Tony's memories of the Round 6 clash between Geelong and Hawthorn in 1989.  And for Footy Book Club - well, you guessed it - we're going to talk about Tony's book, and the Grand Final.  We've also got a brief edition of the Unwatchables, looking at Hawthorn's entry into the VFL in 1925...  BUY "1989: The Great Grand Final" here.

There is still a footy shaped hole in our hearts, so the boys from "The People's Game" are back to try and fill it with a retrospective look at our great game!  On the agenda this week:  "THE UNWATCHABLES" - Footy and the ANZAC Spirit In 1960, the VFL played footy on Anzac Day for the very first time.  At Brunswick Street Oval, Fitzroy upset Carlton by 7 points, and at the Junction Oval, Melbourne beat St Kilda by 24 points. More than 65,815 people attended the two matches. The boys explore footy's journey from accidental ANZAC Day matches to a modern day military tradition.  "THE REWATCHABLES" - The "First" ANZAC Day Game: Round 4, 1995 Collingwood vs. Essendon  In 1995, a new tradition was born when Collingwood and Essendon met on a Tuesday afternoon at the MCG in front of 94,825 fans. It remains the second highest home and away crowd in league history. (The 2020 Anzac Day clash would have been the 25th instalment.) This "traditional clash" is the one that has endured, despite attempts by the league to place other matches on Anzac Day - first, between Sydney and Melbourne for the Barassi Cup, and later, by having St Kilda play in New Zealand. The boys recap this classic match between two "old foe" clubs, and examine how the footy public has embraced footy's place on ANZAC Day.  FOOTY BOOK CLUB: The Short Long Book  Anzac Day 1995 is also remembered because of an incident that occurred with three minutes to go, when Michael Long was racially vilified by Damien Monkhorst Two years on from Nicky Winmar's famous gesture at Victoria Park, Long made a stand that forced the AFL to introduce penalties for on-field racial discrimination. In his biography of Long - The Short Long Book - Martin Flanagan writes that the stand was the AFL's "Mandela moment". That book, published in 2015, is our book club read for the week.

Footy re-entered our lives last weekend, as people re-entered the MCG. We were astounded by upsets, boilovers and a little bit of individual brilliance while also being stressed out by the uncontrollable nature of fandom. The state of the game was given a "full bill of health" and that seems especially true if you reflect on how far footy has come. Join JB & Gordo for another week of deep dives and footy fandom.

To kick the year off, JB & Gordo are looking back to look forward, using Amazon Sport's new fly on the wall doco, Making Their Mark, to jog their memories. They then hold a little roundtable to discuss the issues and stories they'll be following during the 2021 season...

G'day citizens of The People's Game, and welcome to "The COVID Chronicles" presented by Sporting Chance Magazine. Despite being in the middle of a global pandemic, footy's evergreen debate is raging as strong as ever. What can be done about the "state of the game"? Those in the media will tell us that we need to go back to the "good old days" of knockabout blokes and pack marks - but was footy really better in the old days? In today's episode "It was acceptable in the 70s" JB and Gordo rewatch the 1978 Round 7 clash between St Kilda and Essendon at Moorabbin Oval to see what all the fuss was about footy back in the day... We love to hear your thoughts on what footy means to you in the year 2020. Drop us a line on the Sporting Chance Magazine's Facebook page or on Twitter via @sc_mag_aus

G'day citizens of The People's Game, and welcome to "The COVID Chronicles" presented by Sporting Chance Magazine. With Victoria back in Stage 3 lockdown (and potentially other states soon to follow) and with nearly no commutes to listen to full length podcasts, we thought it would be beneficial to touch base with you daily over the next six weeks to chat footy, to help each other get through this challenging period and to hopefully add a few moments of levity to your day. Today's episode is entitled "Day 0 - Footy Continues" and is a conversation between Gordon Hunter Meredith and co-host Jack Banister about what part of our lives footy occupies in the era of "The New Normal" and whether any positives can come out of the post-shutdown 2020 season. Please note that this conversation was recorded before the Round 2 clash between Richmond and Collingwood and as such, a few of the COVID protocols may be a little out of date but the sentiments still ring true. Join us now as we ask ourselves; in these unprecedented times, does footy still fulfil us? We love to hear your thoughts on what footy means to you in the year 2020. Drop us a line on the Sporting Chance Magazine's Facebook page or on Twitter via @sc_mag_aus

There is still a footy shaped hole in our hearts, so the boys from "The People's Game" are back to try and fill it with a retrospective look at our great game! On the agenda this week: "THE UNWATCHABLES" - The 1916 VFL Season Our Unwatchables segment this week is built not on a round, but on an entire season. The VFL competition had continued without change in 1914 and 1915, but by 1916 Australia's Gallipoli moment had happened, and lengthy campaigns in the Middle East and Europe were underway. The VFA and the South Australian Football League both cancelled their season, and in the VFL, Essendon refused to play unless the competition was amateur. That request was denied, and the Dons eventually pulled out on patriotic grounds, alongside Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda. That left the four working class, inner-city clubs - Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, and Fitzroy - to play each other four times across twelve rounds, with all four making the finals... The boys explore this unique VFL season and discuss: •Should footy have gone ahead in 1916? •Was 1916 the ultimate "asterisk" premiership? •Does the 1916 season teach us anything about how to approach footy during the COVID crisis? FOOTY BOOK CLUB: Footy In Times Of Crisis The Guardian recently published two conflicting pieces about how to approach sport during the Coronavirus shutdown. Geoff Lemon in "Sport in Australia will survive Covid-19 but its importance will be diminished", writes that footy is not as important as we thought it was, while Jonathan Howcroft in "Fear of missing out becomes a reality in sport during COVID-19 crisis", reflects on all the sporting moments we're missing out on in 2020. With these pieces as background, the boys tackle this winter's big question: "Does sport "matter" right now? "THE REWATCHABLES" - The Winmar Moment This week is a special edition of the Rewatchables, looking back at Round 4, 1993, when St Kilda clashed with Collingwood at Victoria Park. Nick Place wrote about Nicky Winmar's famous post-game stand against racial vilification for the following day's edition of the Sunday Age, and he joins the boys to relive the day, explain how the story made it to print and to reflect on footy from the 90s.

There's a footy shaped hole in our hearts, so the boys from "The People's Game" are here to try and fill it each week of lockdown, with a retrospective look at our great game! On the agenda this week: "THE UNWATCHABLE MATCH" - Round 2, 1908: University v Richmond JB and Gordo deep dive into the almanacs to explore the circumstances that saw the VFL host the first ever "expansion" clash. The Boys then explore the quirks around these clubs including: •Are university students naturally "smarter" footballers? •Why were clubs so against University entering the VFL? •Why weren't inner north clubs against Richmond joining the VFL? •What the f*** is a "wreg-lar ankipootus"? •Should the VAFA version of University be so very proud of their (epically unsuccessful) VFL heritage? "THE REWATCHABLE MATCH" - Round 3, 2004: Essendon v West Coast This Saturday Night at "The Dome" has been dubbed Hird's Fairytale, but there's more to the game (and story) then just Essendon's lost son's performance. The boys deep dive on this famous shootout including: •What were their gut responses to during the rewatch? •Did Hird's 4th Quarter performance deserve Brownlow votes? •Where is Hird currently on his "redemption" arc? •Did anyone actually coach in the early 2000s? •Did they miss the Ch 10 commentary team? FOOTY BOOK CLUB: TWO PARTS! PART 1: Vale Bruce Dawe - Australia's "Poet of Suburbia" passed away recently, and like many JB spent his youth poring over his laconic poetry, cramming details into my head for his Year 12 English exam, but did you know that Dawe also wrote poems about footy? The Boys read they're favourite "Life Cycle" and reflect on poetry's place in the footy media landscape. PART 2: "'Razor' Ray Chamberlain reveals highs and lows of umpiring" - In another of the Herald Sun's long Q & As, the AFL's most renowned umpire Ray Chamberlain chatted to Hamish McLachlan about his umpiring career. The boys breakdown the interview and discuss: •Is Razor relatable to footy fans? •Why does he operate outside the usual anonymity / namelessness of other umps? •How bad is umpire abuse in the AFL? •Does a piece like this have the potential to change footy's view of umpires?

There's a footy shaped hole in our hearts, one that "Footy Media" has been trying to fill wth everything from clickbait to countdowns... As such, the boys from The People's Game dissect the current state the Footy Media.

There's a footy shaped hole in our hearts, so the boys from "The People's Game" are here to try and fill it each week of lockdown, with a retrospective look at our great game! On the agenda this week: "THE UNWATCHABLE MATCH" - Round 1,1900: St Kilda v Melbourne JB and Gordo deep dive into the almanacs to explore the circumstances that saw St Kilda win their first ever VFL game... via protest! Gordo asks: "If you were Melbourne in 1900 (without any TV evidence) would you be honest about the situation at the tribunal?" before the boys explore the 1900 VFL Finals system that saw Melbourne win the 8-team VFL Premiership from sixth! "THE REWATCHABLE MATCH" - Round 2, 2016: Richmond v Collingwood The Round 2, 2020 clash of these two titan clubs never happened so the boys do a deep dive on the infamous "Grundy Game" including: •What were their lasting memories of this match? •Was this match a precursor of what was to come for each of these clubs? •Who did they miss the most from the 2016 season? •Was this match really a rewatchable? FOOTY BOOK CLUB: Ben Cousins - Coming Clean With no football to fill the TV screens, Channel 7 aired another documentary about Ben Cousins, the boys try to work out why it was made, if it added anything of merit to the Ben Cousins story and what they would have done differently if they were on the production team.

The sun is out, the temperature is slowly rising and there's more than just a hint of jasmine in the air but strangely an epidemic of sorts is sweeping the country. Footy Finals Fever is affecting the hearts and minds of millions of people across Australia at the moment, and as such The Citizens of the People's Game are making a some house calls during the pre-finals lull to check up on a few of their favourite footy friends. Our last visit of AFL Finals Week 1, 2019 sees Kasey and JB head to the Caroline Wilson Room at The Age to talk to another famous Richmond fan and long-time friend of the podcast - Konrad Marshall. Konrad is one of the best profile writers going around and his 2017 book, Yellow and Black - A Season with Richmond is a must read for all football fans regardless of club allegiances, however it's clear to see where Konrad's colours lie. Whether it is his September superstitions, strong Tiger Twitter game or earnest descriptions of fandom it's pretty clear to see that Konrad is Richmond through and through. Richmond are hitting form at the right time of year yet again, and love them or hate them there's few better battle cries than Yellow and Black! Enjoy the Tiger chat...

The sun is out, the temperature is slowly rising and there's more than just a hint of jasmine in the air but strangely an epidemic of sorts is sweeping the country. Footy Finals Fever is affecting the hearts and minds of millions of people across Australia at the moment, and as such The Citizens of the People's Game are making a some house calls during the pre-finals lull to check up on a few of their favourite footy friends. Now, did you know that West Coast fans don't just live in Perth? This visit sees Kasey and JB stroll down the latte saturated laneways of Melbourne's CBD to visit an Eagle who's flown East to make his new nest. On this episode we hear from Sam Butler - yes "that" Sam Butler, to talk about all things West Coast, winning (and losing) Grand Finals, his journey to footy fandom and what he thinks of the Melbourne footy scene. Despite the fact that Kasey is the only TPG citizen who is an Eagles fan, we all left our chat with Sam flying high - and we think you will as well.

The sun is out, the temperature is slowly rising and there's more than just a hint of jasmine in the air but strangely an epidemic of sorts is sweeping the country. Footy Finals Fever is affecting the hearts and minds of millions of people across Australia at the moment, and as such The Citizens of the People's Game are making a some house calls during the pre-finals lull to check up on a few of their favourite footy friends. The first visit sees Kasey and JB stroll down to Brunswick St Oval to talk footy with lifelong Fitzroy & Brisbane Lions fan and current director of Fitzroy FC David Leydon. David is what our Dr of Fandom would describe earnestly as a "True Fan" - although as he will explain to you, he probably didn't have much of a say in the matter... The Brisbane Lions are up and about this season and so is David, but this chat should warm the cockles of every footy fans' heart- because who doesn't love just a little bit of Old Fitzroy?!

The end of a football season is time for farewells and reflections, and that's exactly what the "Citizens of the People's Game" are up to this episode... On the agenda this week: - In a month where sports writing has been widely criticised, Kasey provides a shortlist of sports pieces that are must reads. - JB mourns the dangerous act of "Merch Muzzing" - The "People's Question" asks: "What's the best way to say farewell to retiring players" - This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" is a review of Josh Cable's documentary "Collingwood: From the Inside Out" about the Magpies 2018 AFL season. Material Mentioned In This Episode: For The People's Question: Timothy Boyle - "Rough and steady: Hawthorn legend leaves behind serious body of work" https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/rough-and-steady-hawthorn-legend-leaves-behind-serious-body-of-work-20190817-p52i39.html For The People's Question: Josh Cable - "Collingwood from the Inside Out" - http://miff.com.au/program/film/miff-talks-collingwood-from-the-inside-out

Finals footy is just around the corner, but before they gear up for Finals Fever, the "Citizens of the People's Game" are doing some reflecting on the 2019 season - under the microscope this week - footy media! On the agenda this week: - The Citizens discuss the merits (and feasibility) of a floating fixture... - Kasey reminisces on the grandeur that is the Suburban Footy Burger... - JB ponders if the AFL could have their own "Field of Dreams"... - Kasey asks why Footy Twitter had to rain on people's snow parades... - JB laments that fact that Tall Poppy Syndrome is alive and well in sports media - The "People's Question" asks: "What's lost (or gained) when the AFL is the largest provider of their own storytellers?" - This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" is a review of this year's footy shows (mostly Fox Footy programming) and what the role of the footy media is... Material Mentioned In This Episode: For The People's Question: Robert Nguyen - "Off the Mark - Unfortunate Trends in FootyLand" https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1dCxSxHJVAeOU5tQGpLR5P0SuqlPPahb6r_pDydBclpA/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR0xoQiB63K25lwfTQ278R1-aW6FYg9qRgAamjzQKIv_or03vbcaDjO6Xt8 Harrison Polites - AFL Media: the future of content marketing? - https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/business-spectator/news-story/afl-media-the-future-of-content-marketing/ae37b6fd8772d5449f96b40f64f581eb

Footy is in constant flux. Do you pine for the "retro" days through nostalgic tinted glasses or charge straight-ahead into the future of footy with it's advanced metrics and new viewing habits? Join "The Citizens of the People's Game" as they discuss paradigm shift and more... On the agenda this week: - Picket Palace's biggest fan, JB discusses the band's newest single: Richo! - Kasey congratulates the AFL on the announcement of two new, and important, leadership positions. - Gordo accidentally becomes a "Gouger", thanks to the East Brunswick Eye Gougers footy fundraiser. - The gang discusses the dangers of "killing people's vibe" at the footy - The "People's Question" asks: "Are fans deliberately ignorant of new rules and coaching techniques for the sake of their own enjoyment?" - This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" is a review of "Carn: The Game, And The Country That Plays It" by Andrew Mueller Material Mentioned In This Episode: TPG Pies: Richo by Picket Palace: https://open.spotify.com/track/0mYzBHdwHdk5Nw48XnXnaB?si=4WxkfY_nRxKqLRfwHyZk_A Statement: AFL appoints head of mental heath and wellbeing, and chief psychiatrist: https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-08-05/statement-afl-appoints-head-of-mental-heath-and-wellbeing-and-chief-psychiatrist Profile on East Brunswick Eye Gougers: https://medium.com/cardigan-street/taking-marks-and-breaking-hearts-dabf591beb93 For The People's Question: Jake Niall - "The New Normal" https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-season-2019-welcome-to-the-new-normal-20190803-p52dlo.html For Book Club Carn: The Game, And The County That Plays It by Andrew Mueller https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460751947/carn-the-game-and-the-country-that-plays-it/?fbclid=IwAR0E01cezPENgU21oGA1G0VXfi_1g6WctjOiX0i522ki0y_SOilWL0uJBFA

Footy has been turning up the fun and excitement, each and every week since the bye and last fortnight has been no different! Join the Citizen's of The People's Game as the breakdown all the major talking points from footy and sport in general! On the agenda this week: - Why does the media take it upon themselves to judge injury management instead of just report on it? - Josh Kennedy is kicking goals on - and off - the field. - The "People's Question" tackles the topic of drugs in sport... Are Australian sports fans and sports media hypocritical in their views of "drug cheats" and is "clean sport" even neccessary? - This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" is a discussion about our very own Kasey Symons' short story 'The Real Fan' and what "real fandom" is. Material Mentioned In This Episode: For The People's Question: Andrew Wu - "The elephant in the room Mack Horton must address" https://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/the-elephant-in-the-room-mack-horton-must-address-20190723-p529th.html Fitzsimmons - "Horton shouldn't have to shake the hand of a man he doesn't respect" https://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/horton-shouldn-t-have-to-shake-the-hand-of-a-man-he-doesn-t-respect-20190722-p529hw.html?fbclid=IwAR1-ecKt2teUbiyoRR0j_9BhWrWn2rx9-sxl1D8WDCV2cQ7Hfk6tZKr9SSU Baum - "Taking a stance - or overstepping?" https://www.theage.com.au/sport/swimming/taking-a-stance-or-overstepping-20190723-p52a14.html Essendon findings - https://www.asada.gov.au/news/court-arbitration-sport-decision-essendon-players For Book Club For The Real Fan by Kasey Symons https://sofizine.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/so-fi-zine-5-read-online.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3zWY-ghj8gEWroeg-FzI9f1VeXPfH4dXRjeEJpsRedLzx7RaN04Yswi0E

The oasis of "Finals Footy' is flickering on the horizon and as such footy watching feels just that little bit more important and just that little bit more *fun.* Join in the excitement as the Citizen's of The People's Game breakdown another big week in footy! On the agenda this week: - JB had a really (like REALLY) good weekend at the footy and wanted to tell you all about it! - Can players only be personalities when they're winning? - The "People's Question" tackles the topic of tackling... Is it a skill? Do we like watching tackles? What's the AFL really trying to achieve? - This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" is a reflection on the Adam Goodes documentary "The Final Quarter" by Ian Darling for Shark Island Productions. Material Mentioned In This Episode: For The People's Question •Hocking tackles change and makes himself a target by Jake Niall (The Age) - https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/hocking-tackles-change-and-makes-himself-a-target-20190718-p528lm.html •"The Changing Face of Footy" by Andrew McGarry (ABC)https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/the-changing-face-of-afl-football/8375930For Book Club •The Final Quarter by Ian Darling (Shark Island) https://10play.com.au/the-final-quarter •Adam Goodes' defenders desperate to despise Australia as racist by Andrew Bolt (Herald Sun) - https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/goodes-defenders-desperate-to-despise-australia-as-racist/news-story/f061e14da1c8c1ca3f4d6a2ec3f88245 •Football's governors can't leave Goodes in too-hard basket by Caroline Wilson (The Age) - https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/football-s-governors-can-t-leave-goodes-in-too-hard-basket-20190719-p528w3.html •Adam Goodes 'cut down' by racist booing because he was powerful, says commentator Charlie King by Kate Ashton (ABC News) - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-21/adam-goodes-faced-racism-because-he-was-powerful-charlie-king/11328552 •Why do footy crowds boo Adam Goodes? by Martin Flanagan (The Age) - https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/why-do-footy-crowds-boo-adam-goodes-20141003-10ppvf.html •Waleed Aly's major issue with reaction to Adam Goodes documentary (7News) - https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/the-final-quarter-waleed-alys-major-issue-with-reaction-to-adam-goodes-documentary-c-357664 •Statement of Origin by Lech Blaine (The Monthly) - https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/july/1561989600/lech-blaine/statement-origin

It's been a stressful year in footy and one that has caused unprecedented strain on fans' love of "The People's Game". Join The Boys as they talk their way through this romantic crisis... On the agenda this week: - JB tries to keep it positive by discussing Michael Gleeson's fanatic profile on Adam Saad - Gordo laments the 'moral duality' that currently exists in the AFL - JB shares his concerns about the ambience at AFL footy's graveyard: Metricon Stadium - The People's Question is: "Has the AFL gone too far in the crackdown on fan behaviour?" PLUS This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" is a review - of a review - "The Lost Art of Deadline Writing" by James Parker for the Atlantic. Content Mentioned In This Episode: •My family and my religion is everything' Fast break with Adam Saad (by Michael Gleeson) - https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/my-family-and-my-religion-is-everything-fast-break-with-adam-saad-20190531-p51t9b.html •Call it 'Kiya' (by Des Headland) - https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-06-17/call-it-kiya-stackbetts-hug-explained-why-whitefellas-miss-the-point •Joffa in The Age - https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/joffa-s-message-this-is-our-place-leave-us-alone-20190616-p51y83.html •The Lost Art of Deadline Writing (by James Parker) - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/sports-writing-on-deadline/586015/?fbclid=IwAR2jDptrc7WDib21fQOIQ4RqDQUyGn_IElLMkV2VnuY70SrvvvhxDD_miqA •Greg Baum on the 2017 Qualifying Final - https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/big-crowd-a-bigger-win-as-tiger-dam-bursts-20170908-gydz3y.html

The bye rounds are coming but before they do, the citizen's of The People's Game are here to perform a health check on the AFL season so far... On the agenda this week: - Kasey discusses her European PhD tour (read: junket) - JB discusses Michael Wilson's photo of Simon Lethlean and Paddy McCartin - Kasey asks whether inviting trolls to heckle in person is a good idea? - Gordo summaries the key narratives that will play out in the second half of the AFL season - The People's Question is: "When it comes to Indigenous Round, is symbolism enough?" PLUS This week's edition of "Footy Book Club" has a 'fashion' bent - as we dive into the glossy pages of Stellar Mag to discuss Tayla Harris' cover story and the representation of female athletes in non-sporting environments. Content Mentioned In This Episode: - Michael Wilson's image of Lethlean and McCartin: https://twitter.com/MichaelCWillson/status/1131396413215182848?s=20 - Paddy McCartin's interview with Triple M: https://www.triplem.com.au/story/listen-paddy-mccartin-s-opens-up-on-his-physical-emotional-struggles-with-concussion-138739 - WNBA Anti-Troll Message: https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/1132006814483136513 - Richard Hinds on Indigenous Rounds: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-24/afl-and-nrl-indigenous-round-but-what-then/11143016 - Tayla Harris' cover story in Stellar Mag: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/aflw-star-tayla-harris-breaks-her-silence/news-story/3fb6eba4505f1e0af2192153f5563af7