CSM: Chapter 5.
5. Night Robbery. People are always saying that ‘the game’s changing.’ That’s partly correct. The game has evolved. Players have gotten fitter, stronger; their kicking (generally) sharper, longer; their capacity to play in various positions more flexible. So, in those ways, the game has changed. Fundamentally, though, the game itself has remained the same. It’s still about winning the ball, about being first to it, about pressuring the opposition when they have it, about finding your way to goal, and about kicking a better score than your opposition. None of that’s changed. None of it ever will. Attitudes have, though. Take State footy, for example. There was a time that…
CSM: Chapter 4.
4. My First Game. I started to watch the replays regularly. Channel 7 had Seven’s Big League on at Saturday night, hosted by Peter Landy, which replayed a quarter from two matches, and provided highlights of another. That’s all the games which were covered. Because of Collingwood’s H&A success and popularity, they were replayed often. Then there was the Winners on Channel 2, with Tim Lane and Drew Morphett. Sometimes they had a different game. Usually, they didn’t. But they might show a different section from the same game, and it was always interesting to get the viewpoint of different commentators. I’d sit transfixed in front of the TV, following…