tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84571176107685091652012-01-24T21:55:15.347+11:00Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-73494475571840294372012-01-24T21:50:00.002+11:002012-01-24T21:55:15.355+11:00

Snide comments from my fan base aside, I always said Round 1 would provide the inspiration to get leather poisoning back on track. Now the real stuff has started and the yawn-fest NAB cup can be consigned to the blurry drunken memory that was another unsatisfying February. Pre-season form means squat and I could find stats to back me up if I need but I won't.Histories great philosophers always

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-24600800063531941142010-06-05T19:12:00.001+10:002010-06-05T19:14:29.332+10:00

The following article was published on thebigtip.com.au on 27 May 2010When I was 14 a friend of mine asked if I wanted to become an umpire. We could play football on Saturday and umpire junior games on Sundays. And earn some extra pocket money. The next Friday night I was down at ‘umpire training’, a collection of outcast nerds seriously practicing positioning, bouncing and backwards running. The

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-44828009472522744732010-06-05T19:10:00.002+10:002010-06-05T19:12:17.017+10:00

The following article was published on thebigtip.com.au on 20 May 2010Round 20, 2008. Hawthorn sits second on the ladder and has a full strength team, one remarkably similar to the group that received premiership medals over a month later. In fact their starting 18 consisted of 18 soon to be premiership players. As a tune up for the finals, the Hawks took on 10 th placed Richmond. The Tigers

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-57709601311774120782010-06-05T19:07:00.001+10:002010-06-05T19:09:47.493+10:00

The following article was published on thebigtip.com.au on 13 May 2010It was about 30 years ago that a visionary dad approached the quarter time huddle at his kid’s country under 15 game. To the slightly bemused crowd he said: “I’ve taken two types of statistics. Kicks… And shit kicks”. He was way ahead of his time. It’s a tough business recruiting, and it’s only going to get tougher. With

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-21489233784991347952010-06-05T19:05:00.001+10:002010-06-05T19:07:14.193+10:00

The following article was published on thebigtip.com.au on 7 May 2010“Gambling is an issue for sport worldwide, and that is why we take it so seriously.” Adrian AndersonWe bloody well should. Where government, church and community fails, there is our great social leader, the AFL. The moral compass of good and bad. Brutal judge of anti-social behaviour and shameless self promoter of goodness all

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-9811166143386838302010-06-05T19:02:00.001+10:002010-06-05T19:04:27.230+10:00

The following article was published on thebigtip.com.au on April 30, 2010He sat deep in the stands on a late winter night as waves of emotion overcame him. The field below, the scene of something scarcely believable just a few minutes earlier, was now devoid of life. Lights shining on emptiness. As families around him shuffled towards the exits, he finally sat down. The last few bars of the club

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-7909713961836538962010-04-28T00:38:00.004+10:002010-04-28T00:42:44.997+10:00

Articles from this blog are now also published each week on thebigtip.com.au

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-21851150477445728962010-04-28T00:24:00.002+10:002010-04-28T00:26:48.380+10:00

This article was published on www.thebigtip.com.au on April 22, 2010Mate. Think what’s expected of you, of your friends. What’s expected of you by your boss. Challenge those expectations. Man, you should challenge your own ideas about the world every day. Every day…And so watchers of football do. We have no choice but to. The once solid foundations of our core belief system have been shattered

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-41885139346662215582010-04-28T00:20:00.001+10:002010-04-28T00:22:33.398+10:00

Ths article was published on www.thebigtip.com.au on 7 April 2010There was to be no Easter miracleJust reality’s harshest truthThey climbed towards the pinnacleBut were stopped by a black and white proof:There are no miracles. No reasons. Things just happen… There is nothing like a red wine hangover and a Monday morning to make a man reflect on life. Alcohol: that cliched and somewhat pathetic

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-69733508846512312442010-04-28T00:15:00.002+10:002010-04-28T00:19:16.893+10:00

This article was published on www.thebigtip.com.au on 31 March, 2010Detective Jimmy McNulty lies on the felt at his own wake and listens to a stream of derision delivered by his wise cracking and massively obese Sergeant Jay Landsman. Insubordinate, underhanded, over-confident and a gaping asshole that he is, Jimmy’s finished life as a cop is redeemed by one beautiful and undeniable truth. He

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-21901589053919083282010-04-28T00:11:00.002+10:002010-04-28T00:14:48.783+10:00

This article was published on www.thebigtip.com.au on March 26, 2010Now that’s out of the way, we can settle in for the real stuff. Were Carlton good, or were Richmond just terrible?Making big sweeping predictions about the season before round one is silly enough, making more predictions about the season based on the result of the round one game is almost as silly. For those who said Carlton

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-62140353564114549562010-03-20T14:51:00.002+11:002010-03-20T14:59:10.614+11:00

Oh times of humble optimism. You are the gentle calm before the storm that wipes away my home and livelihood. Oh times of boundless positivity. You are the spring in the step of a wide eyed graduate carrying his briefcase to his first day at the firm. You, receiver of goodwill and deliverer of ill winds, are the glorious fortnight before round one where each club soaks in the rays of late

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-19685212653529166032010-03-04T19:35:00.002+11:002010-03-04T19:41:59.700+11:00

I write from afar. From very afar. Despite distance, the fortunes of my club resonate deep inside me, huge waves of pain maintaining momentum flowing recklessly across oceans. I know nothing of inner sanctums, post match reviews, warm downs, leadership groups or premiership windows. I don’t really want to. I watch from afar, disconnected, reveling in the purity of our relationship. I give

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-39445016211999091202010-03-04T19:25:00.006+11:002010-03-04T19:48:24.750+11:00

The thing about respect is the more someone wants it the less other people want to give it. Ain't nobody just get respect. Respect gotta be earnt. But earning respect ain't easy. And you gotta show respect if you wanna earn it. word.An umpire is a like a good politician in that when he is doing a good job no one notices that he exists. Note to umpires: the quality of your existence is

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-73803200528661115622009-07-23T20:59:00.000+10:002009-07-23T21:02:21.451+10:00

Sandy Roberts may not have coined the moronic phrase ‘big bad bustling barry’ but he did use it every time Barry Hall went near the ball. Thankfully Sandy is gone.Being a great marking forward isn’t just about speed or strength. It’s not how high you can jump or how much you can bench. It’s about judgement. Judging the trajectory and distance of a kick. It’s about timing. Timing a lead. If

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-81375522392092435662009-07-16T11:28:00.000+10:002009-07-16T11:30:16.447+10:00

9 July 2009Short memory, must have a…short memory. He might have been referring to the electorate but Peter Garrett could easily have been referring to the football industry. Or Mark Harvey. The coach of the worst club in the AFL. Harvey was an undersized centre half back who took on bigger opponents and beat them by throwing his body recklessly into packs. When the non-smiling Harvey took

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-508785118402138792009-07-16T11:03:00.000+10:002009-07-16T11:27:41.870+10:00

I’m a Melbourne supporter. I’m similar to a Richmond supporter. Victory is a cruel novelty, sandwiched between weekly heartbreak and humiliation. I don't expect to win and I feel a strange guilt when we do. I and my fellow demon fans watch the football expecting pain. And that’s what we usually get. For Melbourne supporters, victory, like a stay of execution, is about relief. So like all

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-38004016932933927142009-05-14T01:28:00.001+10:002009-05-14T01:30:34.031+10:00

StKilda fans have no right to hate Grant Thomas. He got the Saints to two preliminary finals and within a few goals of a Grand Final. Considering StKilda’s history of extreme underachievement Thomas’ time as coach was very successful. But a lot of people were waiting for his demise, inside and outside of StKilda. Most clubs would love the luxury of sacking a coach who has taken a team to the

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-51988251864989782952009-04-24T02:57:00.002+10:002009-04-24T03:01:39.177+10:00

A player reaches 30 these days, plays three bad games and is pretty much gone. Footy, as they say, is a young man’s game. Young players, young coaches, young ideas. Which makes the thought of Denis Pagan coaching an AFL side again completely ridiculous. Pagan’s two premierships were a decade ago, and after his time at North he dismantled and destroyed Carlton to the point where they are still

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-83370146349951663722009-04-10T00:55:00.001+10:002009-04-10T00:59:06.248+10:00

en⋅dem⋅ic [en-dem-ik]–adjective Also, en⋅dem⋅i⋅cal. 1. natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous: endemic folkways; countries where high unemployment is endemic. 2. belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place: a fever endemic to the tropics. When it comes to ‘Boris the Chicken’, I’ll go for shoulder shrugging dismissiveness. Let John Harms, Phil

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-24337417289152483022009-03-29T22:55:00.002+11:002009-03-29T22:58:21.835+11:00

I’m not a redneck or a bogan and I don’t insist players ‘kick it long’ and I don't call out ‘deliberate’ and I don’t think footy was better in my day. This being my day though I’m quite far away. I love a ‘ball…yeah’ as much as any other bloke in the outer. I went to a game in Sydney once and they don’t know how to do a ‘ball…yeah’ and for that they are ignorant and maybe that’s why the game

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-29557455916511017682009-03-16T02:40:00.004+11:002009-03-16T03:26:22.313+11:00

It's true that in the past some coaches have been treated extremely badly by their employers. When a team experiences a patch of bad form the media and the public smells blood. And in most cases, all the blame is focused on the coach. With growing professionalism of the league, the treatment of coaches is improving. Sackings by media (Damian Drum) are almost certainly extinct. But the

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-60905900676449016872009-03-13T02:31:00.002+11:002009-03-13T03:04:21.240+11:00

Robert Walls earns his crust writing provocative articles. And I feel for the bloke sometimes. Because he is under pressure to come up with his little bit of talkback controversy every week, and every time he writes an article some of his credibility gets lost. It seems like a strange time to question the future of Mick Malthouse. The Pies are in the Panasonic cup Grand Final and they have a

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-782869044401390952009-03-06T02:46:00.003+11:002009-03-06T03:07:13.667+11:00

Caroline Wilson has a point. The media is a two-way street. But the two-way traffic between clubs and the media is sometimes pretty combative territory. Clubs can use the media to promote their teams and players. They can get the word out about their pre-season (the best in recent history!) and they can warm our hearts with human interest stories about their community minded youngsters (

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-85332735570206869682009-02-26T03:49:00.003+11:002009-02-26T03:57:29.410+11:00

The AFL commission. The name is not as intimidating as it should be. There is definitely a need for a more menacing title. Perhaps something similar to the threatening names of totalitarian governments in times gone by. Those governments that siphoned the wealth of a nation into their own hands. Forgetting to redistribute it, they spent it, and blamed the people as the country declined into

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-2167635048017032532009-02-13T01:35:00.002+11:002009-02-13T02:38:22.604+11:00

'The AFL tribunal is a complete disgrace'One of the aims of this blog is to present a rational, thoughtful reaction to the current issues surrounding AFL football. Something in contrast to some of the disposable opinion pieces that are regularly published in our daily sports pages. No sensationalism. No ridiculous, fanciful, provocative statements. No controversy. (And with my reader base,

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-29169948043850969652009-02-06T16:53:00.004+11:002009-02-06T17:36:23.492+11:00

After years of talking absolute rubbish, rent-a-quote Jason Akermanis has said something really logical. And all is now forgiven. Because someone needs to stop the AFL rule-changing machine, and we all know that once the season starts players and coaches will be gagged and bound if they mention anything negative about the Communist party. Oops... I mean the AFL. Akermanis, in a strangely

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-41839065259226130612009-02-03T19:04:00.002+11:002009-02-03T19:47:45.689+11:00

The prizemoney debate is quite confusing, and Baum's article provides some very good arguments for women receiving equal prizemoney. The debate is irrelevant. Simply because after years of campaigning for equal prizemoney, upon receiving it, there is no way that women's tennis would even contemplate going back to receiving less prizemoney.But after the Williams-Safina debacle of 59 minutes,

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-83751646634756860392009-01-29T00:55:00.000+11:002009-01-29T01:08:36.272+11:00

"It just shows you what the Australian public is like. They're very forgiving, and very, very understanding, very embracing of people who've had hardships. We're still that country of battlers, even though we're very wealthy compared to the rest of the world in a lot of ways. She's a battler and you're proud if you're Australian to see something like that. It's pretty emotional stuff, I think."

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-76422608865162739742009-01-24T16:40:00.002+11:002009-01-24T16:55:44.222+11:00

Can you imagine the tiges going into the mid season break at 9 and 2? Punt Road is pumping and way beyond talking finals the tiger faithful are seriously considering premierships. Tickets to the massive top of the ladder clash against Hawthorn are already sold out, Chris Newman is unbackable Brownlow favourite and Terry is the new Mao Zedong (except his 5 year plan worked...). Oh and Cuz has

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-11459212533601407392009-01-22T20:25:00.006+11:002009-01-24T16:58:38.280+11:00

Stand by for the human interest stories that accompany the return of Mark Coughlan to the AFL. You know the ones about the 'different' afl footballers who read, write poetry, listen to alternative music (jet...) and fight for human rights."Premierships are worth their weight in gold" says Coughlan.Hmmmm.... Firstly, a premiership is not tangible item, so it cannot be weighed, as far as I know (

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-6260975230115205092007-05-15T17:33:00.000+10:002007-05-15T17:35:43.579+10:00

This review of Saosin's debut album was also printed in Rival Street Press May 2007 edition.Album ReviewSaosin – SaosinBy Tom MattessiCalifornian band Saosin have been around for a few years now, but have only just released their debut self titled album. Their two preceding EP’s helped the band build a rabid American fanbase, and most savvy Australian fans know how good the band are. The long

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-25054118673656972012007-05-15T17:29:00.000+10:002007-05-15T17:33:28.893+10:00

This article was published in Rival Street press, a brand new street magazine covering music in parts of country Victoria. Massive reader base I know.Is ‘emo’ killing genres? What about Alexisonfires new album ‘Crisis’?By Tom MattessiHow bands suffer at the mercy of a bitter music writer and a judgmental, lazy fan. Granted, genre descriptions are a necessary evil that plagues modern music.

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-17176292402529154102007-05-15T17:07:00.000+10:002007-05-15T17:29:46.836+10:00

See my report from Melbourne's loss to Sydney at the SCG. It was posted on the mighty demonblog.

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-69264780051400818502007-03-11T16:39:00.000+11:002007-03-12T12:45:54.807+11:00

He is The Age’s best football journalist and also a great cricket analyst. But the normally astute Greg Baum has suggested an extension of the AFL premiership season and his arguments are seriously flawed. Baum’s complaint that the pre-season competition is a charade is completely justified. It seems that West Coast and Sydney, the leagues two best teams, view the competition as a burden

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-80760807759870952272007-02-15T20:07:00.000+11:002007-02-15T20:29:35.988+11:00

Memo to Ron Reed of the Herald Sun. Quoting comments from anonymous fan websites is ordinary journalism. Don't we (well some of us) look to experts in newspapers for expertise and information? I suppose these fan comments are a guide to the feelings of the ordinary fan. But if we want to know the thoughts of internet posters we will log on. Amongst a list of silly comments from web fans Reed

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-32069035295626510032007-02-12T20:53:00.000+11:002007-02-12T21:10:59.655+11:00

Paul Roos is a smart man. He was a smart footballer and he is a smart coach. The AFL, on the other hand, is not so smart. It is obsessed with changing the game’s rules. Every year it introduces new rules in the pre season competition. It changes umpire interpretations for the official season and these interpretations are re interpreted as the season goes on. For the first rounds of the year

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-23700592450974054062007-02-02T17:39:00.000+11:002007-02-11T19:08:00.439+11:00

Do we have a new master of nothing? Grant Thomas perfected the art of maximum words for minmum sense. His replacement Ross Lyon may well take over the mantle of the most senseless man in football. In the Herald Sun today "I had to find out what was and was not in place. It doesn't make it right or wrong, what I'm bringing, but subjectively I thought we should go this way and that took a while

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457117610768509165.post-25211884686732338532007-02-01T20:29:00.000+11:002007-02-11T19:18:21.437+11:00

At first I was quietly optimistic, but as the season gets closer I wake up with the sweats every night. Sandy and Bruce together for a Friday night blockbuster? Surely this is what winter nightmares are made of. Apparently Sandy Roberts will not present or commentate footy in 2007. This is good news as he is a poor and redundant commentator and can ruin a good game of football. Whether Bruce

Tom Mattessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225341037532584250noreply@blogger.com0