The Sporting Hack

St Kilda 143 (22.11) def. West Coast 42 (5.12) As a sports-mad Englishman residing in Melbourne, it is somewhat surprising that it has taken me more than a year of living in Australia to finally get round to attending one of its national sports. Australian Rules Football; also known as AFL, Aussie (No) Rules or in these parts just "footy". Footy is big in Victoria, its birthplace, and is not restricted to just the back pages of newspapers or sports bulletins. The fate of Collingwood's ruck man's knee injury is arguably of greater importance than what the Premier has to say. The sport is micro-analysed by experts and casual fans alike, from endless radio shows to ordinary working people at the supermarket. In that respect, it is strikingly similar to football (UK). The fervour reserved for these clubs, primarily born out of Melbourne’s suburbs, and played in front of crowds sometimes more than 90,000 people, is laudable. But here's the kicker. Really, I don...

  The Shane Warne Stand There are places in this world where time seems to stand reassuringly still. The Junction Oval, St Kilda, in Melbourne’s inner southern suburbs is one of those sanctums which bequeaths its visitors an oasis of calm tucked in a corner of the picturesque sporting hub that is Albert Park. Just metres away from where the Australian leg of the Formula 1 World Championships is held every March, you can peep beyond the various green tinges of the tree-lined permitter fences to this cricket ground and bear witness to the whirring din of life continuing its increasingly fast pace. But, why would you want to look that far? Avert your eyes to the middle distance and lose yourself in a scene that could pass as much for 1925 as 2025. The white picket fence which encircles the vibrant green playing surface is a perfect nod to tradition, and even the odd advertising billboard cannot lessen its charm. Grass banks and a white picket fence A quaint, almost library-lik...