A chance meeting last week with North Melbourne Kangaroo’s Irish AFLW players lead to me creating this today for the ‘Roos men’s team using the Scottish Gaelic origins of North Melbourne’s theme song:
At the moment the North Melbourne women are the best team in the AFLW competition, whereas the men are beginning to climb the ladder after consecutive wooden spoons in 2021 and 2022.
What can the guys learn from the girls and from Ned?
Geoff Fox , October 17, 2025. West Footscray, Australia
One reason the North Melbourne Football Club women are on top of the ladder underfeated with a percentage of 331.5 is because they work hard at training doing things to make them react quicker than their opponents.
Look at Blaithin Bogue’s brilliant tap into the goalsquare for proof:
And look how Tahlia Randall’s Richmond opponent is left flat-footed by Tahlia’s evasive skills:
This is beautiful.
Geoff Fox, October 13, Melbourne, Australia
One of the reasons North Melbourne is such a strong favourite for this year’s AFLW premiership is the effectiveness of their training.
They engage in lots of match practice and exercises to sharpen their skills and speed.
Yesterday against Essndon at Windy Hill, the Roos overcame a three goal deficit at quarter time to win convinvingly by five goals – an eight goal turnaround.
In the third quarter Tess Craven took possession on the fly leading to a goal against the wind that gave North a crucial nine point lead.
Gaelic football junior champion Blaithin Bogue halted an Essendon attacking thrust with this great tackle:
Best on ground in last year’s Grand Final against Brisbane was veteran Jas Garner. On Friday she kept control of the ball under tackling pressure from Essendon:
Geoff Fox, September 27, Melbourne, Australia
Geoff Fox, Kew, Victoria, Monday 4th August, 2025
The lyrics below are a rewrite of Sons Of The ‘Scray, the longtime theme song of Footscray Football Club. Sons Of The ‘Scray was a rewrite of Sons Of The Sea by Felix McGlennon who died in London in 1943 aged 87. As far as I can tell no one knows who rewrote Songs Of The Sea for Footscray.
The aim of this rewrite by me is to celebrate Australia’s victory with essential American help over Japanese imperialism in 1945 at the end of World War Two. My dad saw his friends die in July that year in the final battle of that war – the second Battle Of Balikpapan. 229 Aussies died in a decisive Allied victory.
“SONS OF THE SEA – RED WHITE AND BLUE
Sons of the sea, red, white and blue/They came out fighting/Good folk through and through.
Aussies turned & Yankees roared/To give their very best.
Old Japan lost to them/With America/The team of The Mighty West.“
Lest We Forget.
Those who died so we could be free.
Geoff Fox, July 25, 2025 (the 60th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s liberating rock and roll performance at Newport Folk Festival.)
Melbourne, Australia
“Don’t it always seems to go/You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone.” – Joni Mitchell
Terry McGarity and his wife Josephine, both born in 1946, are an Irish-Italian couple from refugee families who found freedom and prosperity in Australia.
Terry started his sporting career with Braybrook under tens in the mid ’50’s.
He coached successfully in three sports:
2 Stawell Gift winners.
Football and cricket premierships for Spotswood. (But for Terry, as for me, the greatest premiership ever is the Western Bulldogs astonishing triumph in 2016.)
Terry coached three years of finals appearances with Footscray under 19s.
He coached his son Beau to victory in the 3200 metres at Stawell.
In 2025, Beau’s son Liam is fullback for Braybrook.
Back where it all started
Family and tradition are the glue that make freedom possible.
Sport protects these values.
Thats why Australia needs true sport more than ever.
Geoff Fox, July, 2025, Western Suburbs, Melbourme
I loved what I saw of the way the Brookers go about their football when I took these photos last year.
I hope nothing’s changed.
Geoff Fox, 15th July, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
Hawthorn’s VFL team kicked 20 goals yesterday in a dominant win over the bombers.
Mitch Lewis was magnificent:
Too Strong.
Lewy’s goal kicking master class:
And a great clearance for a great mark:
For another Lewy goal:
Deary channels Elvis Presley in his goal kicking celebration:
Ben Cavarra backs himself and uses an old fashioned drop punt perfectly from the pocket:
When we have freedom and faith in ourselves, we are at our best, as Ethan Stanley proves:
Geoff Fox, July 13, 2025, Melbourne
(I am a refugee from Collingwood Football Club. Maybe I will follow my playing heroes Ginny and Jack Frost to Hawthorn.)
I hope JW likes this art.
Geoff Fox, July 10th, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
Robert Herbert Skilton (a.k.a. Bobby Skilton senior) played 150 games in nine seasons at Port Melbourne Football Club (PMFC) and in 1929 became captain of Port 3 games into his final season at the club.
He lead the local player dominated Borughs (a.k.a. Port Melbourne) to second place against a much richer, more physical Northcote line-up with bigger, stronger, more experienced Ayers. Port set their hopes on winning with youth and pace
The Argus newspaper wrote that “many cowardly kicks and punches were exchanged in the course of a disagreeable game.” The Age reported that “there were some spiteful exchanges as Northcote’s tactics wore Port down.”
PMFC historian Terry Keenan writes in his book “Unduly Rough Play” that the Boroughs held the view “that Northcote’s tactics were ‘very questionable’ and did ‘everything it is possible to do on a football field. Any Port player doing well became a maked man.” (p 80)
Perhaps his time at Port Melbourne gave Bobby Skilton Snr the toughness he needed to survive the Burma Railway.
His son Bobby Skilton junior is a triple Brownlow medallist and AFL legend.
Terry Keenan writes that Skilton senior was “a model clubman as well as an excellent player being secretary of the social club for a number of years and a leading light at club social activities because of his musical talents.” (p 83 Unduly Rough Play)
I see some parallels between the two Bobby Skiltons and the two Ron Barassis. Ron senior was a premiership player who died in 1941 at the siege of Tobruk.
Perhaps future Port versus Casey Demons games could be for a Skilton-Barassi Cup.
Lest We Forget those who went before us and fought against tyranny.
Geoff Fox, July 10, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
FOOTY FOR FREEDOM 