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
“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
Since I first started following Aussie Rules footy at the age of 9 in 1967, the qualities I have most loved seeing are courage at the contest and skill, speed and flair.
Outstanding players I have seen in this regard are Barry Price, Keith Greig, Robbie Flower, Wayne Schimmelbusch, Garry Ablett Senior, Eddie Betts, The Krakouer brothers and the current Number 5 of the North Melbourne Kangaroos AFLW team, Tess Craven.
As a human being Tess is modest, kind, friendly and helpful and always puts her team ahead of herself. The strength, skill and determination she shows above in tackling a Melbourne opponent about one and a half times her size are awe-inspiring.
What’s not to love?
Geoff Fox, June 8, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
Yesterday, I had the enormous privilege to witness the three quarter time huddle of the Hillside women’s senior football team in a match against Aberfeldie.
Hillside had gone into the match undefeated and Aberfeldie were second on the ladder with two losses. At halftime it was a point the difference but Aberfeldie completely outclassed Hillside in the third quarter to go five goals ahead.
The determination of Hillside to fight back reflected in the fierce raw of their voices in that huddle was the most passionate sound I have ever heard from a group of footballers.
Previously it has been my contention that women’s footy is not as ferocious as men’s footy.
I stand corrected Hillside.
You dominated the first half of the final quarter.
With raw passion you clawed back two goals of the deficit.
Then this incident might have taken the wind put of your sails:
Perhaps if female football had more field umpires (the state government has recently cut back funding to female football), such violence would not effect the result of a game as I believe might be the case here.
I may be wrong. Aberfeldie is a very good side. They played well.
Also, I am not a psychic. I do not know if the violence was intentional or accidental. But I was standing a few meters away and the distress of the Hillside woman, who collapsed crying to the fetal position was so severe that I consciously made the decision not to film it, feeling in my gut that filming it would have invaded the hurt player’s personal space. 30 years of being a Registered Midwife has taught me that sometimes, no matter how much you might want to help, you have to let the woman do what she needs to do on her own.
That type of passion, of agony (cf Jesus on the cross), is a result of being a ball winner and a ball carrier and liable to be hit in a robust contact sport.
Here are some more examples of wonderful passion for the contest from the Hillside senior women.
Up forward Patty (spelling?) can crash through the packs to mark the ball in ways that remind me of the power of Travis Cloke.
Hillside player number 21 gets around an Aberfeldie players attempt to tackle with strength and peace:
I am not sure if the above is “selling candy” (fooling a chasing player by pretending to move one way and than going the other way) or a “don’t argue” (fending off a tackling player with pure strength) or both or neither. But I think the beautiful poetry in motion of these woman is great to savor in stills.
True athleticism is always beautiful.
Hillside and Aberfeldie will meet again this year and in my eyes are favorites to play in the grand final for this year’s premiership. What a prospect.
Women’s footy:
Magnificent!
Geoff Fox, 1st June, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
These physicalities take courage.
Individual excellence in footy is great to watch but it is more often team efforts that produce success.
In this footage the two are combined.
One North Footscray player (red and white) smothers the kick of his Albanvale opponent allowing a teammate to take possession of the ball and goal.
Geoff Fox, 11th March, 2025, Australia
For people like me, the Australia I was born into, was a meritocracy where one wage could get a family a home.
Times have changed.
The forty hour week is gone for far too many people.
But endeavour still inspires me.
Youth brings me hope.
As in my above poeticised image from a Maribyrnong Park Football Club match last Saturday.
Today we need young men to be lions.
But we don’t make it easy.
Reminds me of Shakespeare:
“To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: ………”
I love to see young guys having a go.
But my heart bleeds for them, and young women, when I see what they are up against in modern Australia.
Geoff Fox May 2, 2025, Melbourne Australia.
Cody Brand is a key forward with Keilor Football Club.
He topped the club’s goal kicking last year in a premiership team.
He did a great job to connect the bottom of his boot with the football for a goal under pressure in the goalsquare in a match last Friday against Strathmore.
Geoff Fox, 20th April, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
FOOTY FOR FREEDOM 