Far-West Footy

BigFooty member RussellEbertHandball, or simply REH, has sent me some questions about my perspective on the game of footy and about myself. I did answer him already, a while ago, but I have decided to edit those a bit and publish them here.  is one of my most important teachers on things related to PAFC. --- REH: Have you seen Port play enough Jogo Bonito to keep a Brasilian supporter/member happy since you joined up at the start of last year. GP:  I’m Southern Brazilian, and a Grêmio fan to boot, so this question always seems kind of tricky to me. I tend to imply that whoever asks it has a different idea of what “Jogo Bonito” ( Beautiful Game ) is than my own. I’ve told you elsewhere that Diego[1] and I support the Alpha and the Omega of Brazilian soccer. If “Jogo Bonito” would be somewhere in the middle between Grêmio and Flamengo, then Grêmio would represent its defensive side.  There is beauty in defense, after all! To give you a better idea of w...

Through sports, we may learn that finding something bigger than ourselves can make us greater than we ever thought we could be. --- I am trying to understand what may Port’s efforts to establish itself and the game of Australian football in China represent not only for the club, but also for the league, for Australia, and for the game itself. The idea of two double-headers, opening and closing an “Australian Week in Shanghai” was supposed to illustrate how all this seems to have outgrown what Port was trying to accomplish when the club went to China in the first place. [1] The club, however, has not found yet that for which is looking: a reliable source of income. It is getting closer to it, though. The club was able to find something else already, which is essential for the success of the enterprise: the right place to be. Australia can no longer afford to be an island. The future of the game is abroad. Shanghai, alone, is a bigger market then the whole of Australia, and t...

China is the biggest Pandora’s Box Port could have possibly opened. If just an insignificant part of the Chinese buys into footy, there would probably be more people playing it in China than those living in Australia. The game would never be the same again! --- There is so much talk about Port’s game in China – and the game itself is probably the least interesting subject of all! There is also the Magpies losing another game. Hence, I feel compelled to follow that famous teaching of Jack the Ripper: “let’s do this piece by piece.” Today, the focus is on the journey of Port Adelaide into China. This is what I believe to know about it.[1] Port’s Chinese Adventure began in the end of 2013, and it is part of an overall effort to save the club, which includes the “One Club” initiative; and the move into the new Adelaide Oval. [2] If the idea sounds like madness today, I can only imagine how it was 5 years ago; especially considering that Melbourne FC had tried it, and failed,...

I’ve managed to save my reputation with the In-Laws and to introduce the game to my younger kid, but I’m not sure whether Adelaide is still standing. --- The alarm unusually rang at 4am on Saturday. I was still sleepy when I turned it off, trying to grasp what was going on. On the screen of my phone, it was written: “Showdown”. I stood up, grabbed my phone, and left the bedroom as quiet as I could not to disturb the kids. My wife was in the bedroom next door, with a sister; while the hosts, my In-Laws, were a bit further. I was already proud of my ninja skills, when, almost at the last couple of stairs a second and a third alarm rang simultaneously, sounding like footy sirens. Being a son-in-law is a curse! “Power-Crows is about to start,” said the messages from both AFL’s and Port’s apps. I held my breath. No sound was coming from upstairs, and I began to breathe again. I opened the WatchAFL app and reached for the earphones… Only to find nothing. It was dark, an...

There is no such a thing as "winning too many derbies." There is no crisis that cannot be solved by a derby win... --- Derbies are brutal, elegant, nasty, and beautiful. Derbies are like having the fanciest tea with the Queen in the middle of a battlefield during a war; like a mixed song out of “ Pomp and Circumstance ”, “ Smoke on the Water ”, “ Nothing Else Matters ”, and Beethoven’s “ Ninth Symphony ”, played by an orchestra and a rock band, with violins, electric guitars, and machine guns. Derbies are games that must be played wearing black-tie with ballerina’s slippers, Viking helmet, and an ax. Derbies are Good and Evil combined, with no Beyond whatsoever.  Yes, precisely. Derbies are THAT DELICIOUSLY SILLY! And I will have TWO derbies this Saturday: Showdown 44; and Grê-Nal 416. [1] [2] I don’t know what will be left of me at Mother’s Day celebration, but I hope will be enough for not hurting neither mom’s nor wife’s feelings… Now, on a more serious note,...

“Decipher me, or I’ll devour you” —It’s derby week, and nobody knows what to expect from Port Adelaide. At least, I am not alone… --- So, the Magpies has lost two in a row, and the Power has split its two-game road trip. The results seem to be all disappointedly connected. This blog is an attempt to understand from a far things that people nearby seem unable to grasp. Still, maybe my struggles can help others to see better what is going on. Then, they could come here and explain it to me… On the Magpies, after the two weekend losses, there are people – once again – complaining about the club’s approach towards the SANFL competition. People tend to exaggerate on defeat. Winning both AFL and SANFL are goals, but there is an evident order of priority. If I understood the club right (always tricky!), there seems to be an understanding at the club that a competitive Magpies help developing and improving our depth as a whole.[1] One aspect that has made things harder this seaso...