Garrie Hutchinson

A compendium of articles on Australian rules football and its leading players from that famous 1858 letter to "Bell's Life" magazine by Thomas Wills suggesting that cricketers should play a winter sport to keep themselves fit for cricket all the way through to the 1978 Grand Final.

Along the way we get short biographies of some of the leading pre-VFL players, an 1893 article on how leading players train (twice a week in the gymnasium) and reports on important matches from days of yore.

While show more many of the articles hold interest for any football fan, it was disappointing that the editor kept to Victorian football; the odd article on South Australia/Western Australia, etc would have given the book a greater understanding of the development of Australian rules football. show less

An extensive collection of writing on football in Melbourne, sourced mainly from the pages of newspapers and magazines. Along with the many match reports, player portraits and more general articles about the state of football, there are pieces examining the character of 'barrackers' and spectator culture in general. Includes stories and poetry, as well as newspaper reports, covering a time span from 1858 through to the early 1980s, arranged in chronological, decadal order. The primary show more emphasis is on the VFL. First published as Hutchinson, Garrie, The Great Australian Book of Football Stories, Currey O'Neil: South Yarra, Vic, 1983. show less

This dictionary was styled as a ‘glossary of sporting terms, jargon and slang that enjoy currency in Australia' and includes a great number of Aussie Rules terms, as well as prominent terms used in various codes of football played throughout the nation. Each term is identified by an abbreviated code, such as 'AR' for Australian Rules football. Some archaic words are included, with most terms in common use at the time of publication. Helpfully, this dictionary provides examples of word show more usage with various quotations or sentences, providing guidance on the meaning or context of football slang. This volume also includes comical illustrations by Noel Counihan and Barry Dickens. show less

This 'coffee-table' book is short in length and lacking any insight into why this once-great club ended up going out of business. Some good illustrations are included, but Fitzroy fans and football historians, will be disappointed with this book.

Review by Lionel Frost.