Death by Multimedia

On today's episode of The Almanack Report, we have a casual discussion about the perfect time of year we find ourselves in when it comes to watching sport on TV. The rugby league World Cup has begun in the UK, and while the usual contenders have put their stamp on the tournament immediately, a couple of the contenders who we thought may have been pushing the glamour teams have discovered that inte...

Cricket season has finally arrived, and after three seasons that have been impacted by bushfires, COVID-19 and endless flooding rain, cricketers on the South Coast are hoping that 2022/23 can provide a relatively interruption-free season of hard fought cricket. The combining of the 1st Grade competition of teams from both the South Coast and Shoalhaven areas has added a touch of intrigue to the ne...

It is 40 years ago this week since the first episode of the TV comedy "Cheers" was aired in the US. It is another of those shows that anyone who grew up through the 1980's would remember and would have watched, and surely laughed at. It ran for 11 seasons and a total of 275 episodes and managed to survive a lacklustre start where average rating threatened its existence in the first two seasons. Bu...

On today's episode of the Almanack Report, we take a look at three major incidents in the world of sport over the last 24 hours. The AFL Grand Final was another wipeout, with the game's "showpiece" again unable to live up to the finals series before it and becoming a blow out on the scoreboard and a game where one team confidently dominated while the other could barely raise a clean possession in...

50 years ago today in the US, the series M*A*S*H first aired. It is a series that became one of the most beloved and watched television series of all time. It is also one that defied its own critics. Over the course of 11 seasons and 256 episodes, it managed to be considered a comedy, a sitcom, and a drama, sometimes all within one episode. It became essential viewing in its timeslot and in repeat...

On today’s episode of the podcast no one listens to except me to make sure the volume levels are sort of correct, we discuss the world of sport that took place on Friday evening. The bloodbath that was the AFL preliminary final between Geelong and Brisbane. The bloodbath that was the qualifying semi between Parramatta and Canberra. And the intrinsic joy that is the return of the European Cricket C...

It's taken me 192 episodes to realise that no one actually cares or listens to my podcast episodes, or what they are about. So I've gone freeform, just talking off the top of my head about random subjects that will be the complete opposite opinion of everyone else. Interested? No, of course you aren't, or else you would have tuned in before. But just on the off chance, I ramble on here about the d...

In recent times there has been a section of the cricketing media suggesting that the one day international is on borrowed time, and that it will be only Test cricket and T20 cricket that will remain down the track. From an Australian perspective, our national cricket team are playing like they have forgotten how to play the 50 over form of the game, that it requires a different set of skills from...

On today's edition of The Almanack Report, the first ever BBL Draft occurred on Sunday, and despite the overtures of the presenters and commentators, did it really live up to the glamour and glitz that was promised? We discuss the outcome of the evening, and in particular how it affects the media rights holders who have pushed so hard to inject big name internationals into the tournament, only to...

On today's edition of The Almanack Report, we celebrate the return of cricket to Australia's top end, and the joy there is of International cricket in Australia in August and September, while discussing just why there should be more of it. On top of this, we discuss the ins and outs of today first one day international between Australia and Zimbabwe, and what the main talking points of the game we...

On today’s episode of The Almanack Report, the first post-Covid AFL season has reached the finals stage, and eight teams remain in the fight to take home the 2022 premiership cup. For ten teams however, their planning for 2023 has no doubt already begun. Some have coaching issues that have either just been solved or still require some patching up. The trade period is fast approaching, and these cl...

On today's edition of The Almanack Report, this podcast needs to end a debate that has been raging for some years, and it appears that ONLY this podcast can set this right. We did this with the question “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie” back in season 1, and now we intend to do so with this question. It has been the question that has seemingly stumped experts, theologians, astrophysicists, politicia...

On today’s episode of The Almanack Report, it’s a hard life being a Collingwood supporter, what with every other club’s supporters hating you because of your love of your team, and the joy they have when the Magpies fall over on or off the field. Well this past weekend has been one where it has paid off in spades, with the bombsite that has been the Essendon Football Club over the past week, and t...

On today's episode of The Almanack Report, England's resurgent efforts in Test cricket thanks to the so-dubbed 'Bazball' came crashing down around them during the week as they suffered an innings defeat against the underrated South African team. As a result they have gone from media darlings to media dogma in the space of a week. But was it just because of poor execution, as skipper Ben Stokes exp...

On today's edition of The Almanack Report, the cricket world today has had a major conniption with the announcement that Trent Boult has been release from his central contract with New Zealand, essentially so he can tour the world and play in all of the T20 domestic competitions that now exist, that also offer more money than he could earn by remaining a New Zealand only cricketer. The immediate f...

On today's edition of The Almanack Report, in recent weeks we have seen the threat of cashed-up overseas T20 competitions start to wield a concerning influence over the future of Australia's cricket summer. First South Africa pulled out of their ODI series in Australia in January to start their own T20 franchise league. Then the UAE announced their own new league, and both shorter series began off...

On today's edition of The Almanack Report, season 2022 was supposed to be the year that Carlton finally got the most out of their 20 year rebuild, and bounced back into the AFL finals, while for their rivals Collingwood, it was to be a season where they would attempt to find something in the rubble that had been their past two years. It all started off according to plan, but the last 11 weeks have...

On today's episode of The Almanack Report, there has been a whole lot of NRL fans screaming for blood over the past 24 hours over, you guessed it, refereeing decisions. The crowning glory of the final match of the weekend, where the Cowboys managed to get a last minute penalty and parlay that into a penalty goal to win their match over the Wests Tigers, has brought down social media and after-game...

On today's episode of The Almanack Report, Australia has fallen at the final hurdle in their Test series in Sri Lanka, but despite the disappointing way the game was lost, has Australia gained more than it lost over the last three months? We look at the way the game progressed, and discuss the ups and downs of the middle order batting of the team in that time. David Warner's form in Tests has come...

On today's episode of The Almanack Report, things have gotten a little too power-hungry with those who are manning the Bunker in the NRL, something that came to the fore(arm) in last nights Knights-Rabbitohs game, when the end of the match became a farce. With the on field adjudicator looking to have defused a tough situation, the Bunker rose its head and decided to impose itself. Today we'll have...

On this episode of The Almanack Report, Brandon Smith has said what many supporters watching games at home have said for years, but he decided to say it to the referee in the middle of a match, while his team had the ball and was attacking their opponents line. Given that the Melbourne Storm in the past have had the referee wearing their number 9 jersey, is this turn of events something that could...

On this episode of The Almanack Report, Nick Kyrgios has fought his way through just as many min-scandals as tennis matches at this year's Wimbledon Championships, on his way to his first ever grand slam semi-final. In having a look back at his fortnight, is it time to concede that he may well be living out the plot of the movie "Happy Gilmore", and that he may well be fated to finally prove (to h...

On today's episode of The Almanack Report, Australia has come out and thrashed Sri Lanka in the 1st Test of their two match Test series in Galle, by showing a refreshing change in their batting against spin and their spin against a batting attack. In conditions that have put the tourists in a spin in past history, a positive attitude and plans that drew from that gave them a much better chance of...

On this episode of The Almanack Report, eligibility for state and international representation came into question once again this week, with Penrith and NSW winger Brian To'o declaring his intention to play for Samoa at the end of year rugby league festivities of the World Cup. It created some discussion between fans on whether or not a player could choose to play for their state in the Origin ser...

On this edition of The Almanack Report, State of Origin II saw any thoughts of a dead rubber third game thrown out the window (to the audible sighs of Channel 9 and the NRL) with the Blues being able to turn around their performance from game one and get up for a victory on their second home turf at Optus Stadium in Perth. And through the twists and turns of the match, the positives and the negati...