Films and Songs
This section is a selective list of films and songs. It includes works where football is the main subject, as in a documentary film, or club song. It also includes a more random selection of works where football is more peripheral to the main theme of a work. For example some songs refer to football in passing, or in oblique ways. The same applies for some dramatic feature films where a football player, or football club may feature as a character or scene in an important way without being the main focus of the story. References to football in theses forms don’t present themselves in ready made lists or catalogues. Discovery of them is often random and fortuitous. Therefore any list of this type of material will be fairly selective. Suggestions for additions to this section will be warmly received.
The 2005 edition of Reading the Game included an extensive list of player biographies, club histories and club and season highlights compilations in video format. These have now become so numerous, and so readily available that they have now been omitted from this section. Apart from DVD suppliers the thousands of highlights and clips of general footy material easily accessible on Youtube and other social media make it much less important to list them all here. Accordingly I have concentrated on documentaries, feature films, historical material held in film archives, and songs.
Arrangement
Films and songs are listed in separate lists by title in alphabetical order. Credits for performers, writers, directors and composers are listed if known.
Song list in preparation stage
This section is a selective list of films and songs. It includes works where football is the main subject, as in a documentary film, or club song. It also includes a more random selection of works where football is more peripheral to the main theme of a work. For example some songs refer to football in passing, or in oblique ways. The same applies for some dramatic feature films where a football player, or football club may feature as a character or scene in an important way without being the main focus of the story. References to football in theses forms don’t present themselves in ready made lists or catalogues. Discovery of them is often random and fortuitous. Therefore any list of this type of material will be fairly selective. Suggestions for additions to this section will be warmly received.
The 2005 edition of Reading the Game included an extensive list of player biographies, club histories and club and season highlights compilations in video format. These have now become so numerous, and so readily available that they have now been omitted from this section. Apart from DVD suppliers the thousands of highlights and clips of general footy material easily accessible on Youtube and other social media make it much less important to list them all here. Accordingly I have concentrated on documentaries, feature films, historical material held in film archives, and songs.
Arrangement
Films and songs are listed in separate lists by title in alphabetical order. Credits for performers, writers, directors and composers are listed if known.
Song list in preparation stage
Films, VideoRecordings and DVDs
This section is a selection of the many films, videorecordings and DVDs which have been produced about football. It includes general documentaries about the historical, social or economic aspects of football, substantive club histories, and early archival footage of matches. It also includes feature films in genres such as drama and comedy where football is an important part of the plot, theme or setting. A selection of coaching and training guides have been included in the Coaching and Playing section.
The first edition of Reading the Game in 2005 included a wide and comprehensive selection of films and videos. This selection is more narrowly based. Since the first edition of Reading the Game their has been a great proliferation of player biographies and club highlights packages produced in DVD format. Because of the great number of these and the ease of finding details about them online it has been decided not to include most of these in this selection.
Entries are listed alphabetically by title and usually contain producer or distributor details gathered from the video or DVD issue of the work. No attempt has been made to record original production details and credits. When known the original release date has been recorded. Readers wanting more detail on release dates and production credits should check sources such as Trove the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and the Internet Movie Database.
Annotations note
Annotations in this section are mostly sourced from summaries provided in catalogue records, from the blurbs on the video or DVD containers, or from broadcasters program websites.
Aboriginal Rules, (videorecording) Walpiri Media; ABC, Sydney, NSW, 2007.
The Yuendumu Magpies are a dominant force in Central Australian Football and Aboriginal Rules is a two part documentary that follows the mighty Magpies across the course of a year as they play their exciting brand of grass roots footy Warlpiri Style. With insights into Warlpiri culture and great archival vision from early Yuendumu Sports Weekends we are offered a compelling portrait of a remote community through its champion football team this is a new version of an age old ceremony its football dreaming.
Annotation from ABC website.
Access All Areas Shane Crawford Exposed, (videorecording) Hush Productions Australia, South Yarra [dist.], 2004.
AFL Memorable Moments, (videorecording) AFL, [Melbourne], 2006.
Contains 45 memorable moments in AFL history as nominated by the Hall of Fame Committee.
Alive & Kicking, (videorecording), 2009.
The communities of King Island, Queenstown, Woodsdale and Beaconsfield and Beauty Point in the Tamar Valley, share a belief in the importance of fielding a football team and committing their all to making it a winning season. The challenges of keeping the club alive and kicking are many and varied but the efforts of the players, coach, trainers, committee and die hard supporters are rewarded when the town stops to watch the game.
Apy Thunder Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara vs Maralinga Tjarutja: Rio Tinto Indigenous Lands Challenge Cup 2006, (videorecording) VEA, [Bendigo, Vic.], 2006.
From the desert sands of the APY Lands (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) to the green pitch of AAMI stadium, this program is the story of a group of men whose passion and drive wins them an opportunity to play football for their country and their people at the 2006 Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Maralinga Tharuta Lands Challenge Cup. The documentary follows the story of the APY Thunder team from their homeland pitch and back again and demonstrates some of the positive initiatives within Aboriginal communities aimed to empower young people.
Publisher's blurb.
Aussie Rules Ok!, (videorecording) S.B.S., [Milson's Point, NSW], 1987.
Covers the history of Australian Rules football from the early days to the present. Includes historical photographs, old programs, early jumper designs and archival film footage including excerpts from a Carlton vs. South Melbourne game in 1909 and the 1970 Carlton vs. Collingwood grand final.
Australian Rules, (videorecording) Palace Entertainment, 2002.
Based on the award winning novel 'Deadly, Unna?' by Phillip Gwynne, 'Australian Rules' speculates on the deep rooted racism of the small rural fishing community of Prospect Bay, South Australia, where winning the football premiership is the most exciting thing to happen since the community won a tidy town competition. The film is viewed from the perspective of Blacky/Gary, a quiet, sensitive, and questioning youth who is best friends with football team mate Dumby Red, a brilliant Aboriginal footballer and idealist, apparently unaffected by the animosity of older cousin Perry towards the whites. The status quo changes after a farcical grand final presentation in which one of the goonyas (whites) is selected over arguably Best on Ground Dumby. The football field proves the town's racial arena whereby gunyas (blacks) are tolerated for their superior football prowess - off field, the small minded community is a pressure cooker of racism and hostilities which explode after a tragic event. Blacky's relationship to Dumby's sister Clarence also proves a point of contention with his abusive belligerent and racist father. A thoughtful and passionate film, 'Australian Rules' is as much about friendship, intolerance, and life in an isolated community as it is about racism.
Birds of Prey the History of the Hawthorn Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group Pty. [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
Black Magic (VH), (videorecording), 1988.
Although about top Aboriginal sportsmen, Black Magic is more than a film about sport. It is an account of the creative use of sport (running, boxing and football) made by the Noongar people of Western Australia's south-west to advance their people's standing. The background music and artwork in the film have been produced from within the community, creating a rich, cohesive picture of Noongar life and culture.
Bombers the History of the Essendon Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
Bombers is the story of premierships, of champions, of great players and memorable games. It is the story of the Essendon Football Club over the last sixty years.
Publisher's blurb.
Buffalo Legends, (videorecording) Australian Film Finance Corporation, [Australia], 1997.
Descendants of Darwin's original Buffalo Football Club tell the story of a group of men who overcame racism on the sporting field.
Cats: 50 Years of the Geelong Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, South Yarra, Vic., 2001.
The Club (DVD), (videorecording) Southern Star International, 1980.
Jack Thompson stars as the coach of a struggling Aussie Rules Club - in Collingwood colours - who is at odds with the lanky new star recruit (John Howard). Made in 1980, based on David Williamson's play and directed by Bruce Beresford, it straddles the two eras of the amateur and fully professional game, and looks at the transformation of the old style Club President into the more businesslike approach of the modern Chief Executive. As insightful as it is, The Club is still a very entertaining and funny film, and features a great cast of Aussie actors whose faces would be recognizable to all, including Graham Kennedy as the besieged Club President, Frank Wilson as his rival, Harold Hopkins as the aging club veteran, and Allen Cassell as the scheming Administrator. Add to that real life footy personalities like Lou Richards and Scotty Palmer, and stars of the 1979 Collingwood football club.
Down at Kardinia Park Geelong Cats, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond South, Vic., 2009.
In 2009 the Geelong Cats celebrate 150 years of football excellence. It's the chance to pay tribute to the men and the moments that have shaped the Cats. The premierships and the Brownlow Medallists, the captains and the coaches, the high flyers and the sharpshooters.--Container.
The Electrifying '80s All the Highlights from Footy's Action Packed Eighties, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2001.
The Essence of the Game, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group (distributor), [Australia], 2009.
Channel Seven and former AFL player and football filmmaker Rob Dickson present an amazing all access look into our unique Australian Game. Hosted and narrated by Nathan Buckley, the Essence of the Game were allowed into the dressing rooms during the entire 2008 season to take a behind-the-scenes look at what makes football clubs tick, building to Hawthorn and Geelong on Grand Final day. The documentary also celebrates the breadth of the game to everything from kids to international teams and what footy means to them. -- website..
Essendon Wall to Wall, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2003.
Features the best moments in the history of Essendon Football Club.
Fighting Fury the Story of the Richmond Football Club from Dyer until Today, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2003.
Royce Hart, Ian Stewart, and Roy Wright. The names conjure up visions of perfection. Do they come tougher than "Captain Blood" Jack Dyer, Max Oppy or Kevin Sheedy? Or more Tigerish than Kevin Bartlett, Billy Barrot and Roger Dean? This is the video story of Richmond, one of football's proudest and oldest clubs. A team with working class roots that rallied to the chant of "eat 'em alive" in the 20's and 30's and were reborn as a new band of tigers under Tommy Hafey in the mid-sixties. The players, coaches and administrators tell the story.
The Fitzroy Stars, (videorecording) Video Education Australasia [distributor], Bendigo, Vic., 2009.
They were called the Fitzroy Stars - besides being a great team (winning five premierships in 15 years), they were a hub in the Melbourne Koori community. Some came to play in order to develop their cultural identity, like the boys from government homes and adopted families. Some came to play as a way of staying on the straight and narrow. Some were great, many were brilliant. This is their story, told through their eyes with heart and integrity.
Annotation from Message Stick website.
Flying Boomerangs, (videorecording).
A group of young Aboriginal Aussie Rules players travel to South Africa - we follow their journey and find out what happens to them on their South African Odyssey.
Annotation from ABC-TV website.
Football Stories from Country Victoria on the One Hand, It's Just a Game. On the Other, It's Life or Death, (videorecording) Malcolm McKinnon and the State Library of Victoria, [Victoria], 2007.
The films in this collection mine a wealth of living memory, gathering impressions of how the game has changed and how it continues to evolve, inextricably linked with the broader life of country communities. These short films include stories of legendary events and long-time campaigners, of rivalries and reluctant marriages and of things lost and lamented. Collected from all corners of Victoria, these stories characterise both the history and the contemporary significance of country football.
Football Time, (videorecording) Film Australia, Lindfield, NSW, 1971.
Describes the four codes of football played in Australia - soccer, rugby Union, rugby League, and Australian rules.
Footy Chicks, (videorecording) Ronin Films, Canberra, 2006.
Footy Chicks takes the viewer into a world that is not only fun and colourful but also dark and ugly and where the rules are never clear. The possibility of sex with a football player is a fantasy for many women and a reality for some. Footy Chicks explores the scene off the footy field - a colourful world of players and the the women who pursue them. For players the availability of sex is a constant temptation ... But amidst the fun and games, sometimes the line gets crossed. Place into the mix male bonding, peer pressure, negative attitudes to women and vast amounts of alcohol, and this alluring world can quickly turn dark. Interviewees include: Katie Haines from Footy Fans Against Sexual Assault ; Dr Clifton Evers, Lecturer in Gender Studies ; Dr Catherine Lumby, Associate Professor in Media Studies ; Karen Willis from the new South Wales Rape Crisis centre.
Footy's Wild Men, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2006.
The great game of Aussie rules has produced legendary wild men. This video is a tribute to some of the wildest of them all with classic footage and interviews from the men themselves including Lockett, Dyer, Whitten, Merrett, Worsefold, Andrews and many, many more.
Game Girls Heathens, (videorecording) Siren Entertainment, [Australia], 1998.
Game girls looks at the role of women in Australian Rules Football, and the fight for more involvement other than the traditional roles of cheersquads and fundraising. Interviews include supporters, volunteers, a sports presenter and the first female board member of an AFL club. Heathens, shot over several seasons, follows a core group of six male supporters and their reactions to on field events.
Glory Days, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Visual Entertainment Group, [Melbourne], 2008.
This fantastic triple DVD pack covers the last 30 years of the very best AFL action. It features the three programmes: Sensational Seventies, Electrifying Eighties and 90's. The Decade That Delivered. All three programmes in a wonderfully presented triple pack for the great value.
Good Old Collingwood Forever Collingwood Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
This is the story of the last fifty years of Collingwood Football Club, from the premiership of Lou Richards in 1953 through to the days of Nathan Buckley and his men. We relive the triumphs of the fifties through Richards, Rose and Weideman. The Grand Final nightmares of the sixties and the early seventies through Tuddenham and Thompson, Gabelich, Waters and McKenna. We follow the epic struggles of Tom Hafey and his men as they took the Magpies to the top of the ladder only to have that ultimate prize cruelly snatched from their grasp.
Great Characters of Footy, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Distributed by Visual Entertainment Group, Australia, 2009.
They are the biggest names in football... the good guys, the bad guys and those who weren't quite sure. Join Sam Newman as he talks to the characters of the game, past and present.
Publisher's blurb.
The Great McCarthy, (videorecording) Stoney Creek Film Productions, Australia, 1989.
Film adaptation of the novel by Barry Oakley. TH.
Greatest Moments of AFL Grand Finals, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond, Vic., 2007.
A compilation of the most extraordinary Grand Final moments from the past right up to today. Contains rare archive footage and the best of today’s Finals.
Heart of the Game 45 Years of Football on Television, (videorecording) Seven Sport; Visual Entertainment [distributor], [Australia], South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
When channel Seven broadcast the last quarter of an Essendon versus Collingwood game on Easter Sunday in 1957, a new era in television and sport was born. A ride which for 45 years has seen magical moments, controversies, heroes and characters all pass by on our TV screens, and Seven was there for every one of them.
In a League of Their Own, (videorecording) Loto Films, [Australia], 2009.
On the Tiwi Islands, just north of Darwin, Aussie rules is a religion. From the time they can walk, all young boys want to do is kick a ball. Fast, intuitive and exciting, football has become a Tiwi trademark with star players like the Riolis and Michael Long shining under the national football spotlight. In A League Of Their Own is a three-part series that celebrates the passion and the brand of the Tiwi Bombers as they join the Northern Territory competition. With the aid of their assistant coach, the legendary Richmond player Maurice Rioli, the Bombers won most of their matches. But at the end of the season their fans were left asking 'Just how good are they?' Episode one, The Tiwi Brand, celebrates the passion of the Tiwi Island players and fans and their struggle over 30 years to have their own team in the Darwin competition. The Bombers are on a winning streak in the lead up to the finals, but can they actually win?
In episodes two and three, the players, riding high after a run of wins that has put them at the top of the ladder, lose discipline and stop coming to training, breaking their commitment to manage their alcohol use and abstain from drugs. Could these be warning signs of what is to come as we near the end of the season? The last few games of the season - as the Bombers try to claw their way back and reach the Grand Final - has their families and Tiwi Island fans on the edge of their seats. Born with natural skill as AFL players, but having lost focus on the ultimate prize, can the Bombers overcome their demons and win the competition at the eleventh hour?
Annotation sourced from ABC website.
The Magic of Football, (videorecording) Action Films for the National Football League of Australia, [Vic.].
This video is not intended as instructional as most of the National Football League's generally are, but more recreational, while showing some of the action of Australian football. Included are highlights of matches from every state which underscore the skills o the game.
Marn Grook an Aboriginal Perspective of Australian Rules Football, (videorecording) Caama Productions; Ronin Films (distributor), Alice Springs, N.T.Canberra, 1996.
Explores the history, achievements and struggles of Aboriginal sportsmen involved in our national game, 'Aussie Rules'. Through perseverance, natural ability and a love for the game, Aboriginal players have been able to overcome the many barriers placed before them to gain recognition and respect for their prowess on the football field.
Marngrook Footy Show, (videorecording), 2009.
Features interviews, weekly tips, and AFL Gripes. Features also include local stories from around the country featuring Indigenous footballers talking about their backgrounds, origin clubs and towns, heritage and current affairs.
Annotation from program website.
Moving History, (videorecording), 2007.
Early in the morning of December 25 the Northern Territory's capital city - Darwin - was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. The city became the site of possibly the greatest natural disaster in the nation's history. Cyclone Tracey is a film of realism and of genuine human drama, shot through with the courage and optimism with which Australians face adversity, and for which since the days of the ANZACs they have become known throughout the world. 'Leisure' is a fast-paced, humorous and thought-provoking film using animation by Australian newspaper cartoonist Bruce Petty. This Oscar-winning film emphasises the use of leisure time as an important aspect of life in our society today. In 'Saturday' a shearer, his wife and six children leave their farmhouse at daybreak for the week's big event - a Saturday visit to the nearest town, Lake Cargelligo. There's a trip to the barber, icecream for the kids, the weekly football match and a beer at the pub. Come nightfall, it's either a movie or the local dance. This beautifully shot film by Academy Award-winner Dean Semler captures all the atmosphere of a weekly ritual repeated in country towns right across Australia. In War Without Weapons we take a behind-the-scenes look at the Victorian Football League team, North Melbourne, and the preparation and physical build-up that goes into getting a team ready for the top Australian Rules football competition. Ron Barrassi, from North Melbourne, is shown in his role as a top VFL coach and we follow the team through its early training sessions to the opening match of the season. The film highlights some of the spectacular action from the North Melbourne Carlton challenge of 1979.
The 90's, the Decade That Delivered, (videorecording) Australian Football Video, [South Yarra, Vic.], 2001.
Presents the football highs and lows of the 1990's. The Nineties was a period which saw football become truly national with three new teams being added and other teams amalgamating. It was also a decade of great football champions.
100 Years of Australian Football, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment, South Yarra, Victoria, 1996.
100 years of football incorporated in stunning images, breathtaking footage and some of the most intriguing and historic film and video documentation you will ever see. This video captures the essence and personality of some of the game's most important and magnetic characters.
100 Years of Tiger Treasures Richmond Football Club Centenary VFL/AFL 2008, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond South, Vic., 2008.
Throughout 100 years in the big league, Richmond has assembled a mighty history. In 2008 the club has produced its 100 Tiger Treasures. These are the moments, players and people that have helped make Richmond one of the game's truly great clubs.
One Week at a Time, (videorecording), 2000.
Having failed to win one game in their last three years of competition, the once great Albion Football Club is facing removal from the Melbourne District Football League. The one remaining chance for the Western suburbs team to avoid this fate is to win their last game of the season against top Eastern suburbs team Malvern--an impossible feat. When ex-Albion player Bunner--who was banned from playing football fifteen years earlier because of his violent behaviour--hears of the club's plight, he decides to take extreme action. A parochial comedy about class differences in district footy and the joys of winning against all odds.
The Passion to Play the Players' Story: Out Takes, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2003.
A documentary on the highs and lows of playing league football.
Play the Game, (videorecording) National Football League in conjunction with the Commonwealth Bank, [Victoria], 1980.
Demonstrates how difficult an umpire's decision-making can be. The film interprets the rules of the game, particularly the more controversial ones, and the viewer sees their application in match sequences.
Red & Blue the History of the Melbourne Football Club, 1939-2005, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Distributed by Visual Entertainment Group, South Yarra, Vic., 2005.
Australia's oldest and most prestigious football club is celebrated in 'Red & Blue', specially produced and brought right up to date, featuring match footage and interviews with Demon greats.
Rewind Moments Aussie Rules, (videorecording) Australian Broadcasting Corporation, [Sydney], 2005.
In 1857, Tom Wills, one of the founders of Australian Football, returned to Australia after schooling in England where he was football captain of Rugby School and a brilliant cricketer. Initially, he advocated the winter game of football as a way of keeping cricketers fit during off-season. The new game was devised by Wills, his cousin H.C.A. Harrison, W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson. This program questions the origin of the game of Australian rules. The original rules, archived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, were written by Tom Wills. Were they influenced by English rugby, or by a game he witnessed played by Aboriginal Australians?
Sensational Seventies, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2001.
South Australian Football League 1949 North Adelaide vs West Torrens, (videorecording) National Film and Sound Archive, [Canberra], 1992.
Australian Rules football Grand Final between North Adelaide and West Torrens. North Adelaide were premiers in 1949.
The Spirit of Australian Sport Australian Football, (videorecording), 2008.
Gives an insight into the mystique of Australian football rules, a game that engenders a depth of passion amongst the Australian masses. The program is a celebration of Australia's national football code through the eyes of those who have contributed and emotionally invested in its success. It examines the roots of the game and its growth from a suburban past-time to a national colossus, exploring what it means to Australians and the impact it has on our society.
St. Kilda Wall to Wall, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2004.
Strauchanie Pure B.S, (videorecording) Roving Enterprises, Australia, 2006.
Strauchanie as he has become affectionately known, is embroiled in a constant battle with not only the Collingwood selectors, but also, a less than desirable diet, an over inflated ego and the cultural barriers associated with his Asian heritage on his mother's side.
Tackling Peace, (videorecording) Screen Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2009.
Narrated by Hugo Weaving, Tackling Peace is the inspirational story of a group of Israelis and Palestinians attempting to set aside their differences and play on the same side in an International Australian Football competition in the name of peace. It all began as a crazy dream, a mission adopted by Tanya Oziel, a footy mad Australian housewife, passionate for Middle East peace. But with open hostilities raging around them, will these old enemies sideline decades of conflict to unite into a single Peace Team? Tackling Peace goes behind the scenes as young men from different sides of a bloody political war set aside a lifetime of prejudice and hostility to compete as a team in the Australian Football League's International Cup. Few of the aspirant players had ever heard of the game and none imagined befriending teammates from across the political divide. Narrated by Hugo Weaving and featuring legendary footballers Kevin Sheehan, Ron Barrassi and Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico, Tackling Peace follows intimately the incredible journey of this rag-tag bunch of Israeli and Palestinian sportsmen and the dynamic woman who unites them, in their remarkable quest to show the world a different picture to the bloody images pervading the evening news as they cooperate in their quest to make it to Australia and play together against the world.
30 Years of the Very Best Footy, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment, South Yarra, Vic., 2001.
A comprehensive coverage of Australian football from the 1970's to the 1990's with highlights from many of the more notable games.
The Tribe the Story of the North Hobart Football Club, (videorecording) OzVox Media, [New Town, Tas.], 2006.
VFL on Film. Vol. 1. 1909-1945 Marking Time, (videorecording) National Film & Sound Archive, Canberra, 1996.
Fascinating documentary and newsreel material of the premier Australian Rules Competition. Highlights include: the earliest surviving film of a VFL match -the 1909 Grand Final; Action sequences featuring some of the early legends; rare footage of supporters.
VFL on Film. Vol. 2, 1946-1982 Marking Time, (videorecording) National Film & Sound Archive, Canberra, 1997.
Fascinating documentary and newsreel material of the Australian Rules Competition. Highlights include : rare footage available for the first time on video; every VFL club represented; covers the period from the end of World War 2 to the start of the AFL national competition; the impact of television on the game with comments by Alf Potter and more!
War without Weapons, (videorecording) Curtis Levy Productions for Film Australia, Victoria, 1979.
We Are the Navy Blues the History of the Carlton Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond South, Vic., 2009.
Jesaulenko, Nicholls, Kernahan, Silvagni, Bradley and Doull... Just some of the champions who have worn the 'Good Old Navy Blue' of Carlton with pride and distinction. Men who have helped take this foundation member of the VFL to premiership glory and cemented the club's place at the very pinnacle of sporting greatness--Container.
We Don't Want Nothing from You a Film Asking Adults to Let Children Play Football, (videorecording) Salisbury CAE., Salisbury, SA, 1975.
Examines parental expectations of children's sport particularly football.
Where the Seagulls Nest a Brief History of the Williamstown Seagulls and Their Home Ground, Told through Stories from Five of the Club's Closest Followers, (DVD) Jesse Maskell, Williamstown, 2009.
Retells the history of Burbank Oval and its most famous occupant, the Williamstown Seagulls.
Year of the Dogs, (videorecording) Bondi Films, Australia, 2005.
It's been a dog of a year for the Footscray Bulldogs. The club is on the bottom of the ladder and the AFL are pushing for a merger to foster the national competition. From boardroom to change room we follow the Doggies as they teeter on the brink of extinction.
The first edition of Reading the Game in 2005 included a wide and comprehensive selection of films and videos. This selection is more narrowly based. Since the first edition of Reading the Game their has been a great proliferation of player biographies and club highlights packages produced in DVD format. Because of the great number of these and the ease of finding details about them online it has been decided not to include most of these in this selection.
Entries are listed alphabetically by title and usually contain producer or distributor details gathered from the video or DVD issue of the work. No attempt has been made to record original production details and credits. When known the original release date has been recorded. Readers wanting more detail on release dates and production credits should check sources such as Trove the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and the Internet Movie Database.
Annotations note
Annotations in this section are mostly sourced from summaries provided in catalogue records, from the blurbs on the video or DVD containers, or from broadcasters program websites.
Aboriginal Rules, (videorecording) Walpiri Media; ABC, Sydney, NSW, 2007.
The Yuendumu Magpies are a dominant force in Central Australian Football and Aboriginal Rules is a two part documentary that follows the mighty Magpies across the course of a year as they play their exciting brand of grass roots footy Warlpiri Style. With insights into Warlpiri culture and great archival vision from early Yuendumu Sports Weekends we are offered a compelling portrait of a remote community through its champion football team this is a new version of an age old ceremony its football dreaming.
Annotation from ABC website.
Access All Areas Shane Crawford Exposed, (videorecording) Hush Productions Australia, South Yarra [dist.], 2004.
AFL Memorable Moments, (videorecording) AFL, [Melbourne], 2006.
Contains 45 memorable moments in AFL history as nominated by the Hall of Fame Committee.
Alive & Kicking, (videorecording), 2009.
The communities of King Island, Queenstown, Woodsdale and Beaconsfield and Beauty Point in the Tamar Valley, share a belief in the importance of fielding a football team and committing their all to making it a winning season. The challenges of keeping the club alive and kicking are many and varied but the efforts of the players, coach, trainers, committee and die hard supporters are rewarded when the town stops to watch the game.
Apy Thunder Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara vs Maralinga Tjarutja: Rio Tinto Indigenous Lands Challenge Cup 2006, (videorecording) VEA, [Bendigo, Vic.], 2006.
From the desert sands of the APY Lands (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) to the green pitch of AAMI stadium, this program is the story of a group of men whose passion and drive wins them an opportunity to play football for their country and their people at the 2006 Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Maralinga Tharuta Lands Challenge Cup. The documentary follows the story of the APY Thunder team from their homeland pitch and back again and demonstrates some of the positive initiatives within Aboriginal communities aimed to empower young people.
Publisher's blurb.
Aussie Rules Ok!, (videorecording) S.B.S., [Milson's Point, NSW], 1987.
Covers the history of Australian Rules football from the early days to the present. Includes historical photographs, old programs, early jumper designs and archival film footage including excerpts from a Carlton vs. South Melbourne game in 1909 and the 1970 Carlton vs. Collingwood grand final.
Australian Rules, (videorecording) Palace Entertainment, 2002.
Based on the award winning novel 'Deadly, Unna?' by Phillip Gwynne, 'Australian Rules' speculates on the deep rooted racism of the small rural fishing community of Prospect Bay, South Australia, where winning the football premiership is the most exciting thing to happen since the community won a tidy town competition. The film is viewed from the perspective of Blacky/Gary, a quiet, sensitive, and questioning youth who is best friends with football team mate Dumby Red, a brilliant Aboriginal footballer and idealist, apparently unaffected by the animosity of older cousin Perry towards the whites. The status quo changes after a farcical grand final presentation in which one of the goonyas (whites) is selected over arguably Best on Ground Dumby. The football field proves the town's racial arena whereby gunyas (blacks) are tolerated for their superior football prowess - off field, the small minded community is a pressure cooker of racism and hostilities which explode after a tragic event. Blacky's relationship to Dumby's sister Clarence also proves a point of contention with his abusive belligerent and racist father. A thoughtful and passionate film, 'Australian Rules' is as much about friendship, intolerance, and life in an isolated community as it is about racism.
Birds of Prey the History of the Hawthorn Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group Pty. [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
Black Magic (VH), (videorecording), 1988.
Although about top Aboriginal sportsmen, Black Magic is more than a film about sport. It is an account of the creative use of sport (running, boxing and football) made by the Noongar people of Western Australia's south-west to advance their people's standing. The background music and artwork in the film have been produced from within the community, creating a rich, cohesive picture of Noongar life and culture.
Bombers the History of the Essendon Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
Bombers is the story of premierships, of champions, of great players and memorable games. It is the story of the Essendon Football Club over the last sixty years.
Publisher's blurb.
Buffalo Legends, (videorecording) Australian Film Finance Corporation, [Australia], 1997.
Descendants of Darwin's original Buffalo Football Club tell the story of a group of men who overcame racism on the sporting field.
Cats: 50 Years of the Geelong Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, South Yarra, Vic., 2001.
The Club (DVD), (videorecording) Southern Star International, 1980.
Jack Thompson stars as the coach of a struggling Aussie Rules Club - in Collingwood colours - who is at odds with the lanky new star recruit (John Howard). Made in 1980, based on David Williamson's play and directed by Bruce Beresford, it straddles the two eras of the amateur and fully professional game, and looks at the transformation of the old style Club President into the more businesslike approach of the modern Chief Executive. As insightful as it is, The Club is still a very entertaining and funny film, and features a great cast of Aussie actors whose faces would be recognizable to all, including Graham Kennedy as the besieged Club President, Frank Wilson as his rival, Harold Hopkins as the aging club veteran, and Allen Cassell as the scheming Administrator. Add to that real life footy personalities like Lou Richards and Scotty Palmer, and stars of the 1979 Collingwood football club.
Down at Kardinia Park Geelong Cats, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond South, Vic., 2009.
In 2009 the Geelong Cats celebrate 150 years of football excellence. It's the chance to pay tribute to the men and the moments that have shaped the Cats. The premierships and the Brownlow Medallists, the captains and the coaches, the high flyers and the sharpshooters.--Container.
The Electrifying '80s All the Highlights from Footy's Action Packed Eighties, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2001.
The Essence of the Game, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group (distributor), [Australia], 2009.
Channel Seven and former AFL player and football filmmaker Rob Dickson present an amazing all access look into our unique Australian Game. Hosted and narrated by Nathan Buckley, the Essence of the Game were allowed into the dressing rooms during the entire 2008 season to take a behind-the-scenes look at what makes football clubs tick, building to Hawthorn and Geelong on Grand Final day. The documentary also celebrates the breadth of the game to everything from kids to international teams and what footy means to them. -- website..
Essendon Wall to Wall, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2003.
Features the best moments in the history of Essendon Football Club.
Fighting Fury the Story of the Richmond Football Club from Dyer until Today, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2003.
Royce Hart, Ian Stewart, and Roy Wright. The names conjure up visions of perfection. Do they come tougher than "Captain Blood" Jack Dyer, Max Oppy or Kevin Sheedy? Or more Tigerish than Kevin Bartlett, Billy Barrot and Roger Dean? This is the video story of Richmond, one of football's proudest and oldest clubs. A team with working class roots that rallied to the chant of "eat 'em alive" in the 20's and 30's and were reborn as a new band of tigers under Tommy Hafey in the mid-sixties. The players, coaches and administrators tell the story.
The Fitzroy Stars, (videorecording) Video Education Australasia [distributor], Bendigo, Vic., 2009.
They were called the Fitzroy Stars - besides being a great team (winning five premierships in 15 years), they were a hub in the Melbourne Koori community. Some came to play in order to develop their cultural identity, like the boys from government homes and adopted families. Some came to play as a way of staying on the straight and narrow. Some were great, many were brilliant. This is their story, told through their eyes with heart and integrity.
Annotation from Message Stick website.
Flying Boomerangs, (videorecording).
A group of young Aboriginal Aussie Rules players travel to South Africa - we follow their journey and find out what happens to them on their South African Odyssey.
Annotation from ABC-TV website.
Football Stories from Country Victoria on the One Hand, It's Just a Game. On the Other, It's Life or Death, (videorecording) Malcolm McKinnon and the State Library of Victoria, [Victoria], 2007.
The films in this collection mine a wealth of living memory, gathering impressions of how the game has changed and how it continues to evolve, inextricably linked with the broader life of country communities. These short films include stories of legendary events and long-time campaigners, of rivalries and reluctant marriages and of things lost and lamented. Collected from all corners of Victoria, these stories characterise both the history and the contemporary significance of country football.
Football Time, (videorecording) Film Australia, Lindfield, NSW, 1971.
Describes the four codes of football played in Australia - soccer, rugby Union, rugby League, and Australian rules.
Footy Chicks, (videorecording) Ronin Films, Canberra, 2006.
Footy Chicks takes the viewer into a world that is not only fun and colourful but also dark and ugly and where the rules are never clear. The possibility of sex with a football player is a fantasy for many women and a reality for some. Footy Chicks explores the scene off the footy field - a colourful world of players and the the women who pursue them. For players the availability of sex is a constant temptation ... But amidst the fun and games, sometimes the line gets crossed. Place into the mix male bonding, peer pressure, negative attitudes to women and vast amounts of alcohol, and this alluring world can quickly turn dark. Interviewees include: Katie Haines from Footy Fans Against Sexual Assault ; Dr Clifton Evers, Lecturer in Gender Studies ; Dr Catherine Lumby, Associate Professor in Media Studies ; Karen Willis from the new South Wales Rape Crisis centre.
Footy's Wild Men, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2006.
The great game of Aussie rules has produced legendary wild men. This video is a tribute to some of the wildest of them all with classic footage and interviews from the men themselves including Lockett, Dyer, Whitten, Merrett, Worsefold, Andrews and many, many more.
Game Girls Heathens, (videorecording) Siren Entertainment, [Australia], 1998.
Game girls looks at the role of women in Australian Rules Football, and the fight for more involvement other than the traditional roles of cheersquads and fundraising. Interviews include supporters, volunteers, a sports presenter and the first female board member of an AFL club. Heathens, shot over several seasons, follows a core group of six male supporters and their reactions to on field events.
Glory Days, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Visual Entertainment Group, [Melbourne], 2008.
This fantastic triple DVD pack covers the last 30 years of the very best AFL action. It features the three programmes: Sensational Seventies, Electrifying Eighties and 90's. The Decade That Delivered. All three programmes in a wonderfully presented triple pack for the great value.
Good Old Collingwood Forever Collingwood Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
This is the story of the last fifty years of Collingwood Football Club, from the premiership of Lou Richards in 1953 through to the days of Nathan Buckley and his men. We relive the triumphs of the fifties through Richards, Rose and Weideman. The Grand Final nightmares of the sixties and the early seventies through Tuddenham and Thompson, Gabelich, Waters and McKenna. We follow the epic struggles of Tom Hafey and his men as they took the Magpies to the top of the ladder only to have that ultimate prize cruelly snatched from their grasp.
Great Characters of Footy, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Distributed by Visual Entertainment Group, Australia, 2009.
They are the biggest names in football... the good guys, the bad guys and those who weren't quite sure. Join Sam Newman as he talks to the characters of the game, past and present.
Publisher's blurb.
The Great McCarthy, (videorecording) Stoney Creek Film Productions, Australia, 1989.
Film adaptation of the novel by Barry Oakley. TH.
Greatest Moments of AFL Grand Finals, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond, Vic., 2007.
A compilation of the most extraordinary Grand Final moments from the past right up to today. Contains rare archive footage and the best of today’s Finals.
Heart of the Game 45 Years of Football on Television, (videorecording) Seven Sport; Visual Entertainment [distributor], [Australia], South Yarra, Vic., 2002.
When channel Seven broadcast the last quarter of an Essendon versus Collingwood game on Easter Sunday in 1957, a new era in television and sport was born. A ride which for 45 years has seen magical moments, controversies, heroes and characters all pass by on our TV screens, and Seven was there for every one of them.
In a League of Their Own, (videorecording) Loto Films, [Australia], 2009.
On the Tiwi Islands, just north of Darwin, Aussie rules is a religion. From the time they can walk, all young boys want to do is kick a ball. Fast, intuitive and exciting, football has become a Tiwi trademark with star players like the Riolis and Michael Long shining under the national football spotlight. In A League Of Their Own is a three-part series that celebrates the passion and the brand of the Tiwi Bombers as they join the Northern Territory competition. With the aid of their assistant coach, the legendary Richmond player Maurice Rioli, the Bombers won most of their matches. But at the end of the season their fans were left asking 'Just how good are they?' Episode one, The Tiwi Brand, celebrates the passion of the Tiwi Island players and fans and their struggle over 30 years to have their own team in the Darwin competition. The Bombers are on a winning streak in the lead up to the finals, but can they actually win?
In episodes two and three, the players, riding high after a run of wins that has put them at the top of the ladder, lose discipline and stop coming to training, breaking their commitment to manage their alcohol use and abstain from drugs. Could these be warning signs of what is to come as we near the end of the season? The last few games of the season - as the Bombers try to claw their way back and reach the Grand Final - has their families and Tiwi Island fans on the edge of their seats. Born with natural skill as AFL players, but having lost focus on the ultimate prize, can the Bombers overcome their demons and win the competition at the eleventh hour?
Annotation sourced from ABC website.
The Magic of Football, (videorecording) Action Films for the National Football League of Australia, [Vic.].
This video is not intended as instructional as most of the National Football League's generally are, but more recreational, while showing some of the action of Australian football. Included are highlights of matches from every state which underscore the skills o the game.
Marn Grook an Aboriginal Perspective of Australian Rules Football, (videorecording) Caama Productions; Ronin Films (distributor), Alice Springs, N.T.Canberra, 1996.
Explores the history, achievements and struggles of Aboriginal sportsmen involved in our national game, 'Aussie Rules'. Through perseverance, natural ability and a love for the game, Aboriginal players have been able to overcome the many barriers placed before them to gain recognition and respect for their prowess on the football field.
Marngrook Footy Show, (videorecording), 2009.
Features interviews, weekly tips, and AFL Gripes. Features also include local stories from around the country featuring Indigenous footballers talking about their backgrounds, origin clubs and towns, heritage and current affairs.
Annotation from program website.
Moving History, (videorecording), 2007.
Early in the morning of December 25 the Northern Territory's capital city - Darwin - was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. The city became the site of possibly the greatest natural disaster in the nation's history. Cyclone Tracey is a film of realism and of genuine human drama, shot through with the courage and optimism with which Australians face adversity, and for which since the days of the ANZACs they have become known throughout the world. 'Leisure' is a fast-paced, humorous and thought-provoking film using animation by Australian newspaper cartoonist Bruce Petty. This Oscar-winning film emphasises the use of leisure time as an important aspect of life in our society today. In 'Saturday' a shearer, his wife and six children leave their farmhouse at daybreak for the week's big event - a Saturday visit to the nearest town, Lake Cargelligo. There's a trip to the barber, icecream for the kids, the weekly football match and a beer at the pub. Come nightfall, it's either a movie or the local dance. This beautifully shot film by Academy Award-winner Dean Semler captures all the atmosphere of a weekly ritual repeated in country towns right across Australia. In War Without Weapons we take a behind-the-scenes look at the Victorian Football League team, North Melbourne, and the preparation and physical build-up that goes into getting a team ready for the top Australian Rules football competition. Ron Barrassi, from North Melbourne, is shown in his role as a top VFL coach and we follow the team through its early training sessions to the opening match of the season. The film highlights some of the spectacular action from the North Melbourne Carlton challenge of 1979.
The 90's, the Decade That Delivered, (videorecording) Australian Football Video, [South Yarra, Vic.], 2001.
Presents the football highs and lows of the 1990's. The Nineties was a period which saw football become truly national with three new teams being added and other teams amalgamating. It was also a decade of great football champions.
100 Years of Australian Football, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment, South Yarra, Victoria, 1996.
100 years of football incorporated in stunning images, breathtaking footage and some of the most intriguing and historic film and video documentation you will ever see. This video captures the essence and personality of some of the game's most important and magnetic characters.
100 Years of Tiger Treasures Richmond Football Club Centenary VFL/AFL 2008, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond South, Vic., 2008.
Throughout 100 years in the big league, Richmond has assembled a mighty history. In 2008 the club has produced its 100 Tiger Treasures. These are the moments, players and people that have helped make Richmond one of the game's truly great clubs.
One Week at a Time, (videorecording), 2000.
Having failed to win one game in their last three years of competition, the once great Albion Football Club is facing removal from the Melbourne District Football League. The one remaining chance for the Western suburbs team to avoid this fate is to win their last game of the season against top Eastern suburbs team Malvern--an impossible feat. When ex-Albion player Bunner--who was banned from playing football fifteen years earlier because of his violent behaviour--hears of the club's plight, he decides to take extreme action. A parochial comedy about class differences in district footy and the joys of winning against all odds.
The Passion to Play the Players' Story: Out Takes, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2003.
A documentary on the highs and lows of playing league football.
Play the Game, (videorecording) National Football League in conjunction with the Commonwealth Bank, [Victoria], 1980.
Demonstrates how difficult an umpire's decision-making can be. The film interprets the rules of the game, particularly the more controversial ones, and the viewer sees their application in match sequences.
Red & Blue the History of the Melbourne Football Club, 1939-2005, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Distributed by Visual Entertainment Group, South Yarra, Vic., 2005.
Australia's oldest and most prestigious football club is celebrated in 'Red & Blue', specially produced and brought right up to date, featuring match footage and interviews with Demon greats.
Rewind Moments Aussie Rules, (videorecording) Australian Broadcasting Corporation, [Sydney], 2005.
In 1857, Tom Wills, one of the founders of Australian Football, returned to Australia after schooling in England where he was football captain of Rugby School and a brilliant cricketer. Initially, he advocated the winter game of football as a way of keeping cricketers fit during off-season. The new game was devised by Wills, his cousin H.C.A. Harrison, W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson. This program questions the origin of the game of Australian rules. The original rules, archived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, were written by Tom Wills. Were they influenced by English rugby, or by a game he witnessed played by Aboriginal Australians?
Sensational Seventies, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2001.
South Australian Football League 1949 North Adelaide vs West Torrens, (videorecording) National Film and Sound Archive, [Canberra], 1992.
Australian Rules football Grand Final between North Adelaide and West Torrens. North Adelaide were premiers in 1949.
The Spirit of Australian Sport Australian Football, (videorecording), 2008.
Gives an insight into the mystique of Australian football rules, a game that engenders a depth of passion amongst the Australian masses. The program is a celebration of Australia's national football code through the eyes of those who have contributed and emotionally invested in its success. It examines the roots of the game and its growth from a suburban past-time to a national colossus, exploring what it means to Australians and the impact it has on our society.
St. Kilda Wall to Wall, (videorecording) Australian Football Video: Visual Entertainment [distributor], [South Yarra, Vic.], 2004.
Strauchanie Pure B.S, (videorecording) Roving Enterprises, Australia, 2006.
Strauchanie as he has become affectionately known, is embroiled in a constant battle with not only the Collingwood selectors, but also, a less than desirable diet, an over inflated ego and the cultural barriers associated with his Asian heritage on his mother's side.
Tackling Peace, (videorecording) Screen Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2009.
Narrated by Hugo Weaving, Tackling Peace is the inspirational story of a group of Israelis and Palestinians attempting to set aside their differences and play on the same side in an International Australian Football competition in the name of peace. It all began as a crazy dream, a mission adopted by Tanya Oziel, a footy mad Australian housewife, passionate for Middle East peace. But with open hostilities raging around them, will these old enemies sideline decades of conflict to unite into a single Peace Team? Tackling Peace goes behind the scenes as young men from different sides of a bloody political war set aside a lifetime of prejudice and hostility to compete as a team in the Australian Football League's International Cup. Few of the aspirant players had ever heard of the game and none imagined befriending teammates from across the political divide. Narrated by Hugo Weaving and featuring legendary footballers Kevin Sheehan, Ron Barrassi and Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico, Tackling Peace follows intimately the incredible journey of this rag-tag bunch of Israeli and Palestinian sportsmen and the dynamic woman who unites them, in their remarkable quest to show the world a different picture to the bloody images pervading the evening news as they cooperate in their quest to make it to Australia and play together against the world.
30 Years of the Very Best Footy, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment, South Yarra, Vic., 2001.
A comprehensive coverage of Australian football from the 1970's to the 1990's with highlights from many of the more notable games.
The Tribe the Story of the North Hobart Football Club, (videorecording) OzVox Media, [New Town, Tas.], 2006.
VFL on Film. Vol. 1. 1909-1945 Marking Time, (videorecording) National Film & Sound Archive, Canberra, 1996.
Fascinating documentary and newsreel material of the premier Australian Rules Competition. Highlights include: the earliest surviving film of a VFL match -the 1909 Grand Final; Action sequences featuring some of the early legends; rare footage of supporters.
VFL on Film. Vol. 2, 1946-1982 Marking Time, (videorecording) National Film & Sound Archive, Canberra, 1997.
Fascinating documentary and newsreel material of the Australian Rules Competition. Highlights include : rare footage available for the first time on video; every VFL club represented; covers the period from the end of World War 2 to the start of the AFL national competition; the impact of television on the game with comments by Alf Potter and more!
War without Weapons, (videorecording) Curtis Levy Productions for Film Australia, Victoria, 1979.
We Are the Navy Blues the History of the Carlton Football Club, (videorecording) Visual Entertainment Group, Richmond South, Vic., 2009.
Jesaulenko, Nicholls, Kernahan, Silvagni, Bradley and Doull... Just some of the champions who have worn the 'Good Old Navy Blue' of Carlton with pride and distinction. Men who have helped take this foundation member of the VFL to premiership glory and cemented the club's place at the very pinnacle of sporting greatness--Container.
We Don't Want Nothing from You a Film Asking Adults to Let Children Play Football, (videorecording) Salisbury CAE., Salisbury, SA, 1975.
Examines parental expectations of children's sport particularly football.
Where the Seagulls Nest a Brief History of the Williamstown Seagulls and Their Home Ground, Told through Stories from Five of the Club's Closest Followers, (DVD) Jesse Maskell, Williamstown, 2009.
Retells the history of Burbank Oval and its most famous occupant, the Williamstown Seagulls.
Year of the Dogs, (videorecording) Bondi Films, Australia, 2005.
It's been a dog of a year for the Footscray Bulldogs. The club is on the bottom of the ladder and the AFL are pushing for a merger to foster the national competition. From boardroom to change room we follow the Doggies as they teeter on the brink of extinction.