AFL flashbacks food for footy thought

Rohan Connolly Football tragics have had an entertaining post-season thanks to some memories revived by Fox Footy. But it's also underscored some concerns about where today's game is headed.

National Museum buys a slice of Royce Hart's history

Rohan Connolly The National Museum in Canberra has purchased a collection of 57 pieces of the trove of memorabilia owned by former Richmond champion and official Legend of the Game Royce Hart.

Robert Walls' French sojourn a tale of canines, colours and characters

Rohan Connolly Robert Walls's five-year-old Red Boxer "Gus" is no ordinary pet. The dog is now a published author, with a story about the 12 months he, Walls and his partner Julie spent living in the south of...

AFL fixture 2016: Our formula finds the real winners and losers

Rohan Connolly How does the 2016 AFL fixture stack up for all clubs when put under the forensic microscope of The Age's tried and true fixture ranking formula?

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AFL grand final 2015: Older heads keep doing it for Hawthorn in grand final heat

Rohan Connolly Hawthorn is the oldest premiership side in league football history.

AFL grand final 2015: Hawthorn beat West Coast to win three premierships in a row

Rohan Connolly Hawthorn have run over the top of West Coast to win the grand final by 46 points, sealing their third grand final win in as many years.

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AFL grand final 2015: The moment the Eagles took flight

Rohan Connolly West Coast's rise has been one of the stories of the 2015 season. But the turning point for Adam Simpson's Eagles came in a seemingly inconsequential match against Adelaide late last season.

Best grand finals, No.1: Tough, tight, terrific, the 1989 grand final had it all

Rohan Connolly Just where do you start with the 1989 grand final? So much incident. So many stories. So hectic and high scoring. Such a dramatic finish.

Best grand finals, No.2: Malceski's moment of magic seals epic 2012 win for Swans

Rohan Connolly After all but 50 seconds of 207 matches, the entire 2012 AFL season hinged on one ball-up, deep in Sydney's forward-pocket.

AFL grand final 2015: The best grand final moments of all time

Rohan Connolly Any game of football can turn or be decided on a single moment, a goal, a mark, a smother, a tackle.

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Brownlow Medal 2015: Nat Fyfe the full football package

Rohan Connolly Brownlow Medal winners are marked pretty harshly these days.

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AFL finals 2015: Umpiring did not cost any team a place in grand final

Rohan Connolly Umpiring didn't cost either Fremantle or North Melbourne their preliminary finals.

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AFL finals 2015: Hawthorn well placed to create history

Rohan Connolly Three flags in a row would be a huge achievement for Hawthorn. And as rare as has been such a feat, the Hawks are better-placed to pull it off than the most recent team to do so.

AFL grand final 2015: Hawthorn favoured to win a third consecutive flag

Rohan Connolly Saturday's grand final will be Hawthorn's fourth in a row, a feat only accomplished by Brisbane (2001-04) in the AFL era.

AFL finals 2015: Fremantle loss to Hawthorn will take heavy toll on Ross Lyon's coaching reputation

Rohan Connolly There's plenty in the football world eagerly awaiting the result of Friday night's preliminary final for reasons other than seeing just which team will be playing off on grand final day.

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AFL finals 2015: The greatest preliminary finals of all time

Rohan Connolly Some of football's greatest games have come in the matches which decide who will play off for the premiership. Here's our top 10 preliminary finals of all time.

AFL All-Australian Team 2015: Bulldogs and Eagles reap the rewards of improvement

Rohan Connolly Football fortunes can change quickly. Which is why a couple of clubs whose performance in 2015 was a surprise provide plenty of potential selections in the 2015 All-Australian team.

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AFL finals 2015: Sydney Swans will keep on keeping on

Rohan Connolly It's tempting to start spouting ‘‘end of an era'' talk about Sydney.

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AFL finals 2015: Preparation debate rests on preliminary finals

Rohan Connolly Fremantle and North Melbourne created much debate with their wholesale resting of players for the final home and away round.