Review: Shake Down the Thunder- From Ugly Ducklings to AFL Premiers: The Story of the Sydney Swans
By Jim Main

Shake Down the Thunder  (Published by Geoff Slattery Publishing) is veteran AFL journalist and author Jim Main’s latest work and details the troubled, but ultimately successful, history of the Sydney Swans in the AFL’s most difficult market. Main has undergone extensive research and nearly a 100 interviews to detail a turbulent 25 years in football history from the words of the people involved. For the first time, one of the AFL’s most controversial, but little-known story is finally told in this gripping and extensive account.

G'Day Footy Fans -

Dockers Modest Win Keeps Finals Fire Flickering

By Tim Stone, AFANA Reporter in Perth

Fremantle have kept their 2006 campaign alive with a 37 point victory over the cellar dwellers in Essendon in front  34,000 supporters on a Friday night at Subi.  A less than convincing win would be the best way to describe Fremantles answer to their critics. Blundered opportunities from the Dons marred what was realistically a very even contest.

FINA or Footy?

The swimming finals of next year's FINA World Championships in Melbourne will clash with the start of the AFL home-and-away season according to competition schedule released this week. The program confirms morning swimming heats will be held at Rod Laver Arena from 10am (AEST) with semi-finals and finals to be held from 7pm (AEST) from March 25 to April 1.

This means potentially the last four days of the swimming finals will clash with the opening round of the 2007 AFL season,

By Barry Kennedy, AFANA Reporter in Melbourne

Last season the injury ravaged Collingwood side limped to 15^th on the AFL ladder while St Kilda also didn’t live up to expectations of the football public, even with a Preliminary Final appearance. Season 2006 has been much kinder to Collingwood fans, their team flying high in third spot on the AFL ladder after 13 games. The jury was out for St Kilda, with only its long injury list the only defense to its seventh placing prior to yesterday’s clash. It was a crunch game for St Kilda against the upstarts from Collingwood and a chance to demonstrate their preeminence among Victorian clubs. That’s what they duly did.

There is sad news to report. Erin Walls, wife to former player and coach and current media commentator Robert Walls, passed away after a long battle with cancer. The news broke Sunday afternoon when 3AW caller Rex Hunt received word shortly after the conclusion of the Kangaroo / Bulldog game. Hunt and Walls were contemporaries in their playing days and, in the first years of their careers, played for Richmond and Carlton respectively, two sides which were bitter rivals at the time. Now Hunt and Walls are very good friends and sometimes work together on 3AW Radio with Hunt calling the games and Walls providing special comments. After the announcement, many fans calling in to the talkback forum

Crows 15.11 (101) d. Swans 8.14 (62) @ The SCG

by Frank Ienco reporting exclusively for AFANA at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Adelaide Crows have turned in a performance from the top shelf to thrash the defending premiers on their own turf, running out 39-point winners over the Sydney Swans in front of 36, 104 fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon (AEST).

Sydney have now dropped three of their last four matches as they continue their poor record at home with only three wins from eight matches at either the SCG or Telstra Stadium this year. Not for the first time this year, the Swans lacked the passion and hunger to win. Their biggest loss this season has prompted coach Paul Roos to admit that