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About Martin Flanagan
About Martin Flanagan
Martin Flanagan was born in Tasmania in 1955 and graduated in law from the University of Tasmania in 1975. He has been with The Age since 1985. He is the author of ten books including two novels, a book of poetry and two collections of his newspaper writing. In 2004, the Malthouse Theatre staged an adaptation of his novel The Call, an imaginative reconstruction of the life of Tom Wills, the founder of Australian football. Although best known as a sports writer, Martin describes his special interest as Australian culture with particular emphasis on the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. He is also a great believer in the capacity of newspapers to act as vehicles for non-fiction story-telling.
Melbourne's Warlpiri warrior
His tribal lands in Central Australia are a world away from the MCG
and English is not his first language. Martin Flanagan charts the
journey of Demons recruit Liam Jurrah.
His heart beats true
As the Melbourne Football Club fights for survival over the coming
year, The Age's Martin Flanagan will be on the inside, monitoring
its pulse.
Reminders of town's tragedy still evident
"The football team disaster of 1892" is a big Australian sporting story.
Benalla clubs rally for one of their own
Mick Rodger found out just how strong a sporting bond is in the local community.
Buckley gives it as straight as a drop punt
In his footy, and now in his book, Nathan Buckley never left anything out on the field.
Hawka struts his stuff on an amazing day
A lot of dreams go up in smoke on grand final day, and then there is Hawka.
Cats' death scene comes in the third act
Dramas are usually played out in three acts. By that measure, the 2008 AFL grand final was over early.
Dazzling day when Hawks had red-hot Dip
The 1989 grand final had so much more than just Ablett and Brereton heroics.
The wisdom of Buddha
Few grand finals can match the brilliance or courage that was on
display in 1989.
Footy remains alive and kicking in Tassie
The game is part of the conversation that forms the general hum of life in Tasmania.
The Rocket ship
The Bulldogs' coaching panel, in Rodney Eade's words, "started
talking" about tonight's preliminary final against Geelong last
weekend.
Rocket's salad days
Rodney Eade likens the game played from the coaching box to chess
"except you have to do it instantly".
Tick-tick-tick, talented Hawks may explode
Geelong is purring along very nicely, but beware the Hawks- and then there's Collingwood....
A game of our own
Only Victorian teams remain in the 2008 AFL final series after the Western Bulldogs squeezed out a 37-point win over Sydney last night at the MCG.
Keeping the Bulldog dream alive
Bulldogs president David Smorgon talks to Martin Flanagan about his
mission at Whitten Oval.
Marty time
Playing a foreign game in front of 98,000 people does not make
Irishman Martin Clarke nervous, but Melbourne traffic does.
If Tom Wills would, then shouldn't we, too?
Australian football has many unsung and forgotten heroes, and like Tom Wills their story is finally being told.
The test of Wills, his legacy lives on
The foundations of the game were created by a sporting tragic. His name was Tom Wills.
Football ebbs and flows with tide of society
Australian football is, like the world we live in, a work in progress.
Bagging Eddie is not all black and white
OK, he's Collingwood president and oft-times an easy target, but don't be too hasty to condemn the man.
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