Is this 6’7” African-American actually Australia’s most dedicated sports fan?
Hank Foster, 60, is a former professional basketball player who has found his sporting nirvana in Australia. Over the Easter long weekend, Foster attended six AFL games, an NRL game and two sessions of Sheffield Shield cricket on a trip from his home in NSW to Melbourne.
He started at Marvel Stadium where the Brisbane-Collingwood game was played after being moved from the Gabba. He was even sitting in the bay that Lions player Zac Bailey kicked the winning goal into after the final siren.
The next day he was at Marvel Stadium again where he witnessed the Western Bulldogs’ savage 128-point hammering of North Melbourne (“it was the biggest margin of victory I’ve ever seen — it was shockingly bad by the end,” Foster reports) before jumping on the No 70 tram to Rod Laver Arena and walking to AAMI Park to see the Storm thump the Broncos by 34 points that night.
On Saturday morning he woke up in his St Kilda hotel and headed to Junction Oval where Victoria was playing South Australia and watched the first session of the first day’s play before jumping on another tram to see his beloved Swans upset Richmond at the MCG.
“That was insane,” Foster said. “I don’t think anyone saw that coming — especially Richmond!”
He stayed to sing Sydney’s victory song and then it was quickly on to a train and back to Marvel where the Essendon-St Kilda game had already started.
The next day was a leisure day. Just the one game: Carlton v Fremantle. On Easter Monday he was back at Junction Oval for day three of the Shield game before he caught Geelong’s five-point thriller over Hawthorn at the MCG. Phew!
Not bad for a guy from Plainfield, New Jersey, who played pro basketball in England, Argentina and Paraguay but had never seen Australia’s Indigenous game until he caught some of it on ESPN one night.
“I remember the first time I ever saw AFL on TV it was the guy in the white hat and long coat signalling a goal,” he tells us. “I thought, ‘if I ever get to Australia I’ve got to check that game out’.”
He moved here in 1993 and went to his first game — Footscray-Carlton — in 1995. It’s become something of an obsession ever since and he estimates his tally is well over the 200 mark.
His only regret? He never got to play it himself. “My knees are no good now but I think I could’ve been OK at it.”
The battlers’ prince
Our eyes widened this week when the TAB listed the battling Bulldogs at $12 in their head-to-head market to beat reigning premier Melbourne at Stadium Australia on Saturday evening. It’s the largest odds offered so far in what has been a lopsided start to the NRL season.
But it’s not even close to the competition record. That honour goes to the Western Suburbs side of 1999 which started at $31 against the Storm in round 24 at Olympic Park in Melbourne. The Magpies were given a 42.5-point start by the bookies that day which they at least covered in a 44-14 defeat.
Wests were on a nine-match losing streak that ended up being 11. Melbourne had beaten them 62-6 in Perth earlier in the year and went on to win the club’s first premiership.
The poor old Magpies won only three matches on the way to the wooden spoon before being merged with the Balmain Tigers at end of season. And who was their coach that year? The battlers’ prince, Tommy Raudonikis, who oversaw the final days of a club that was haunted by the pending merger with players and coaches unsure of their futures.
To say Tommy, who died aged 70 on Wednesday morning, was one of rugby league’s characters is something of an understatement. A man who stood by his club, even in its darkest days,
The tributes have flowed this week but one little memory from his days working on radio has stayed with us.
As they went from ground to ground to collate the live scores, a reporter mentioned his game was being played under a full moon. Then they crossed to Tommy at another venue. “You’re not going to believe this but it’s a full moon here as well!” Vale Tommy Terrific.
Early Giants at $46
What’s the longest odds offered in an AFL game, we hear you ask.
The Giants may have cracked the 2019 grand final but in the early years of their existence they were well out of their depth. Even Israel Folau was getting a game!
In round eight of the 2013 season, they were offered at $46 against Hawthorn, which was at $1.01. They lost by 83 points but at least covered the line at -101.5.
The young Giants had another three matches that season with odds above $20. GWS coach Leon Cameron might be struggling now but it’s been far worse.
Stat of the week
It’s long been feared that the modern, muscled golfer with the latest technology in his hands is making short work of golf’s greatest challenge — the par 5.
It’s supposed to take three shots to reach the green on a par 5 but Australian Golf Digest this week revealed only one par 5 in the 50 courses used on the US PGA Tour was unreachable in two shots last year.
The 623-yard (570m) fourth hole at Sea Island Resort’s Plantation course in Georgia was the only hole not reached in two on the PGA Tour last season but, considering American Bryson DeChambeau’s best drive is a 428-yarder, (albeit with the help of a friendly bounce and roll on a cart path) he is more than capable.
Based on his average yardage, the bulked-up American would need to hit a driver and a three-wood to make it.
Golf Digest’s research into America’s Top 100 courses discovered there was only one “untouchable” hole left on the list — the 675-yard 16th at The Olympic Club’s Lake Course at San Francisco, which has since been shaved back to play at 622 yards. Expect Bryson to make sure he reaches it the next time the Tour heads to Olympic.
Batting for homeless
With Steve Smith and Pat Cummins both eyeing his job it will be fascinating to hear what Tim Paine says when he takes to the stage for the fourth annual Chappell Foundation fundraising dinner at the SCG on May 12.
The Test captain from Tasmania has volunteered his time and talents and will appear in conversation with award-winning journalist Tracey Holmes.
The event features a who’s who of the sporting, business and media world — not least of them the Chappell brothers.
Last year’s guest, Ricky Ponting, obviously enjoyed himself and has got his partners at Ponting Wines to provide the refreshments for the evening.
It was as The Chappell Foundation dinner two years ago that businessman John Singleton pushed a note into Greg Chappell’s hand with a message scrawled on it which said that if the former Test captain turned up at his office during the week he’d write him a cheque for a million dollars.
The foundation supports homeless youth. It has been a hectic year for young people with the COVID-19 pandemic placing more pressure on struggling families.
Go to www.thechappellfoundation.com for more information.
BC’s tip of the week
Brendan Cormick says Miyake (Race 8, No 6) at Caulfield will be good value. Comes to the track off what looks on paper a disappointing first-up run, but should’ve finished much closer and has an exceptional second-up record.
mcloughlins@
theaustralian.com.au
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