Oddie - The off-broadway sporting news of the region

Aug 19, 2021

Oddie — the sporting variety anyway — has taken a back seat recently.

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Oddball finds after watching 90 minutes of press conferences every morning, there is not much time left in the day to scour the region for alternative sporting news.

But there has certainly been plenty happening.

Taxi! Taxi?

When a message on your work phone starts by telling you it was received at 2.45am on Sunday, you brace yourself for a blistering rant from an inebriated local sporting fan.

But when the reality is a local coach calling the wrong number for a taxi — but not listening to the voicemail lead-in and ordering the taxi anyway — all you can do is laugh.

Oddie hopes they got home safely.

Just a bit of history repeating?

Shepparton's Chris Connolly had football fans in raptures last week during his appearance on The Front Bar.

But one particular story caught Oddie's attention.

Connolly's recollection of the famous “Sirengate” game between Fremantle and St Kilda in Tasmania comes coincidentally ahead of another clash between the Dockers and Saints this weekend.

And where has that game been moved to? The Apple Isle of course.

Oddie will bet the ground attendants have the volume turned right up on the siren this time around — even though it is at a different venue.

Kuol beats Bol

The country fell in love with Peter Bol during the Tokyo Olympics — with his run in the 800m final watched by seemingly all of us.

But Oddie has kept following Bol's journey — all the way to Alou Kuol's lounge room on the other side of the world.

Kuol and Bol caught up ahead of the latter's recent win in Poland — over one of the runners who finished in front of him in Tokyo — but there was no mercy from the host when it came to their FIFA battle.

Kuol put 10 past Bol and kept a clean sheet — as he has done to many Shepparton locals in head-to-head FIFA clashes in the past — but it clearly didn't affect Bol's morale.

Look on the Brightside

Jack Riewoldt is well-known for his post grand final celebration of storming the stage and singing Mr Brightside with The Killers.

So when he played his 300th game for Richmond against Brisbane last month, the video was replayed all over social media.

Oddie thinks the build-up inspired another Mr Brightside — trained by Lindsay Park duo Ben and JD Hayes — to victory that same day at Geelong.

It was good energies all around when the Tigers then defeated the Lions that night.

Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame profiles

Third induction ceremony of Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame stars looms large on the horizon

Sports Hall of Fame - Sam Brown

Sports Hall of Fame - Connor Holland

Sports Hall of Fame - Alan Rossignoli

Sports Hall of Fame - Xavier Russell

Sports Hall of Fame - Aiden Blizzard