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About Martin Blake
About Martin Blake
Martin Blake is a vastly experienced sports journalist with The Age, who has covered every VFL/AFL season since 1986. A former sports editor and chief cricket writer for the newspaper, Blake is currently golf writer and a senior sports writer. In more than 20 years in The Age sports department, Blake has covered two Olympics and various Commonwealth Games.
In one sentence, a departing coach shows he's moved on
James Brayshaw told Dean Laidley that he did not want it to be a circus and hence, the rush to formalise it before the media.
In the Nick of team
St Kilda is a multi-headed monster for opponents to confront and
the Saints are benefiting individually from collective effort.
Mid-season review
How your club has gone so far in 2009, and where it will finish by its end.
When push turns to shove
Only a select few can understand the hurt that comes with being shown the door as an AFL coach.
The making of Hayes
Lenny Hayes' 200 games follow Robert Harvey's example.
Small is beautiful
Robin Nahas is further proof that little men can play AFL.
Saints: survival of the fittest
The in-form Saints discover if you want to fly, you must first learn to squat.
Barry's swansong now likely as the ring beckons
Hall's demise started with his 2006 grand final failure.
Zac's back
Three years after his first very public humiliation on a football field, Zac Dawson may be on the verge of the ultimate redemption.
New Saint can start polishing his halo after impressive effort
Farren Ray was never known for conspicuous courage at Whitten Oval, but none of these things is black and white, no matter what you might have heard in all the kerfuffle about Josh Fraser.
Ablett's precious medal
Gary Ablett's scintillating early-season form has scarcely gone unnoticed by punters and bookmakers.
Lucas far from finished say Dons
The obvious part is that Scott Lucas has been superb for Essendon over 13 seasons. The question is whether it can continue into a 14th season or beyond.
Swans look to plan A, B and C to counter Judd effect
Here is a snapshot of what it's like to coach against a team containing the great Chris Judd.
The roughie
What are the odds that a bench-warming SANFL forward and aspiring golf pro would become the AFL's benchmark backman?
Kirk charged for ump contact
Sydney co-captain Brett Kirk has a date with the AFL tribunal to explain contact with an umpire.
Rushed behind rule deemed a success
The AFL hails the start of the new rushed behind rule as a success, while warning that more time is needed to make a full assessment.
Umpires get the all-clear from AFL
Collingwood's whinge about umpiring is dismissed by the AFL before it materialises into a formal complaint.
McLeod and his flock make a point at the 'G
Appropriately, the last kick of a tough, slogging game in autumn heat at the MCG came off the boot of Andrew McLeod.
Pressure ramps up at Richmond
Richmond coach Terry Wallace has admitted the Tigers are "under the microscope" after a devastating 83-point defeat by Carlton.
Sorry start to the year for Tigers of old
For Richmond, autumn's optimism has gone before the leaves on the trees around the MCG even began to turn.
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