Martin Flanagan has finished up at The Age. I really hope he continues his footy writing elsewhere, he has such a beautiful gift for making you feel like you're there witnessing the sights, sounds and smells of being at the footy.

The power of the game, and its people, make me forget about everything else in the world

A great talent, doubt he will lie dormant for too long.

Fair dinkum unbelievable.

There's really not much reason for me to read the Age any more these days. The sports section was just about the last thing left but without its better writers, Quayle, Connolly and Flanagan, all that's left is a couple of cricket journos and Caro who is not much chop on a number of levels IMO.

RIP The Age

56 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Fair dinkum unbelievable.

There's really not much reason for me to read the Age any more these days. The sports section was just about the last thing left but without its better writers, Quayle, Connolly and Flanagan, all that's left is a couple of cricket journos and Caro who is not much chop on a number of levels IMO.

RIP The Age

Funnily enough I filled in an unsolicited questionnaire from them yesterday; all of their questions were to do with how they could add to my subscription experience.  My answers were all to do with them improving their reporting and journalism whereas I get the distinct impression they were wanting to offer me free tickets to events.  The marketing department have taken over the assylum from the looks of things.  My final comment was "make a better paper and the rest doesn't matter!"

Edited June 9, 20178 yr by Salems Lot

1 hour ago, Redbeard said:

Martin Flanagan has finished up at The Age. I really hope he continues his footy writing elsewhere, he has such a beautiful gift for making you feel like you're there witnessing the sights, sounds and smells of being at the footy.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-power-of-the-game-and-its-people-make-me-forget-about-everything-else-in-the-world-20170609-gwnxdt.html

 

Sad day for journalism. Martin was always one of the writers I looked up to when I studied. His emotive feature pieces were second to none.

Sincerely hope he is not lost to football altogether. 

Edited June 9, 20178 yr by Scythe

Here's a story he wrote about my dad.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-beer-with-dummy-puts-sport-in-glorious-perspective-20140501-zr2lu.html

Surely will be hard to keep a good man down.

He'll bob up

1 hour ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Fair dinkum unbelievable.

There's really not much reason for me to read the Age any more these days. The sports section was just about the last thing left but without its better writers, Quayle, Connolly and Flanagan, all that's left is a couple of cricket journos and Caro who is not much chop on a number of levels IMO.

RIP The Age

You beat me to the punch here WJ, 3 of the more interesting footy/sport writers gone from the Age in the last 6 months! Add Peter Hanlon to that list sometime last year and Jesse Hogan with his cricket articles due to medical reasons...

Wonder if they give Leaping Larry L's column the old heave ho as well, he's about the interesting writer left, albeit in an abbreviated humorous column rather than full blown journalism.

At barely 40 pages most days, and an exorbitant cover charge daily, it's getting harder to justify it.

His pieces on "everything", not just footy were the highlight of my week.

I hope the Age recognise this in some way.

Gee, I'm already down to just the weekend papers and now this. My weekend is complete if i have read Messrs Flanagan, Wright and Silvester. I'll buy any publication Flanagan may write for, he can't be done yet. 

Some writers are able to convey fact, truth (yes, they are different), grace, challenge, defiance, passion, and a whole lot more with a lyrical metre that makes other writers appear as articulate as Pauline Hanson. And it is difficult to do it in journalism. Flanagan was able to - he was a writer, and made reading pleasure. Of all the people to go under, they get rid of an actual writer. Very sad. I can't wait to see where he appears next.

This line: "In the Australia I grew up in, people didn't say much about what really mattered to them." This is the Australia I remember as a kid. Not perfect, far from it, but days when most people spoke less and the pop culture was not the main communication stream of the day. Flanagan writes for a different era - I wonder if that is why he is being moved on. 

And yet Slobbo and Caroline Wilson keep on going ad infinitum 

2 hours ago, Deevolution said:

Here's a story he wrote about my dad.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-beer-with-dummy-puts-sport-in-glorious-perspective-20140501-zr2lu.html

Dummy or Gypsey? 

3 hours ago, Deevolution said:

Here's a story he wrote about my dad.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-beer-with-dummy-puts-sport-in-glorious-perspective-20140501-zr2lu.html

your dad is james hird?

4 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Fair dinkum unbelievable.

There's really not much reason for me to read the Age any more these days. The sports section was just about the last thing left but without its better writers, Quayle, Connolly and Flanagan, all that's left is a couple of cricket journos and Caro who is not much chop on a number of levels IMO.

RIP The Age

Greg Baum

General belief on this thread is that Flanagan will pick up work elsewhere.  So, a top journo being pushed out of one gig, but expected to land another.

Now what thread have I read that on lately?

41 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

your dad is james hird?

I'd have gone with SOS or Stinky?

Thanks Flanners. They've been great reading, particularly those about our Dees.

Flanners is a rare one. He won't be left wanting for places to publish. He may even get to writing books again. I dare say there's a Booker-winner in him like his brother's. I had a painting exhibition a few years ago, within which I had painted a series of Tom Wills themed pieces. I had read Flanners' novel The Call, a fictionalisation of the Tom Wills story (everyone here should), and got in touch with him to ask if he'd consider opening my exhibition with a bit of chat about Tom Wills. He accepted the invite without baulking, and left everyone at the opening believing Tommy Wills was the great forgotten hero of Australian history, sporting and otherwise. You would too if you heard his passion for the man and his legacy. I sold all bar one of the Wills paintings (the one with Ned Kelly in it - pretender) and gave Flanners a painting I hadn't exhibited as thanks. I reckon he's the great Melbourne sports writer of our time, and not for disappearing. 

I'm pretty pee'd off by this news, Flanagan is a master of the English language and I will miss him.

The Age is in decline but what alternative is there? The Hun and Aus are simply mouthpieces for Murdoch's extreme libertarian views, with the former little more than a comic book and the latter intellectually warped in its pursuit of any media outside the Murdoch purview.

At least Ross Gittins, Peter Martin and Mark Kenny are still (I hope) with Fairfax. Otherwise may I with respect recommend The Conversation. It's an online journal hosted by a number of academic institutions and the place where you can read Michelle Grattan. Excellent analysis today of the Finkel Review and a piece on proposed changes to sport anti siphoning laws.

17 minutes ago, Dee Dee said:

I'm pretty pee'd off by this news, Flanagan is a master of the English language and I will miss him.

The Age is in decline but what alternative is there? The Hun and Aus are simply mouthpieces for Murdoch's extreme libertarian views, with the former little more than a comic book and the latter intellectually warped in its pursuit of any media outside the Murdoch purview.

At least Ross Gittins, Peter Martin and Mark Kenny are still (I hope) with Fairfax. Otherwise may I with respect recommend The Conversation. It's an online journal hosted by a number of academic institutions and the place where you can read Michelle Grattan. Excellent analysis today of the Finkel Review and a piece on proposed changes to sport anti siphoning laws.

On previous post I mentioned The Saturday paper.

Wouldnt be surprised if Flanagan is seen there as he is a wonderful writer. 

Hope that happens as sport is the one area they struggle

2 minutes ago, dpositive said:

On previous post I mentioned The Saturday paper.

Wouldnt be surprised if Flanagan is seen there as he is a wonderful writer. 

Hope that happens as sport is the one area they struggle

Yes, The Saturday Paper would suit Flanagan perfectly, and for general articles, not just sport.

For those looking for somewhere else to get their footy fix try 'The Roar'.  Writers are not well known names but in the main they do a very good job of reporting without the fanboy stuff.  They also are not at the behest of the AFL or dominating owner/editors.

Link http://www.theroar.com.au/category/aussie-rules/

Thanks Martin,

Have loved your work over the years. 

I look forward to reading your next piece - wherever that happens to be. 

 

I met/sat with Martin at the footy a couple of years ago. Friend of a friend. I'm sure it will come as no surprise that he's a ripping bloke.