Snap Shot: Drumming up the Magpies' theme song
Snap Shot is a weekly column taking a look at the lighter side of football.
When on the road, wins need to be celebrated in style, particularly when form has been an issue.
So a few Collingwood football staff decided to ramp up the singing of the post-match theme song on Monday night after the team returned to the winner's list when they beat North Melbourne at the Gabba.
The Pies clap their fans after beating North on Monday night.Credit:Getty Images
Long-time football department staffer Marcus Wagner perched himself behind an upturned drum before the players entered the rooms while performance analyst Jess Burger packed some jingle sticks, sharing one with player welfare manager Chris Dixon.
The trio weren't exactly Crosby, Stills and Nash, but they certainly added a vibe to the famous theme song. Wagner was banging the drum as though he was Jack Costanzo, while Burger and Dixon casually provided a backdrop to the players' singing, rattling their jingle sticks like back-up musicians.
"Wagner, Burger and Dixon" has a ring to it and in this crazy season anything is worth doing to keep spirits up and break the routine.
Let it happen
While Snap Shot is talking music, we couldn't let this Instagram post from Tame Impala, the wondrous band from WA with musical genius Kevin Parker at the helm, go by.
Parker was perched at Optus Stadium watching the rejuvenated Dockers play Sydney on Saturday night, the most famous Parker associated with the club since 200-gamer Shane retired in 2007.
"Freo for Life" was the comment from the all-conquering band about the club that once had Eskimo Joe write their theme song.
Tame Impala, hey. Wouldn't be bad grand final entertainment?
Let it happen.
Fight in the old Dogs yet...
As for entertainment, seeing Luke Beveridge shadow box during his pre-game address to players before the Melbourne game was hard to beat.
Beveridge later explained that on Friday he showed the players a 1958 fight between American Archie Moore and Canadian Yvon Durelle when Moore was on the canvas three times in the opening round before getting up and winning the bout in the 11th.
Of course Beveridge, who turned 50 on Sunday, loves to theme games, having once used Willy Wonka's gobstopper moment as inspiration for his group and, of course, drawing on a children's book Salty Dogs to help guide the team to their drought-breaking 2016 flag.
This time the subject was Moore, who actually fought in Australia in March 1940 just miles from the Western Oval at West Melbourne Stadium (the old Festival Hall), taking on the local Jack McNamee.
He was unbeaten in seven bouts in 1940 (with controversy surrounding his Hobart fight) including wins over champion Australian fighter Ron Richards and Fred Henneberry.
Of course Richards and Henneberry were compatriots of former Bulldog and boxing legend Ambrose Palmer, who played 83 matches for Footscray. In between, Palmer fought and beat Richards and Henneberry but never had the chance to fight Moore as he was lining up for the Bulldogs during that 1940 period.