The Game of Their Lives
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
The Game of Their Lives
By (Author) Nick Richardson
Pan Macmillan Australia
Macmillan Australia
28th June 2016
Australia
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Elections and referenda / suffrage
History of sport
First World War
Military history
General and world history
796.3360922
Commended for FAW Excellence in Non-fiction Literature Award 2017 (Australia)
Physical Properties
Paperback
352
Width 155mm, Height 232mm, Spine 26mm
512g
Description
"One of the strongest statements on the horror and futility of war I have ever read." David Williamson, screenwriter of Gallipoli As the Great War raged in 1916, two teams of Australian soldiers played an Australian Rules football match in London. It was the first time the world had seen our national game. But this was more than an exhibition match. It symbolised sport's role in driving young athletes to enlist and fight. The players came from every corner of the country - some of them stars in the VFL or champions in their city or state leagues. For all of them it was a chance to forget blood and battle and simply play, a final kick of the footy before the Western Front, from where some would never return. Now, 100 years on, Nick Richardson rekindles an incredible moment in our history and pays tribute to the men who played The Game of Their Lives. MORE PRAISE FOR THE GAME OF THEIR LIVES "One of the great untold stores of Australian football history...compelling ...inspiring and poignant ...a must read." Glenn McFarlane, Herald Sun "A remarkable book that conveys the Anzac spirt in the most Australian of ways." Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial "This book will teach you that the heat of battle in Origin, or the nerves before a grand final at the MCG, are nothing compared to the pressure sportsmen faced to enlist in WWI via the wide-held belief that athletic competition prepared players for war. It's a superb tribute to the men placed in such a dreadful situation."Inside Sport
Author Bio
Nick Richardson has been a journalist for three decades and has worked on newspapers and magazines in Australia and England. He has been a Margaret George fellow at the National Archives of Australia and a research fellow at the Australian Prime Ministers Centre. Nick has a PhD in history from the University of Melbourne and is adjunct professor of journalism at La Trobe University. He lives in Melbourne with his family.
