PHIL BURFURD entered journalism at the Melbourne Herald 50 years ago. He wrote tennis and AFL football before becoming the inaugural editor of Australia’s first weekly national football newspaper, Inside Football.

He was chief football writer for the Sunday Observer during the 1970s before hanging up his pen to enter corporate life. He moved to Sydney more than 20 years ago and is now a professional sports fan. He follows NRL as well as AFL and has added Melbourne Storm and Melbourne Victory to the teams he follows.