Melbourne’s much beloved Community Cup is on this Sunday and Tone Deaf will be there with bells on as we ensure that you get all the thrills and spills, photos, commentary, streakers, punch ons behind play and the occasional bit of footy thrown in for good measure, Fred Negro, Tone Deaf’s resident cartoonist is President of the Espy Rockdogs, a position he has held since dinosaurs roamed the earth an used to come down to the Community Cup to pick up a few pissed players for their dinner millions of years ago.

We asked Fred for his thoughts on this year’s proceedings and what we could expect out of the day and his answer was clear as the mud that will no doubt be covering the players after the match – “the big winner on the day will be beer!” he enthusiastically declared.

After an unprecedented leak last year which may or may not have contributed to the RRR/PBS Megahertz stealing a last minute one point win the starting teams are being kept under wraps but we have been promised that details will be revealed exclusively to ToneDeaf later this afternoon, so look out for our Friday fun mailout for full team lineup details.

What we Can tell you is that Soul DJ Vince Peach will be wearing the coaching hat for the Megahertz (with his trusty assistant,  last year’s coach, presenter Neil Rogers); while Aussie rock god Dan Sultan and Jo Syme (Big Scary) will captain and vice-captain the Rockdogs respectively. Motormouth RRR brekkie presenter Jess McGuire and Maddy Mack will co-captain the Megahertz, with Lukie D and last year’s heroic goal kicker Stew Farell, who snared the Megahertz win, as their deputies.

Most importantly, the day is about rock n; roll as much as it is about footy, and the theme of this year’s match is ‘Do You Love Me’ in tribute to Melbourne music icon Nick Cave. Each of the bands playing will perform a Nick Cave cover in tribute to their goth overlord, and this year’s stonking lineup sees You Am I, Tumbleweed, The Rebelles, The Mercy Kills and SYN Free Kick competition winners Red Rockets of Borneo pumping out the pre-match, half time and post match entertainment. We can’t wait to see and hear You Am I rip in to ‘The Mercy Seat’.

The match also raises much needed money for charity partner Reclink, which is an organisation that uses sport and the arts to improve the lives of the most isolated and disadvantaged in the – those experiencing mental illness, disability, homelessness, substance abuse, addictions, and social and economic hardship.

A Tone Deaf tip – you can catch a train to Elsternwick station on the Sandringham line on Sunday, but alternative options are to get the 246 bus down Hoddle St/Punt Rd and Hotham Street to the game, or the 67 Carnegie tram down to Glenhuntly Rd.

Community Cup Playing Times

11am: Red Rockets of Borneo
12pm: The Mercy Kills
1pm: The Rebelles
1.55pm: Barry Morgan
2pm: Community Cup
Half time: Tumbleweed
Post match: You Am I

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