I have been meaning to write this for a few weeks now after a conversation with one of the girls that went like this.

I'm watching the footy.

What is footy?

The football, Aussie rules.

Oh, I do not like football. I like the hockey.

Now I'm guessing she meant European Football or as Aussies call it "Soccer" And by hockey she meant Ice Hockey. Now no one can ever really have any respect for a game where the slightest brush past, bump or clash causes a player to writhe around on the ground in agony until a penalty is called.

And you have to admire the hockey players for the way they go about their brutal sport, even if the do seem to wear lots of padding, but ice is hard to land on and they have sticks to belt each other with.

So Miss @ivylina this is Aussie Rules or AFL.

Aussie Rules is the oldest of the football codes, with the first rules being formalised in the 1860's

Aussie Rules is the least regimented of the football codes. The ball can be passed any player in any direction. It's hard to compare it to other sports tbh, but the basics are simple enough - players move the ball by carrying, kicking or punching the ball to each other. Kicking the ball through the middle two posts on one end is worth 6 points, either side is 1 point. You can tackle the ball-carrier between the knees and shoulders, if you bring them down before they can get rid of the ball legally a penalty is paid against the tackled player. If you catch a kicked ball on the full it is called a Mark and a free kick is awarded, and this is probably the most spectacular aspect of the game.

Ok so maybe you are more into the rough stuff. Hard tackles, heavy bumps, the occasional fight, the odd unconsious player laying on the ground grasping at the air and the blood.

The Rough Stuff.

Now the game doesn't revolve around fighting. There is a huge amount of skill involved in kicking, handballing and marking. And while play can often be discribed as scrappy, but when the field opens up and the structures fall into place the ball can be quickly moved from one end of the ground to the other with surprising speed and grace.

I would be amazed if anyone has made it this far but if you have here's a doco put together by the AFL explaining the history, rules and the teams of the Australian Football League.

C'arn the Tigers!

Alas the season it at an end, with jus the Semi Finals and the Grand Final to be played.

But there does seem to be full games on You Tube if you are at all interested.

Thanks for reading this far

Adrian :)