Teh Australian Rules Football Thread

[LordShiva]

There was nothing interesting on TV (except for this show on National Geographic HD about hyenas vs. lions vs. rhino calves, but there was too much blood and I was eating dinner), so I flipped through to find an AFL game, Collingwood vs. Essindon. Looks like fun, and I kind of figured out teh rules (6 points for goals, 1 if for teh fake goal, you get to keep teh ball if you catch a kick, etc.). What else about teh game is interesting? They were playing at teh MCG, which is rather big; how many players per side? Etc...

[finbar]

A team of eighteen on the field at any one time, an interchange bench of four. No limit on the number of interchanges during a game.

The game is divided into four 25-minute quarters with time-on - time when play has been stopped for whatever reason - added to each quarter.

There are 16 teams in the AFL competition - Australia-wide - with a season consisting of 22 rounds plus a lengthy, very complicated finals series.

Six points for a goal - kicked between the two highest posts - and one point for a kick between one of the higher posts and the shorter posts on either side. To score a goal, the ball has to be kicked over the line - a kick counting as the ball coming from anywhere below the knee - not punched or handled over the line. A point can be scored from a kick or the ball crossing the line by any means. Including the opposition taking it over the line.

You can pass the ball forwards or backwards either by kicking or handballing - punching the ball with a closed fist from the other hand. You can't throw the ball or hand it to a teammate.

You can run with the ball providing you bounce it - or touch it to the ground - at least every 15 metres.

Rule infringements result in a free kick to the opposition.

The ball can be caught - or "marked" - from a kick that has travelled at least 15 metres without either touching the ground or another player. A mark entitles the player who has taken the mark to (what amounts to) a free kick, unharassed by the opposition.

A player caught in possession of the ball - other than a marking situation - has to dispose of the ball immediately, legally - by kick or handball, or a free kick is paid to the tackler.

Players can be physically tackled only above the knees and below the shoulders and cannot be pushed in the back or tripped.

The MCG - Melbourne Cricket Ground - is traditionally where many of the finals series matches and the Grand Final is played. It used to hold 110,000+. These days, after rebuilding work, and for safety reasons, the capacity is a bit less than 100,000.

Essendon -v- Collingwood is one of the traditional grudge matches.

The game originated in the 1850s, but no one knows its exact origins. It has elements in common with Irish Gaelic football.

Pity you didn't see a game prior to about five years ago. Before they turned it into a version of basketball.

Rugby Union is a vastly superior game.

[LordShiva]

Turned it into a version of basketball? Because of teh ball bouncing thing?

What's teh difference between Rugby Union and Rugby League, anyway?

[finbar]

No, the ball always had to be bounced or touched to the ground when carrying it. The change was in the way the game is played. Formerly, it was more structured, with specialist players in specialist positions, involving more one-on-one contests between forwards and backs (attackers and defenders). These days, the emphasis is on very mobile utility players swarming all over the ground in numbers, moving the ball forward, whatever the cost. A lot of the great individual skills have disappeared from the game.

Rugby League was an off-shoot from Rugby Union in the 1890s. League started as a professional game in the north of England while Union remained amateur (though it is now professional). League has 13 players, Union has 15. The fundamental difference is that, in League, a team has possession of the ball until they are tackled five times (provided they don't lose possession via an error). Before the sixth tackle, they have to dispose of the ball. Or score. Or the ball is given to the opposition. In Union, a team retains possession of the ball until either they lose it (via an error), or the opposition takes it from them.

Union is a much more complex game.

League fans would disagree.

[Lord Avalon]

Back in the day PASS Sports used to show Aussie Rules Football, although late in their run, they cut it to a weekly highlight show.

I haven't seen any matches for over a decade.

I didn't understand much about the game, but it was pretty cool to watch: the guys bouncing the football and catching it in stride; punching the ball for a pass; the way the umps in white coats indicated a goal or behind.

[LordShiva]

Teh umps wear yellow, now And no funny hats

[Tuberski]

ESPN used to run ARF back in the mid to late 80's. I fell in love with the game.

Now I never see it.

ACK!

[finbar]

Originally posted by LordShiva
Teh umps wear yellow, now And no funny hats

The field umpires wear different colours depending on the colours of the teams playing. In order to avoid colour confusion. They never wore hats. In days gone by, the field umpires wore all white. There was never any confusion. The change to coloured uniforms for umpires was made for, um, entertainment value.

The goal umpires - the guys who adjudge and signal the goals and points - still wear white, and used to wear white hats. No longer. They also used to wear long white dust coats. No longer.

[ColdWizard]

I occasionally manage to catch a game or highlights on a local Washington D.C. channel, but not lately :\

[LordShiva]

I caught it on MHz (teh "international" channel - Comcast, DC).

[ColdWizard]

Yup, WNVC. And according to their website, they moved it from weekends to monday evening, which explains why I've not caught it for a while >_>