Australian Rules Football

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Twiggy
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Australian Rules Football

Post by Twiggy »

Any of you guys into it or even heard of it, being primarily of Brittish in nature?

I think I saw there's another Aussie in here, so if so, are you a fan?

Coming up on finals so I'm very pumped for it
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beowuuf
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Re: Australian Rules Football

Post by beowuuf »

Channel 4 used to show it in the mornings on saturday, but I could never figure out the differences between rugby and it, so never got into it.

Englighten me!
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Twiggy
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Re: Australian Rules Football

Post by Twiggy »

Well it's kinda like rugby, but more awesomer haha.

Hmm well how the hell to explain this game? The basic jist of it is there are 2 teams of 18 players (4 on the interchange). It's played on an oval roughly the same size as a general cricket field. If you've watched any cricket played on the MCG, the footy field comes to about the same area as where the ropes are brought in for the cricket boundry.

It's played with an oval ball, pretty similar to a rugby ball, however I think ours is slightly smaller and leather (It hurts a hell of a lot more to boot an afl ball on the whole haha).

The main objective of the game is to score more than the other team (Duh). Scoring is done by kicking between a set of 4 posts. There are 2 big posts in the middle (goals) and two smaller posts either side (points). If you kick it between the big uprights it's a goal (worth 6 points) and between one of the smaller point posts and goals, you get 1 point. Actually if you've watched any of the hybrid gaelic football played between Ireland and Australia, the scoring system is very similar, except there's no soccer/"football" net in the middle.

If you're in possession of the ball, you can run 15 meters with it, before you must either bounce the ball/touch it to the ground (then you can run another 15m), kick or handball (essentially holding the ball in the palm of one hand, and doing a punching motion to send it away) to a team mate. While you've got the ball players from the other team will try and get it off you, which they will do by tackling you (just like in rugby). If you get tackled and don't legally dispose of the ball, the other team gets a free kick.

There are a lot of littler nuonces (sp?) but that's the main guts of it. It's an incredibly fast and physical game - much faster than rugby, but probably slightly less physical.

I'm sure none of that made any sense so ask anything else lol


... On a side note though, very pumped for the Ashes later this year!
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beowuuf
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Re: Australian Rules Football

Post by beowuuf »

Ah, it was the 15m thing I never got. I wondered why people would stop and bounce it or throw it on/kick it on when there was no reason for it. I also wondered if you could pass forward what was the point. Now I get it. Cheers!
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Twiggy
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Re: Australian Rules Football

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Yeah I'm not sure why they had that rule initially, because it's pretty hard to bounce a ball while at full flight. Would of figured the guys making the rules way back when would of just gone "Bugger that...too hard. Just run with it"
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beowuuf
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Re: Australian Rules Football

Post by beowuuf »

I guess it forces the pause, and is less disruptive if you can do it right than having to stoop for the ball - especially if you have guys baring down on you
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oh_brother
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Re: Australian Rules Football

Post by oh_brother »

I like the international rules games, so probably I would like Australian rules. I kind of worked out how it goes, basically any rules that are not Gaelic must be Australian.

BTW the International Rules is back this year in October.
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Twiggy
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Re: Australian Rules Football

Post by Twiggy »

Yeah I really liked the International rules games....hopefully this one won't wind up in a mass melee so that it'll keep going :) I think our side got a hell of a lot better once they stopped picking the All-Australian team and picked guys who could actually play the different code
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