Post by PeterB on May 8, 2006 1:26:03 GMT -4
Good old Collingwood for ever,
They know how to play the game.
Side by side they stick together,
To uphold the Magpie name…
I’m a happy little camper today, as my football team, the Collingwood Magpies, is on top of the AFL ladder at the moment. Yes, there are still many games to go until the finals, but it’s still a pleasant feeling to see my team play so well.
Of course, for those of you for whom Australian Rules Football is something of a mystery, my joy might not be very infectious. So I dare say I’d better provide a bit of an explanation for your benefit.
Australian Rules Football, or Aussie Rules, is the locally developed version of football. Its rules were first written down in the 1850s, although the game has changed a lot since then. It was originally designed to provide a game to keep cricketers fit during winter, and thus took advantage of empty cricket ovals by using the whole oval for the game, rather than restricting the game to a rectangle in the middle.
Aussie Rules is played by two teams of 18 players, with each team allowed another four players on the interchange bench. Players can be swapped from the interchange bench as often as the coach wishes, but play doesn’t stop for these interchanges. The game is played in four quarters of 20 minutes, with time added on for stoppages. Only the timekeepers known officially how much time is left, and they’re off the ground. This can make the end of close games particularly tense, as no one knows exactly how much time is left.
Teams score points by moving the ball through the four goalposts at each end of the ground. If the attacking team kicks the ball through the two central posts, they score a goal, worth 6 points. If the ball passes between an outer post and the nearer inner post, it’s a behind, worth 1 point. Likewise, if the ball is punched through any pair of posts, or hits one of the central posts, or is moved through by the defending team, the score is 1 point.
To move the ball around the ground, players can kick it, hand pass it or run with it.
If you catch the ball on the full from a kick which travelled at least 15 metres, you can claim a mark (like a fair catch in American Football or a mark in Rugby Union), then take your kick without interference. Marking is one of the great highlights of Aussie Rules, and most of the great photos of the game are of marking contests, as either packs or individuals fly through the air to grab at the ball.
To handpass the ball, you hold the ball in the palm of one hand and punch it with the clenched fist of the other hand. Of course, the player receiving the handpass must play on immediately.
Players running with the ball must touch it to the ground every 10 metres. On wet days, this means leaning over to physically touch the ball to the ground. But on most occasions, players throw the ball to the ground at such an angle that it bounces back into their hands.
While the ball is live, opposition players may attempt to tackle the player with the ball. Tackles must be laid between the knees and the shoulders. If tackled, the player with the ball must immediately dispose of the ball legally.
Unlike some other forms of football, Aussie Rules allows for a limited amount of interference with players not in possession of the ball. A player is allowed to use his hip and shoulder, or his arms, to block the progress of opposition players, but only as long as the ball is within 5 metres.
The nature of Aussie Rules is such that the ball is often buried under a scrum of bodies. In these cases, the field umpire stops play and restarts play by throwing it in the air for opposing players to contest (as in basketball games).
The player in possession is penalised if he: runs too far without bouncing the ball; doesn’t get rid of the ball when tackled; or kicks the ball out of bounds on the full. The player not in possession will be penalised if he: tackles a player too low or too high; tackles a player without the ball; or interferes with a player attempting to take possession of the ball, without attempting to do so himself. Serious infringements may attract a 50 metre penalty (effectively worth a kick downfield).
At the start of each quarter (again, sort of like basketball games), and after each goal is scored, play restarts in the centre. One of the field umpires throws the ball up in the centre circle, and each team is allowed one man within 3 metres (IIRC) of the ball. Each team is also allowed only three other players in the centre square (50 metres a side) until the ball is thrown up.
After a behind is scored, the defending team kicks the ball back into play from the goal square, in front of the two main goal posts.
There are a few more rules, but it’s probably easier to learn by watching a game on whichever satellite TV station brings it to your part of the world.
Aussie Rules is a wonderfully subjective game. Whenever a player is tackled, both sides’ supporters will call out for a free kick for their side, and roundly abuse the umpire if they don’t get it. Both sides’ supporters will also freely abuse the umpires when they give decisions the wrong way (that is, against their own team), but cheer loudly if the free kick goes their way.
A good game will see each team score about 15 goals, for a total score of around 100 points. However, if both sides play defensively, scores can drop to half that.
Although developed in Australia, the game has been introduced around the world, initially by expatriates, but increasingly by locals. There are local leagues in Canada, the USA, Ireland, the UK, Denmark, South Africa, New Guinea, Japan, New Zealand and Nauru, at least. The AFL has even run a couple of mini World Cups, with teams of locals from these countries competing over the course of a week, with a grand final played at the massive Melbourne Cricket Ground as a curtain raiser to an AFL game. I forget who won, but it shows that the game is gaining popularity overseas. So far, two Irish men have played in the AFL, while one club has recently trialled a Japanese player in a pre-season game.
When sides don’t get too defensive, Aussie Rules is a spectacular game to watch, especially live. Unlike American Football, the action is constant, and all players get to handle the ball regularly. Unlike Soccer, teams score plenty of goals, and there’s a lot of physical action to keep the crowds happy. Unlike Rugby League and Rugby Union, the ball travels around the ground a lot, and it’s hard for a side to dominate possession. Instead, you have a game of constant action, with long kicks, high marks, and hard physical contact. What more could a football fan want? Except for your team to lead the competition, I suppose!
Good old Collingwood for ever,
They know how to play the game.
Side by side they stick together
To uphold the Magpie name.
See, the barrackers are shouting,
As all barrackers should.
Oh, the premiership’s a cakewalk
For the good old Collingwood.
If you’d like some more information and links about Aussie Rules (like how ex-AFL players have been getting positions as punters for teams in the NFL in the USA), Wikipedia has a good article with lots of links: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football
They know how to play the game.
Side by side they stick together,
To uphold the Magpie name…
I’m a happy little camper today, as my football team, the Collingwood Magpies, is on top of the AFL ladder at the moment. Yes, there are still many games to go until the finals, but it’s still a pleasant feeling to see my team play so well.
Of course, for those of you for whom Australian Rules Football is something of a mystery, my joy might not be very infectious. So I dare say I’d better provide a bit of an explanation for your benefit.
Australian Rules Football, or Aussie Rules, is the locally developed version of football. Its rules were first written down in the 1850s, although the game has changed a lot since then. It was originally designed to provide a game to keep cricketers fit during winter, and thus took advantage of empty cricket ovals by using the whole oval for the game, rather than restricting the game to a rectangle in the middle.
Aussie Rules is played by two teams of 18 players, with each team allowed another four players on the interchange bench. Players can be swapped from the interchange bench as often as the coach wishes, but play doesn’t stop for these interchanges. The game is played in four quarters of 20 minutes, with time added on for stoppages. Only the timekeepers known officially how much time is left, and they’re off the ground. This can make the end of close games particularly tense, as no one knows exactly how much time is left.
Teams score points by moving the ball through the four goalposts at each end of the ground. If the attacking team kicks the ball through the two central posts, they score a goal, worth 6 points. If the ball passes between an outer post and the nearer inner post, it’s a behind, worth 1 point. Likewise, if the ball is punched through any pair of posts, or hits one of the central posts, or is moved through by the defending team, the score is 1 point.
To move the ball around the ground, players can kick it, hand pass it or run with it.
If you catch the ball on the full from a kick which travelled at least 15 metres, you can claim a mark (like a fair catch in American Football or a mark in Rugby Union), then take your kick without interference. Marking is one of the great highlights of Aussie Rules, and most of the great photos of the game are of marking contests, as either packs or individuals fly through the air to grab at the ball.
To handpass the ball, you hold the ball in the palm of one hand and punch it with the clenched fist of the other hand. Of course, the player receiving the handpass must play on immediately.
Players running with the ball must touch it to the ground every 10 metres. On wet days, this means leaning over to physically touch the ball to the ground. But on most occasions, players throw the ball to the ground at such an angle that it bounces back into their hands.
While the ball is live, opposition players may attempt to tackle the player with the ball. Tackles must be laid between the knees and the shoulders. If tackled, the player with the ball must immediately dispose of the ball legally.
Unlike some other forms of football, Aussie Rules allows for a limited amount of interference with players not in possession of the ball. A player is allowed to use his hip and shoulder, or his arms, to block the progress of opposition players, but only as long as the ball is within 5 metres.
The nature of Aussie Rules is such that the ball is often buried under a scrum of bodies. In these cases, the field umpire stops play and restarts play by throwing it in the air for opposing players to contest (as in basketball games).
The player in possession is penalised if he: runs too far without bouncing the ball; doesn’t get rid of the ball when tackled; or kicks the ball out of bounds on the full. The player not in possession will be penalised if he: tackles a player too low or too high; tackles a player without the ball; or interferes with a player attempting to take possession of the ball, without attempting to do so himself. Serious infringements may attract a 50 metre penalty (effectively worth a kick downfield).
At the start of each quarter (again, sort of like basketball games), and after each goal is scored, play restarts in the centre. One of the field umpires throws the ball up in the centre circle, and each team is allowed one man within 3 metres (IIRC) of the ball. Each team is also allowed only three other players in the centre square (50 metres a side) until the ball is thrown up.
After a behind is scored, the defending team kicks the ball back into play from the goal square, in front of the two main goal posts.
There are a few more rules, but it’s probably easier to learn by watching a game on whichever satellite TV station brings it to your part of the world.
Aussie Rules is a wonderfully subjective game. Whenever a player is tackled, both sides’ supporters will call out for a free kick for their side, and roundly abuse the umpire if they don’t get it. Both sides’ supporters will also freely abuse the umpires when they give decisions the wrong way (that is, against their own team), but cheer loudly if the free kick goes their way.
A good game will see each team score about 15 goals, for a total score of around 100 points. However, if both sides play defensively, scores can drop to half that.
Although developed in Australia, the game has been introduced around the world, initially by expatriates, but increasingly by locals. There are local leagues in Canada, the USA, Ireland, the UK, Denmark, South Africa, New Guinea, Japan, New Zealand and Nauru, at least. The AFL has even run a couple of mini World Cups, with teams of locals from these countries competing over the course of a week, with a grand final played at the massive Melbourne Cricket Ground as a curtain raiser to an AFL game. I forget who won, but it shows that the game is gaining popularity overseas. So far, two Irish men have played in the AFL, while one club has recently trialled a Japanese player in a pre-season game.
When sides don’t get too defensive, Aussie Rules is a spectacular game to watch, especially live. Unlike American Football, the action is constant, and all players get to handle the ball regularly. Unlike Soccer, teams score plenty of goals, and there’s a lot of physical action to keep the crowds happy. Unlike Rugby League and Rugby Union, the ball travels around the ground a lot, and it’s hard for a side to dominate possession. Instead, you have a game of constant action, with long kicks, high marks, and hard physical contact. What more could a football fan want? Except for your team to lead the competition, I suppose!
Good old Collingwood for ever,
They know how to play the game.
Side by side they stick together
To uphold the Magpie name.
See, the barrackers are shouting,
As all barrackers should.
Oh, the premiership’s a cakewalk
For the good old Collingwood.
If you’d like some more information and links about Aussie Rules (like how ex-AFL players have been getting positions as punters for teams in the NFL in the USA), Wikipedia has a good article with lots of links: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football