Will I ever understand AFL?

Having grown up in Queensland in the '60's and '70's I have been struggling to understand AFL, or VFL as it was when I first found out about its existence in 1978 when I joined the Army and was posted to South Autralia.

things that still puzzle me:

- How can you justify scoring six points for kicking the ball between two posts from 50 metres or more out when in a real man's game you have to actually carry the ball over the line and place it accurately on the ground to score only four points? I mean, they do not even have a crossbar to kick it over.

- It has to be the only game in the world where you get a point for missing, right?

- I thought the only game where you got a point for a behind was Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Ok, I admit the examples above are "tongue in cheek" to a certain extent, I really cannot understand getting a point for missing.

However there is one big thing that I do not understand at all - If you get penalized for a high tackle if you put your arm around the players neck, how come it is OK to put your knee into the side of a player's head if you are going for a mark, whether you take the mark or not. :oo: Surely the high tackle rule exists to protect the players' heads. Why is there not a similar rule to protect them from similar or potentially worse harm when recklessly marking?

Cheers

Doug

It's also the only football game in the world where a major score goal can be scored only off the foot (alright foot and lower leg). That's why its real foot ball and not place ball or carry ball or hand ball or head ball.

The knee in the back when taking a mark is interesting. I don't recall anyone having to come off the ground after such an incident but then again I would hardly call myself an aficionado of the game.

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Originally Posted by BobL

It's also the only football game in the world where a major score goal can be scored only off the foot (alright foot and lower leg). That's why its real foot ball and not place ball or carry ball or hand ball or head ball.

The knee in the back when taking a mark is interesting. I don't recall anyone having to come off the ground after such an incident but then again I would hardly call myself an aficionado of the game.

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They might only be able to score six points with their foot but they spend most of the game holding it or hitting it with their hands.

A knee in the back is one thing, but what prompted me ot make this post is a scene that was just replayed on the game the girlfriend is watching where a player had his shin on the shoulder of an opposing player and he drove his knee into that player's head as he tried to take the mark, but missed.

What do you call that? Tackling a player without the ball? A high tackle on a player without the ball? Dangerous play? Good sportsmanship? :oo:

Cheers

Doug

Doug ask Sally,

At the end of the month when your here she's a big Richmond fan loves them.


O and I mildly follow Collingwood
(Yes yes yes yes we won)

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Originally Posted by Simplicity

O and I mildly follow Collingwood
(Yes yes yes yes we won)

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By a point for missing? :?

She's still a bit sore on that one

In my view the greatest team won
(She will not be editing this for me lol)

Hi,
I can not understand any game where a bunch of silly humans chase a bag of wind around a field.
:?

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Originally Posted by doug3030

If you get penalized for a high tackle if you put your arm around the players neck, how come it is OK to put your knee into the side of a player's head if you are going for a mark, whether you take the mark or not. :oo:

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Because it looks good in the highlights reel. Keeps the fans coming back week in, week out. Keeps the game exciting and therefore alive and profitable etc etc.

The umpires can award a high tackle if the marker isn't anywhere close to the ball, jumps waaaaaay too early, or it kinda looks like he aimed his knees for the the back of the blokes head.

Footy is awesome.


and....you should get a point for trying! seems only fair ;)

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Originally Posted by Kuffy

you should get a point for trying! seems only fair ;)

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but points for missing completely? makes no sense at all.

The real question about points should be "how much do you need to pay a bloke so that he will kick the ball straight!?"

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Originally Posted by Kuffy

The real question about points should be "how much do you need to pay a bloke so that he will kick the ball straight!?"

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Well in an effort to bring the discussion back to the original topic:

Does his ability to kick straight depend on how much damage he did to his knee when driving it into someone else's head when taking a mark in violation of rules covering other elements of play for commonsense reasons?

Cheers

Doug

Unless you have actually played the game it is hard to explain the mechanics. Most injuries from a high mark are to the guy doing the marking, from landing awkwardly. It looks worse for the guy underneath than it actually is. Trust me on this as a career back pocket. Mind you if you can catch up with them on the way down and help gravity, the crunch is very satisfying.

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Originally Posted by wireliner

Trust me on this as a career back pocket.

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I still struggle to understand some of the positions in an Aussie Rules side, some like fullback, winger, forward etc are all pretty self evident.

The first time I heard the term "back pocket" I thought they were trying to say that the bloke was as close to an A*&^hole as you can get. (not trying to insult wireliner or other players here, just relating what I thought they meant at the time)

Meanwhile I will stick to my favorite position - half full on the fence.

Cheers

Doug

Doug, I feel your pain, but from the other end. Growing up in Melbourne, I have had afl crammed down my throat since day 1. I quite like to watch it these days (the wife is CRAZY st.kikda) and understand the rules....

My problem is the other way, 15 years ago I started watching union with some kiwi mates. I only watch the international stuff so havent looked into it deeply, but i love to watch those boys running as hard as they do.
I still don't understand what all the penalties are for, but I am getting better, VERY slowly....

I grew up in Qld in the 60's and 70's as well Doug, and I played 3 years of Aussie Rules at high school. Great sport to play, total fitness a must and a rough and tumble game without the same opportunities for niggle that there are in RL and RU.

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Originally Posted by Poppa

I grew up in Qld in the 60's and 70's as well Doug, and I played 3 years of Aussie Rules at high school. Great sport to play, total fitness a must and a rough and tumble game without the same opportunities for niggle that there are in RL and RU.

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Where abouts in Queensland?

I grew up in Brisbane and I can honestly say that I had heard of a sport called Aussie rules but I had never seen it played or knew any more about it than that. As far as I am aware they did not even televise the VFL grand final in Queensland at that time.

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Meanwhile I will stick to my favorite position - half full on the fence.

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Never heard of that position, but love it! Conjurs up all sorts of pictures in my mind.

Alan...

Now Dougy,
You know were I grew up but I have never liked any form of of football EXCEPT in when Queensland is playing State of Origin for my maroon blooded reasons and very proud of my birth place...

Now back to your AFL question; I do enjoy the TV spectral of the sport and find it so much more entertaining than any other football code; the athleticism & skill of the players is to behold.
What I don't like is the "BOOING" of the fans against the other teams; just doesn't seem Australian....

Anyways, my tuppence worth....though it bought a lot more lollies from Con in the early 1960's.... Cheers, Peter

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Meanwhile I will stick to my favorite position - half full on the fence.

Cheers Doug

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It must have been a pub close to home in a good neighbourhood with strong reliable fences to help support your amble home....:U :rolleyes:

Had never watched an Aussie Rules game until I went into the army, where you play everything. Once I'd played a couple of games it all became clear, and I much preferred it to Rugby & Soccer. As Poppa says, you need excellent fitness, and it's a much more interesting game to play and watch.

When I came to WA from NZ as a 20 year old I had never heard of Aussie rules, did notice the goal posts looked a bit strange but hadn't got round to asking about them. Working at Lake Varley and the first Sunday off went with the crew to the footy....well that was a learning experience, but there was more learning to come. Next Saturday night we were at the nearest watering hole, the Newdegate pub, and me full of yummy Swan Lager, mouthing off about what a strange game Aussie Rules is, got ironed out by a player and as I picked myself up off the floor (accompanied by raucous laughter) was advised to "learn the game and keep your opinion to yourself in the meantime".
The following Sunday I was roped in to play for the local team, needless to say I was pretty hopeless and got ironed out a couple more times during the game.
Geoff.

Aussie Rules is a game best watched live and in person - By that I mean at the ground as there is a lot more going on then they can ever hope to catch on a TV screen

The ONLY football game in the world that has no offside.

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Originally Posted by rustynail

The ONLY football game in the world that has no offside.

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Not according to wikepedia, to quote from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relati...rules_football

"In both games, players must dispose of the ball correctly, by hand or by foot and the ball must not be thrown. Gaelic football deems the open hand tap to be legitimate disposal, whereas Australian rules enforces the handpass or disposal with a clenched fist.
Unlike other forms of football, both games are notably distinct because of the absence of an offside rule.
In both games, a player must bounce (or Solo in Gaelic) the ball while running."

This wikepedia article also shows that I was incorrect in saying that Aussie Rules is the only game in which you get a point for missing, as this also happens in Gaelic Football.

Cheers

Doug

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Not according to wikepedia, to quote from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relati...rules_football

"In both games, players must dispose of the ball correctly, by hand or by foot and the ball must not be thrown. Gaelic football deems the open hand tap to be legitimate disposal, whereas Australian rules enforces the handpass or disposal with a clenched fist.
Unlike other forms of football, both games are notably distinct because of the absence of an offside rule.
In both games, a player must bounce (or Solo in Gaelic) the ball while running."

This wikepedia article also shows that I was incorrect in saying that Aussie Rules is the only game in which you get a point for missing, as this also happens in Gaelic Football.

Cheers

Doug

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Not quite that simple. In Irish football a player is offside and will be penalized, if he enters the small square before the ball.
In AFL it is no crime to be offside.

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Originally Posted by rustynail

Not quite that simple. In Irish football a player is offside and will be penalized, if he enters the small square before the ball.
In AFL it is no crime to be offside.

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Well it seems they do not call that offside under their own rules. to them it is a technical foul. See http://www.leinstergaa.ie/_fileuploa..._Football_.pdf

"RULE 4 - TECHNICAL FOULS ... 4.9 For an attacking player to enter opponents’small rectangle before the ball enters it duringplay."

What happens in Aussie Rules if someone takes a mark and is preparing to have his kick and the defender standing on the mark waving his arms around and pulling funny faces at him oversteps the mark? Under the rules it is not offside but you could argue that it is offside because he went somewhere he should not have and incurred a penalty for doing so.

As far as I am aware, the term "offside" does not appear in the rule book for either codes, yet players can be penalized under the rules for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it is called something different.

Cheers

Doug

That's why Hockey is a betterer game than soccer - they got rid of the offside rule

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Well it seems they do not call that offside under their own rules. to them it is a technical foul. See www.leinstergaa.ie/_fileupload/Playing_Rules_of_Football_.pdf

"RULE 4 - TECHNICAL FOULS ... 4.9 For an attacking player to enter opponents’small rectangle before the ball enters it duringplay."

What happens in Aussie Rules if someone takes a mark and is preparing to have his kick and the defender standing on the mark waving his arms around and pulling funny faces at him oversteps the mark? Under the rules it is not offside but you could argue that it is offside because he went somewhere he should not have and incurred a penalty for doing so.

As far as I am aware, the term "offside" does not appear in the rule book for either codes, yet players can be penalized under the rules for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it is called something different.

Cheers

Doug

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The term "offside" was a military term for being behind enemy lines. The term was then used in sport for the same purpose. A player standing too close to an opposing player does not fit the description.

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Originally Posted by rustynail

The term "offside" was a military term for being behind enemy lines. The term was then used in sport for the same purpose. A player standing too close to an opposing player does not fit the description.

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Really? Then when a rugby league player is playing the ball after a tackle and a player other than a marker is not back 5 metres and the referee blows the whistle and calls "offside", who is he talking about? Maybe things have changed now as things tend to do, but we used to call it "offside".:?

I don't like guns at al.l
BUT guns in use at an AFL game on the field
Viewed from behind bulletproof glass.
I'm there lol

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Originally Posted by Simplicity

I don't like guns at al.l
BUT guns in use at an AFL game on the field
Viewed from behind bulletproof glass.
I'm there lol

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You support Collingwood, don't you?

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Originally Posted by doug3030

You support Collingwood, don't you?

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I do actually,
But I still have all my own front teeth.
So I have been "told" I'm not really a Collingwood fan YET lol

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Really? Then when a rugby league player is playing the ball after a tackle and a player other than a marker is not back 5 metres and the referee blows the whistle and calls "offside", who is he talking about? Maybe things have changed now as things tend to do, but we used to call it "offside".:?

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Inside the five or inside the ten technically doesn't fill the criteria for offside. A referee will blow it up and call "inside the five" or "not back the ten." To refer to it as offside would be challengable but understandable. Keep in mind, both the five and ten metre rules were introduced to make the game more watchable and free flowing and came in long after the offside rule was introduced.

Well seeing as it is on a slippery slope to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnTmBjk-M0c

I am going back to the shed. no point in continuing.

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Originally Posted by doug3030

I am going back to the shed..

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The shed is more fun than sitting behind a computer....always!!!

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Originally Posted by crowie

The shed is more fun than sitting behind a computer....always!!!

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Both have their places. Shedtime is precious but with my back I cannot stay there all day.

I started this thread to find out peoples opinions about why it is not ok to put arms around heads when it is perfectly ok to put knees around them in aussie rules. It degenerated into a "did too" - "did not" argument about whether gaelic football has an offside rule, which in the official rules of he game the word does not even appear. That was of no interest to me so I decided to stop playing. Life is too short.

Cheers

Doug

I think I would rather spend some time in the shed than sitting down to watch any form of football whether it be football, football or thugby. (Soccer, Australian Rules, Rugby - any type.)

In AFL the rules change every year, just makes it harder for the casual watcher. Teams used to be 18, then 20, now I think it is 22 but they do not expect the starting 18 to play the whole game! Teams used to wear the one jumper every week, now it is a different jumper every other week. Don't ask me what jumper my team wears, it might be yellow this week or next. Saturday afternoons used to be for League football, now they tend to play at any other time on almost every day of the week. The suburban home ground in Melbourne is gone, only the interstate teams and Geelong might have a true home ground, but then again your team could be playing a home game interstate?

I don't understand AFL.

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Both have their places. Shedtime is precious but with my back I cannot stay there all day.

I started this thread to find out peoples opinions about why it is not ok to put arms around heads when it is perfectly ok to put knees around them in aussie rules. It degenerated into a "did too" - "did not" argument about whether gaelic football has an offside rule, which in the official rules of he game the word does not even appear. That was of no interest to me so I decided to stop playing. Life is too short.

Cheers

Doug

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Imagine how boring AFL would be if the flying mark was no longer part of the game.
Contact with an opposing player while in the air challenging for the ball is legal. If you were to use the knees at any other time would be a different matter.

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Originally Posted by rustynail

Imagine how boring AFL would be if the flying mark was no longer part of the game.

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Whether it is part of it or not, IMO the game is still boring. Give me shed time anytime. :2tsup:

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Originally Posted by doug3030

Both have their places. Shedtime is precious but with my back I cannot stay there all day.

I started this thread to find out peoples opinions about why it is not ok to put arms around heads when it is perfectly ok to put knees around them in aussie rules. It degenerated into a "did too" - "did not" argument about whether gaelic football has an offside rule, which in the official rules of he game the word does not even appear. That was of no interest to me so I decided to stop playing. Life is too short.

Cheers

Doug

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Looks like you got your answer now Doug. I was watching Offsiders this morning and see someone playing for the Fremantle Dockers has suffered a collapsed lung after his ribs were broken by an opponent who launched himself at him. Any other thugby or soccer player would have been sent orf for that.

TT