Australian Football Finals

[Andrew35]

Glen that's like College football, it's basically at most stadiums 20 percent of total compacity so like the Liberty Bowl seats 62, 0000, on 4000 and that's season ticket holders allowed in the Stadium.

[Glenn2164]

Just to let you know that, today, Saturday, my time, the Australian Rules football, AFL Grand Final with Geelong v Richmond is on at 7.30pm AEDT ( 4.30am US ET ) and Sunday, the National Rugby League, NRL Grand with the Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers is on at 7.30pm AEDT ( 4.30am US ET ). With covid the number of spectators will be limited. There will be allowed 30000 in Brisbane for the AFL and 40000 in Sydney for the NRL final. I know it is a bit early in the USA to watch live, but I know if anyone in the US are interested, the matches would be worth watching, despite the early time.

[CGYMike]

I love Aussie Rules...fun to watch...great action. I'll be up early to check it out :)

thx for the heads up Glenn :)

[Glenn2164]

I know I'm a bit late to advise that the Australian Football League ( AFL ) Grand Final is on today, my time, Saturday, 25th September at 7.15pm aest. In the USA, it will be on at 5.15am est.
Unfortunately, for the 2nd year in a row, the game will not be played at the home of the AFL, the Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG ) in Melbourne due to the virus lockdown.
Therefore, the final between the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne will be played at the Optus Stadium, in Perth, Western Australia.

[Matty77]

Hope the Hawks do better this year....

(though we've had more than our fair share of good years)

[Matty77]

I thought I'd chime in again....this is a grand final I got a free ticket to go and see in 2008, it's pretty hard to get tickets to the grand final unless you're a member of one of the teams - or a corporate - these are the highlights....my team won on the day.

My favourite passage of play of all time took place in the third quarter when Stewart Dew (number 31) kicked a bunch of goals. He'd been specially recruited out of retirement a year earlier by the coach and was as one commentator said - the least likely to cope with the heat, he ended up nearly being best on ground.....another favourite commentary line "an unlikely, bulky hero"

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[Glenn2164]

Finals time is here again for the Australian Football League. It's the second week of finals. The semi finals are on Friday 9 Sept. at 7.50pm AEST between Melbourne and Brisbane and on Saturday 10 Sept. at 7.25pm AEST between Collingwood and Fremantle.
The two Preliminary finals to be played the following weekend and Grand Final on the last Saturday in Sept.
The winner between Melbourne and Brisbane will play Geelong and Collingwood and Fremantle play Sydney in the Prelim. finals. The winner of the Prelim. finals play in the Grand Final.

[Glenn2164]

Well the last Saturday is coming and just to let you know that tha AFL Grand Final is between Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2.30pm AEST.

[WalterB]

Hard to tell what the rules are or how it's played from the clip, "Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules!" lol

Looks like a fun game, though.

[Matty77]

Walter - the way I like to explain it to those who don't know the game - it's like basketball, with your feet, and it's also a contact sport.

[WalterB]

It would be easier to watch if I knew what the heck was going on. I kept waiting for one guy to deck another lol. Contact it certainly is. I saw the two goals but there are no Guards, or Goalies. So apparently you can run for a short distance with the ball, but then you've got to kick it "somewhere" (anywhere? lol.) Then once someone gets the ball down hear the opposing goal and a guy from the other team kicks it thru the posts, they get points.

[Matty77]

I once spoke with an umpire who told me this: "The player's think they know the rules, but most of them don't" - it was only slightly tongue in cheek.

[Glenn2164]

Walt, officially, players, do have positions on the field. They are, briefly, 3 forwards, half forwards, centre line, half backs and backs. The full back, in front of the goal position, could say is the equivalent of a goalie in soccer and the 2 in back pocket positions to support and on the full forward to prevent that player kicking goals. They line up in these positions at the beginning of the game and at the centre bounce of the ball after a goal is scored.. Also, you have a ruckman, to tap the ball out to play and 2 followers, to grab the ball.
Up until about 20 to 30 years ago, players used to keep the positions, mainly throughout the game, but these days, where more tactics are in, and now, a faster game, players, rarely remain in the positions. Also, players do try to kick to another player, but also kick long and high and long, which may seem They kicking the ball anywhere, but the idea is to kick into the goal area where the taller forwards can grab the ball and score.
There is more I can say, but, it would take much to say, with rules etc. which Matt has already, explained.
Anyway, Walt, hope I have given it bit more explanation of the game, and with at the time of this post, where I live, it is only just an hour to go, for the start of the Grand Final, I'll say, Go Geelong !!

[WalterB]

Thanks, Glenn. I appreciate that. I watched Matty's clip again and got little more out of it. As a person gets a little more understanding of the play, it gets to be a more interesting game.

How about this? If a player gets tackled with the ball then that results in some sort of face-off. So they try to kick the ball away before that happens. I saw one guy (in yellow) run right up to the goal before kicking it. My guess is that it would have been disallowed if he had actually run through the goal. It's starting to look like Soccer with hands

Good luck to the Geelong.

[Glenn2164]

Hi Walt, the rule is that when a player has the ball, if an opposition player, tackles this player, he must hand pass or kick the ball, straight away, otherwise, a free kick is awarded to the opposition player, unless he is tackled in such a way, that he is unable to dispose of the ball, in which case, the umpire, intervenes, and bounces or throws up the ball, to recommence play.
Also, if a player, kicks the ball over the goal line between the two taller, goal posts he will score 1 point, not 6 points for a goal, as if the ball went between the tall and smaller posts. Therefore, he must kick before the goal line for full score.
By the way, if you don't know yet, Geelong won the Grand Final, easily, beating Sydney by 81 points.

[WalterB]

Is the goal line the white box that's outlined in front of the two center posts?

Heck, I'm going to be an AFL expert in no time, LOL. Thanks, Glenn.

Go, Geelong!

[Glenn2164]

No, the goal line is the line that runs in line with the posts. The white box is the area, used , after a behind is scored ( 1 point ). That is when the ball goes between the tall and small posts, the opposition player, usually the full back, kicks the ball back into play, from this box area.

[WalterB]

Cool! Got it! Thanks.

(When a "behind" is scored? Isn't that what Vicky and Shanda and the ladies shoot for these days? (sorry - ever the jokester, lol.))