Thursday night kicks off the football season down under. My team Essendon plays on Saturday night against Geelong & I'm looking for a big year from Essendon. We finished 2nd last year, so I'm looking for 1 better this year. I cannot wait to set to the MCG on Saturday night for the game.
The game willbe shown on Fox Sports World on Thursday 4th April @ 11.00 EST.
I will keep you informed how the rounds are progessing.

Go Bombers

So what do you think are the prospects for Port Adelaide Power. I thinkPeter Burgoynerules.

[ March 27, 2002: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

Port Adelaide have a good show this year.They won the pre-season cup. Also pick up one of Essendon's backmen in the draft, Damien Hardwick.

After 14th round Power rule the roost. And Peter Burgoyne rules - period.


Something to grab on too

[ July 06, 2003, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

So what do us boys in "the states" do to get our fix of ARF???

There's the official AFL site for all the latest, realfooty.com has an accessible photo gallery, shirtless AFL for the slutty-minded like yours truly and pink magpies is a gay fan site that has all of the above and more...

Having just been booted from one of my fav boards lsd by a bunch of rule hugging mods....sheez! I maybe here more often to fill you boys in on our game.

So, I was watching this over the weekend, and I think I sort of figured out some of the rules. But could someone explain what that 1 point thing is (a behind? Back? something like that). I never really understood how this was scored.

Also, are there rules on tackling? At times, people would back off of a guy to allow him to kick.

Trevor

Trevor -- we've been watching on Monday nights (MhZ networks). We sorta figured out that the one point "behinds" were when you don't get the ball in between the two tall posts in the middle, but rather it goes between those and the two smaller posts. If you get it between the tall post you get six.

We haven't figured out the tackling rules yet either -- it also seems you need to dribble the ball from time to time when making a long run???

Also haven't figured out the rules on catching the ball within the lines toward the goal (like a "red zone" in american football. It appears if you catch it there, you can get a free kick.

At any rate, even without knowing all the rules, it's a ton of fun to watch!!

The footy field is so big that the way it is typically filmed, it's very difficult to get the gist of the rules or even how the field is set up. The camera gernally just follows the ball so you don't get the big picture. I didn't understand all the rules until I joined a club and started playing. For a good overview of the rules and the sport, go to www.usfooty.com and click on the link labeld "The Game".

Basically, a Behind is when the ball is kicked through the outer poles.

If I kick the ball at least 10 meters and you catch it without anyone else touching it, you are awarded a Mark. That means you get to kick the ball unopposed. This is when you see the guy back up with the ball and the defenders leave him alone. If you get a Mark, you can also decide to Play On by running with the ball or hand balling it away (basically punching it out of your hand).

You can run as long as you like with the ball, but you must bounce it or touch it to the ground once every 15 meters. This distance is totally subjective and up to the officials. For those at home, running at full speed attempting to get an oblong ball to bounce and return to your hand is no easy feat. So sometimes you'll actually see a guy touch the ball to the ground.

You can pretty much tackle anybody carrying the ball as long as you don't hit them in the neck or higher.

Shepherding is when you physically prevent an opponent from getting to the ball. Think Blocking or setting a really hard pick. But you can only do it within 5 meters of where the ball is.

This is such a fun sport to play. I wish it would get more popular here in the states. For those interested, www.usfooty.com is the home site for our own league in the US. Most of the clubs are always looking for new recruits or fans.