Aussie Rules Explanation?

[AnPheitseog]

Oka, ive started to take an interest to the sport of Australian Football, and would like to follow the AFL this season but had a few questions, and the intent for this to be a reference thread for those of us not accustomed to the sport.

I'm a rugby(union) fan and former oplayer, so any comparisons can help me make connections, and I also know association as well.

Positions? What are they, and how do they work? Builds?

The kit, what are the names for the top, and are the shorts and socks and boots referred to as such or something else?

The ball, it appears to me that it's a rugby ball with four gridiron laces on it, or am I off on that? Also, would using a rugby ball be okay to train with if nothing else is avaliable, or would it be a no go?

What's the strategy? How would you defend or set up plays, or does it come down to luck and good positioning? And for that matter, what is good positioning?

I do know that the four posts are the scoring methods, and that the simplest thing is to kick the ball between the two centre poles for a 6 point goal, and that the two outside of the three gaps would be a one point behind.

Also, how do you refer to the sport itself? I've seen Aussie rules, is that correct or just something that non-Aussies use to refer to the sport

Thanks all

[fumbler]

Oka, ive started to take an interest to the sport of Australian Football, and would like to follow the AFL this season but had a few questions, and the intent for this to be a reference thread for those of us not accustomed to the sport.

I'm a rugby(union) fan and former oplayer, so any comparisons can help me make connections, and I also know association as well.

Positions? What are they, and how do they work? Builds?

The kit, what are the names for the top, and are the shorts and socks and boots referred to as such or something else?

The ball, it appears to me that it's a rugby ball with four gridiron laces on it, or am I off on that? Also, would using a rugby ball be okay to train with if nothing else is avaliable, or would it be a no go?

What's the strategy? How would you defend or set up plays, or does it come down to luck and good positioning? And for that matter, what is good positioning?

I do know that the four posts are the scoring methods, and that the simplest thing is to kick the ball between the two centre poles for a 6 point goal, and that the two outside of the three gaps would be a one point behind.

Also, how do you refer to the sport itself? I've seen Aussie rules, is that correct or just something that non-Aussies use to refer to the sport

Thanks all

Hello DiePerske and welcome to the great world of loving Aussie Rules or Footy, i think it will be easier to answer in point form.

• Positions are Forwards Half Forwards, Centres rucks and Followers, Forwards and half forwards. There is no offside in footy and the ball is in a 360 degree motion.
• 
• Some people call the AFL top a jumper or a jersey but the correct term is a guernsey, the shorts and socks are the proper terms for them. Some people including myself say the combined uniform are sets but this is not correct.
• The ball is four pieces of leather stitched together with a small rectange hole at the top to allow you to but the bladder inside, it is a lace up to make it tighter. You could use any ball you like to train with but the professionals like to use the real thing. Most leagues here use either Sherrin of Faulkner, burley is also acceptable
• This is where it starts to get hard to explain the motions of the game, basically it's like many other ball sports in the game is not unlike the kids game of 'keepings off'. The longer you have the ball the better, the other team is worried about getting it from you and less worried about stopping you. There are so many strategies to the game that would leave you perplexed. Maybe visit the youtube videos, just type in Aussie Rules Football.
• The game here is marketed similar to the NFL, the game is called Footy, Aussie Rules or Australian Football but because the AFL Australian Football League wants to get it's image across to those unaware of the game it is now seen as AFL worldwide.

If you want to know more then please ask.

[Sykotyk]

I used to watch the AFL regularly back when Fox Sports World aired it before it became Fox Soccer Channel. My favorite team for a while was the Essendon Bombers.

Some strategy seems to be 'get it to the open field'. As I'm sure you've noticed watching, the ball is in almost constant movement. You can bounce it (similar to a basketball dribble), spike it (like an underhand volleyball hit, one-handed), or you can kick it (best air time). You can't throw it directly like an american football, though.

It seems that the best strategy is to try and force the defenders to 'swarm' to you, and then relaying the ball to where there's fewer defenders to really move the ball.

The next is the mark, if you kick the ball, and your teammate catches it in the air, then the defenders HAVE to give them space to then proceed to kick or otherwise move the ball. Having good players with good hands you can jump high seem to be an overwhelming requirement, especially the forwards, as they can setup some very easy scoring opportunities if they can catch a kick.

It's a lot of back and forth. So, it has the movement of soccer, the stamina of basketball, and tenents of rugby thrown in. I really wish it were on TV in the U.S. regularly again.

[goalieboy82]

here is a good place to see what each team wear and has worn in the past:

http://www.footyjumpers.com

and some that never were worn:

http://www.bomberblitz.com/mero/scrap.htm

[AnPheitseog]

THank you all for your responces, and ill think and meld and responce more later, but again, thank you.

[fumbler]

I used to watch the AFL regularly back when Fox Sports World aired it before it became Fox Soccer Channel. My favorite team for a while was the Essendon Bombers.

Some strategy seems to be 'get it to the open field'. As I'm sure you've noticed watching, the ball is in almost constant movement. You can bounce it (similar to a basketball dribble), spike it (like an underhand volleyball hit, one-handed), or you can kick it (best air time). You can't throw it directly like an american football, though.

It seems that the best strategy is to try and force the defenders to 'swarm' to you, and then relaying the ball to where there's fewer defenders to really move the ball.

The next is the mark, if you kick the ball, and your teammate catches it in the air, then the defenders HAVE to give them space to then proceed to kick or otherwise move the ball. Having good players with good hands you can jump high seem to be an overwhelming requirement, especially the forwards, as they can setup some very easy scoring opportunities if they can catch a kick.

It's a lot of back and forth. So, it has the movement of soccer, the stamina of basketball, and tenents of rugby thrown in. I really wish it were on TV in the U.S. regularly again.

Not to nit pick but there is absolutely no throwing in aussie rules it is a hand pass, imagine sitting the ball in the palm of one hand and with the other hand form a fist and use the thumb area to punch it off.

We don't air time the kicks but use a direct is better approach.

I can try and find out who telecasts it in the US this season for you.

[dfwabel]

I used to watch the AFL regularly back when Fox Sports World aired it before it became Fox Soccer Channel. My favorite team for a while was the Essendon Bombers.

Some strategy seems to be 'get it to the open field'. As I'm sure you've noticed watching, the ball is in almost constant movement. You can bounce it (similar to a basketball dribble), spike it (like an underhand volleyball hit, one-handed), or you can kick it (best air time). You can't throw it directly like an american football, though.

It seems that the best strategy is to try and force the defenders to 'swarm' to you, and then relaying the ball to where there's fewer defenders to really move the ball.

The next is the mark, if you kick the ball, and your teammate catches it in the air, then the defenders HAVE to give them space to then proceed to kick or otherwise move the ball. Having good players with good hands you can jump high seem to be an overwhelming requirement, especially the forwards, as they can setup some very easy scoring opportunities if they can catch a kick.

It's a lot of back and forth. So, it has the movement of soccer, the stamina of basketball, and tenents of rugby thrown in. I really wish it were on TV in the U.S. regularly again.

Not to nit pick but there is absolutely no throwing in aussie rules it is a hand pass, imagine sitting the ball in the palm of one hand and with the other hand form a fist and use the thumb area to punch it off.

We don't air time the kicks but use a direct is better approach.

I can try and find out who telecasts it in the US this season for you.

In the US, it will continue to air on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer Plus

[fumbler]

I used to watch the AFL regularly back when Fox Sports World aired it before it became Fox Soccer Channel. My favorite team for a while was the Essendon Bombers.

Some strategy seems to be 'get it to the open field'. As I'm sure you've noticed watching, the ball is in almost constant movement. You can bounce it (similar to a basketball dribble), spike it (like an underhand volleyball hit, one-handed), or you can kick it (best air time). You can't throw it directly like an american football, though.

It seems that the best strategy is to try and force the defenders to 'swarm' to you, and then relaying the ball to where there's fewer defenders to really move the ball.

The next is the mark, if you kick the ball, and your teammate catches it in the air, then the defenders HAVE to give them space to then proceed to kick or otherwise move the ball. Having good players with good hands you can jump high seem to be an overwhelming requirement, especially the forwards, as they can setup some very easy scoring opportunities if they can catch a kick.

It's a lot of back and forth. So, it has the movement of soccer, the stamina of basketball, and tenents of rugby thrown in. I really wish it were on TV in the U.S. regularly again.

Not to nit pick but there is absolutely no throwing in aussie rules it is a hand pass, imagine sitting the ball in the palm of one hand and with the other hand form a fist and use the thumb area to punch it off.

We don't air time the kicks but use a direct is better approach.

I can try and find out who telecasts it in the US this season for you.

In the US, it will continue to air on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer Plus

Is that Pay TV over there?

We have Fox in Australia also but it costs way to much, most Footy games are on free to air but a few are on Pay tv.

[dfwabel]

I can try and find out who telecasts it in the US this season for you.

In the US, it will continue to air on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer Plus

Is that Pay TV over there?

We have Fox in Australia also but it costs way to much, most Footy games are on free to air but a few are on Pay tv.

It is Pay TV (cable/satellite). FOX Sports 2 is only in about 40 million US homes, and Fox Soccer is in even less with many carriers not even in carrying the HD feed.

[AnPheitseog]

For viewing, I do know that the AFL has a 140$ steaming package for the year, and 25$ a month that you can watch any games, and that would be cheaper than fox sports plus i would assume.

[VictoriaGooner]

For viewing, I do know that the AFL has a 140$ steaming package for the year, and 25$ a month that you can watch any games, and that would be cheaper than fox sports plus i would assume.

If I lived in the US, I would probably go with the $140 AFL.com.au streaming package as it would be more bang for your buck vice going through Fox Sports. Just like TSN here in Canada, Fox Sports only shows one or two games a week (and sometimes not the big game of the week). I had the streaming package during certain months where the big games were being played for my Sydney Swans (v Hawthorn, v Fremantle) plus catching the the long standing Carlton-Collingwood rivalry is a must for me. But I do watch footy mostly through "other" means (streaming live through cricfreetv).

[El Scorcho]

As you watch you'll find that a lot of rules are wide open to interpretation, so don't be surprised if it takes a bit of time to get used to.

It's about as good as it gets for a spectator sport though.

The players are basically endurance athletes, running 15-20km a game, with a lot of that sprinting, but they obviously have to be big enough to make tackles and take bumps etc. Your average midfielder would be 5'11 - 6'3 tall. An average tall forward or defender might be around 6'4 and a ruckman would be at least 6'6 unless they are supremely athletic.