I’m a big fan of going to sporting events, back home I’ll go to Football and Hockey games – even the odd baseball game and go all out and cheer and drink and get a little rowdy. I love it. So when I got an invitation from the gang at work to go to the Essendon (Bombers) vs. Carlton (The Navy Blues) game last night I jumped at the chance.

A sport as Aussie as Crocodile Dundee and Kangaroos, Footy (AFL – Aussie Rules Football) is a sport I really haven’t payed much attention to. Played on a large round field it’s a game of pretty much non-stop action that looks like a free for all where players can pretty much run around and do whatever they please to get the ball into the goal posts at either end of which there are four. The center two posts count as a goal – 6 points if you get the ball in and then there is a post on either side of the center posts and if you get the ball between that and the center post it counts as a point, which is worth 1 point. The players are big stars and most are very good looking and unlike football and hockey they don’t wear any protection. Which is pretty brave considering how aggressive the game can get. I saw one guy dive and grab onto the legs of another guy who was running and just get dragged along, and there was lots of guy on guy action as they tried to steal the ball away from each other.

I tried to just watch and enjoy throwing in a yell here and there but couldn’t help but notice big differences between the sports I love to watch and this one.

• “Was that a goal? They should have a horn or something to let you know.”
• “Why do they have the score on the board twice?”
• “You know what I just realized this game is missing? A commentator – then at least I would know what’s going on.”
• “What?! They only sell mid-strength beer here?!!?” (That was a big one for me)

No credit cards that you get free stuff when you sign up for – I was really hoping to get a free footy scarf if I only signed up for credit at 25% interest. Despite attempts from my fellow game watchers to inform me of the some of the rules and reasons behind what was happening my understanding of the game remains limited to the fact that they need to get the ball into the goals. Sometimes it’s good when the ball goes out of bounds and sometimes it’s not. There is a square in the middle that you aren’t supposed to have more than a certain amount of people in but I don’t know when this really applies because they never really seem to have anything happen in the center. The game never stops, even for penalties or tackles they just get right back in there and keep going. I do know that if you get a goal the other team kicks the ball out. There is a little square in front of the goals that is meant to be good for some reason or another and you’re allowed to bounce, kick, throw and run with the ball. So it gets pretty crazy out there.

All in all I really enjoyed the experience. Before the next one I’ll have to look up a list of things to yell during the game as I’m really not familiar with the terminology at all.

Oh yeah, the Bombers won in the end!