What is AFL? Aussie Rules Explained REACTION

What is AFL? Aussie Rules Explained REACTION
This is my reaction to What is AFL? Aussie Rules Explained.
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What is AFL? Aussie Rules Explained REACTION

[@MertAus]

Ok sign me up straight away as fan of Aussie Rules. Of course I have heard of AFL before but I have never taken the time to actual learn about it and see how it works. It looks AMAZING!! It's like an amalgamation of different sports to create a super sport played by monster athletes. It looks fast paced, high scoring with a lot of action. Can't wait to learn more and see more action. Recommend some other good Aussie Rules videos. Who is the best team ever in AFL? What players, past or present, would be interesting to find out more about? Thanks to those who recommended this one!

[@peterdubois65]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWPMhaCOlJukiM0 Here's the ladies of the AFLW

[@binnsky2786]

videos to check out - A beginner’s guide to Australian Football | AFL Explained (will go over similar things as this video but it is much more up to date) - Top 50 marks of all time - THE MOST COURAGEOUS AFL MOMENTS - Best of the Decade: 2010-2019 | Incredible Goals | AFL - Best of the Decade: 2010-2019 | Brutal bumps and tackles | AFL (these are best legal tackles and hits, there are other compilations of bumps and big hits that are illegal - Best AFL Finals Goals: 2011-2020 | AFL hopefully they aren't too long Channel with goot videos is 'Aussie Thingz', a lot of good AFL compilations but they are quite short so i think it would be great to see you react to 4 or 5 of them in one video to cover more topics

[@stephenrossi7354]

Watch here comes the boom (afls biggest hits)

[@peterhoz]

AFL official youtube channel posts match highlights from each match, usually around 5-10min vids.

[@archcollie5708]

I'm glad you enjoyed learning about Aussie rules. AFL is the best, hardest, toughest, and most athletic football game in the world, not to mention how insanely spectacular it is to watch. Welcome aboard Mat. Now you have to pick a team and get ready for next season. Go Bombers!!!

[@darrenpants2700]

The difference between Aussie and European football fans is that AFL fans don’t fight. We are not segregated and go to the games together and sit together.

[@myopinion69420]

thats one of the things I love about AFL, you can be a die hard fan of one team and your best mate can be a fan of your biggest rival, yet its all good. you never feel 'unsafe' at a game, just feels like your with a bunch of mates no matter what colour they are wearing. I'm not even a 'sports guy' but love this game.

[@lunch2102]

"AFL fans don't fight" much*

[@Preview43]

@@lunch2102 Even if they do, the cams see *ALL* and it's supremely embarrassing to be ejected in front of 50 ~ 100 thousand very raucous judges of character.

[@MertAus]

Yeah I think that as an interesting difference. European fans can be very tribal and that can lead to a lot of abuse and sometimes worse. I don't actually mind that side of things and quite enjoy the 'Ultras' scene for some action but I can also appreciate having mutual respect between fans and just having good banter.

[@lisasteel6817]

Yeah it’s considered really poor form to be ejected.

[@Rick-da-scale]

Great reaction mate. Crowds average around 45,000, but a couple of top teams playing can get anything up to about 90,000 people. The grand final is rarely only 90,000, it’s always closer to 100,000. At The grand final or any other game, parents take their kids because those crowds are one big happy family, and there is only the odd idiot because everybody is there to enjoy the game. Nothing like what we hear from overseas sports where you have groups of idiots going there just to cause trouble. This season’s grand final had 100,025 fans. When they are all screaming together, you can cut pieces out of the air with a knife, the atmosphere is electric beyond your imagination. NRL, (rugby) struggles to get over 15,000 fans to their match of the day. Soccer is even less. Most Aussie rules fans don’t like rugby because it’s too stop/start like every 10 yards. Most rugby fans enjoy the crash and bash nature of the game, whereas AFL fans are more interested in the skills of the players. You can probably understand why soccer is not big here, because when you’re brought up with the very high scoring game of Aussie rules, it’s hard for us to watch a game with a 0.0 draw. Every time a goal is kicked the ball is brought back for a centre bounce. They play advertisements after each goal but not while play is in progress The score line of 20-10-130 means 20 goals x 6 points each = 120 pts + 10 behinds (points) = 130 total points. You can have less goals than the other team, but more total points which is the winner. (Example) Team A, 14-8-92 (team A wins with more total points, less goals) Team B, 15-1-91 (remember the first figure is goals multiplied by six points each) When you take a mark (catch) you can play on, (keep going) or stop on the spot and take a free kick where the opposition is not allowed to touch you. The umpire will blow his whistle every time someone marks the ball, but if the player does not stop and plays on, the umpire will call, “play on.” Free kicks. If the umpire sees a free kick should be given for an infringement, but a teammate plays on, the umpire will call, “advantage,” And let him keep going. This keeps the game flowing rather than hindering the team by bringing the ball back for the free kick. Yes, your game and rugby are hard to watch for us because of all the stopping of play. Goals. The 50 meter arc is only a guide. Players can kick for goal from any part of the ground. If the ball is touched by any player of either team from when it leaves the boot and before crossing the goal line, it becomes one point. (If the goal umpire is in doubt, they will call for a score review, which involves a slow motion video replay.) After each goal the ball is brought back to the centre of the ground and contested by the two ruckmen. All players must resume their original positions at that time. Behinds. (Points) The square marked on the ground in front of the goals is where the fullback kicks the ball back into play after a behind is scored. Handball. Ball held in one hand and punched with a closed fist with the other. Handball can be given to a teammate from any direction. Throwing the ball is illegal, and will result in a free kick given to the opposition. 16 yards is 15 m in Australia. We are annoyed about this explanation. What they should have said is that you have to bounce the ball any time “BEFORE” 15 mtrs. Most players bounce after a few steps to avoid going beyond 15 m, which would see a free kick given to the other team. These guys are super athletes, who run flat out for up to 15 km per game, whilst being harassed, bumped, and tackled. Each quarter with extra time runs for about 30 minutes, which means they’re running around for two hours apart from breaks between the quarters. A free kick is given against a player who kicks the ball over the boundary line on the full, or purposely kicks it towards the boundary line. Otherwise if the ball runs over the boundary line during play, a boundary umpire tosses the ball back in over his head. Two tall players called ruckmen jostle and try to hit the ball to one of their own players. This allows for a neutral contest. There are too many ways free kicks can be given to mention here. Best to search the Internet for books/videos on the rules/laws of AFL. You’re right, that oval ball won’t bounce properly unless you know what you’re doing. However considering that most Australian babies have a football in their hands before they can walk, they have plenty of time to grow up practising it. Junior clubs are all over the country, and there are kids of all ages that bounce the ball perfectly, as well as mastering the other skills. Yes there are a lot of tactics by coaches, (managers) far too involved for an explanation here. The top team at the end of the regular season is called the “minor premier.” But we don’t care about that really, it’s those finals and who wins the grand final that we go nuts about. There are two parts to the final eight, we’ll call them the first four and the second four. Teams play-off in the first four and get a second chance if they lose, they then play the winners of the games in the second four and the losers of the second four are eliminated. If you search around, you will find a broadcast of AFL games in America, the UK and other places. Season is now over and will start a new season in April 2023. Aussie rules is played as an amateur sport in many countries in the world, including UK. WIf you look it up you’ll find AFL leagues in your area. Because it’s amateur it’s nowhere near as brutal as our game, and it’s more a social type game played for fun with beers and barbecue afterwards. In America they have the USAFL, which comprises 40 different leagues including a women’s league. In Australia we have the AFLW which is the women’s league. Trust me, some of those girls look quite sweet and harmless, but I for one would not like to be playing against them. Beginning in 1858 our game was codified before any of the other sports, so rather than us gathering bits of other sports, our game came first. it was actually invented to keep cricket players fit during the off-season. It’s debatable that some aspects of the game were taken from the aboriginal game known as Marn Grook, where aboriginal people have been kicking a pig skin around for centuries. Welcome to the most exciting game on the planet. Cheers.

[@Dr_KAP]

Damn Ricky I hope you have this saved somewhere and can cut and paste 😂 good stuff.

[@Rick-da-scale]

@@Dr_KAP Yes my dear. And I’m too lazy to write it out every time, so I have it tucked away where I copy it and make a few adjustments depending on what the person reaction wants to know. I appreciate your appreciation. 🦢🦢🦢

[@MertAus]

Thanks Ricky. Really appreciate this comment. A lot of information for me to get stuck in to. The atmosphere actually sounds amazing. I like that there are huge supports but everyone is very respectful and just there to enjoy the match. The fact it is a family affair is cool too because it means there will always be new generations of fans coming to matches. How are the ticket prices for matches? One problem we have for soccer in the UK is the prices are just becoming a bit crazy and it is harder for working class people to go to as many matches. Thanks for all the information about the game itself. Really enjoying learning more about the intricacies of the sport. It is a lot more technical than I could have imagined but that makes it more interesting to me. I live in Malaysia now, and as I mentioned on the video one of my friends played for a Gaelic team and they played the Aussie Rules team in a sort of challenge match. I never went to watch it before but I might try and see if they have any matches soon that I can pop along to and check out. Thanks again mate!

[@Rick-da-scale]

@@MertAus Don’t worry, kids are well and truly obsessed with the game. At half time in our games there is a 20 minute break during which time we watch “The little league.” 5+6 year old boys and girls running amok. They stand little goalposts up to make the field shorter for them. It’s so funny to watch, a tackle looks more like a cuddle. It’s as cute as. Every suburb of every state has a local team. Seniors, under 19s. Under 16s, 14s, 12s, 9s, 8s. When you watch games, sometimes you’ll see a player pinned up against the outer behind post taking a shot for goal because of where he got a free kick or took a mark. Most of the time they successfully manage to bend the ball in a semi circle and kick the goal. Plenty of nine-year-olds can do the same thing. You might wonder how they get to be players in AFL. The best teenagers around 14/15 get selected to play in what we call, “feeder leagues.” AFL club recruitment officers are all over these games. They watch thousands of teenagers and analyse their ability. Coming up in a few weeks is this years AFL draft. Of those thousands of boys who have reached 18, only about 70 of them make it onto the draft list. By this time those kids are already professional athletes and are highly skilled. To simplify what is a rather complicated exercise, basically the lowest clubs on the ladder get the first choices. The kids are ranked in order of ability as number one draft pick, number two and so on. Clubs swap draft numbers around with each other, so clubs will have 2/3/4/ or more kids to choose from. A few weeks back, the CEO of the AFL negotiated a new deal for the broadcasting rights of the game. He manage to secure $5.4 billion for those rights. The previous broadcasting deal was 2.5 billion dollars. All this should give you an idea of how popular the game is, because companies pay a fortune to advertise with the TV stations.

[@Watsupyoutube]

That's the best explanation of the game I have ever seen. You should do a video.

[@molaehin5545]

Carlton FC, the 'Old Dark Navy Blues' (founded 1864 or 1860 depending upon who you speak to) have won the most Grand Finals (16 since 1897). Essendon (the Bombers) have won 14 Grand Finals but 16 Premierships as in in the early days the format of the VFL was tinkered with. Carlton have be in the doldrums for the last two decades plus but are back with a promising young side that is ready to launch to another level. CFC (the mighty 'Blues') also have one of the most ecclectic fan bases in the AFL, as the inner city Melbourne suburb they hail from had both working class and upper middle class parts to it as well as the location of Melbourne's first university (1853) so had histotic links to academia. Its support base has included both criminals and judges and politicians! Carlton was in the early and mid 20th century a magnet for immigrant groups so many people of Jewish, Lebanese, Eastern European and Italian ancestry (Carlton is still Melbourne's 'Little Italy') are Blues Supporters. Carn the Blues!!

[@MertAus]

Thanks for the run down. Carlton actually seems like on the front runners for the team I will choose. I am a Glasgow Rangers supporter and they also play in blue and have a similar logo/badge. I am also veering towards a Melbourne based team as that is the only place I have visited in Australia and really loved the city. Very interesting information thanks!

[@bogantellectual]

I'm not even a Carlton supporter but I have a soft spot for them for this reason. Great to see the multicultural fanbase. Also the. suburb is the Italian hub of Melbourne so always good fun seeing fans celebrate on the streets after a win, feels a bit like you're in Europe or South America and the local team has won soccer. (But on a much smaller scale of course haha.)

[@JAMMERMANG]

I will never get over people learning about the best game, Aussie Rules

[@OldFossil]

Ikr. It’s happening more often now. Almost every day there’s someone new reacting to our great game on KZbin. What a time to be following Aussie Rules! 😊

[@harrykatsaros]

Same here. It’s the world’s best kept secret and love seeing outsiders lose their minds at discovering it.

[@MertAus]

Honestly I am just annoyed that I never researched it sooner. If I had known how amazing it was I would have went to a match when I visited Melbourne a couple of years ago. But I guess better late than never.

[@arconeagain]

@@MertAus you would love it at the G. Just the build up, all the people walking in from all directions, even the train ride in, Richmond station. And if you're a little bit late, the roar you can hear from outside, you just want to get in there as soon as you can. I've walked into many a game in the last quarter because it's entry free! Don't know if they do that anymore.

[@adamcooper1898]

@@MertAus Legit the fittest team sport Athletes in the World and l feel the best game in the World, l also love Basketball and Rugby league and enjoy watching Australia play soccer ( Football) but Aussie rules football wins hands down. My team the Collingwood Magpies is a Huge club that everyone loves to hate for some reason probably because of heaps of early success. Someone said $27 regular season tickets which is probably about $10 pounds?

[@peterflynn2111]

oldest codified football code in word was codified in 1859 pre dates nfl and basketball

[@off1k]

@Michael Rogers Of all the major or professional football codes, Australian Football is the oldest codified. Codified Football Games: Australian Football, 1859. invented 1858, Mostly based on pre-codified Rugby and Soccer. Soccer, 1863. Most rules adopted from Cambridge (1848) and Sheffield (1857) rules. Rugby Union, 1871. Most of the rules were adopted from Rugby School of Grammar 1845. Gaelic Football, 1887. Many rules adopted from Australian Rules of 1866. Rugby League, 1895. Breakaway sport from Rugby. Canadian Football, 1903. Mostly originally based on Rugby in 1862 but later adopted more American Style of Walter Camp 1880. American Football, 1906, it finally got codified proper. Most rules from Walter Camp 1880. The many versions of American Football started in the 1860's

[@MertAus]

Amazing history!!

[@ramiromaia592]

It's funny that Aussie Rules Football pre dates all those sports, along with Cricket, they're amongst the oldest sports in the world

[@MertAus]

Yeah after this video I did some more research and seen that (as well as other comments). That is really awesome

[@geraldinesnell2878]

It didn't predate cricket it was invented to keep cricketers fit through the off season

[@DAVA653]

​@geraldinesnell2878 they didn't say it predates cricket just that they are both some of the oldest sports. One correction I would add is that AFL is one of the oldest codified ball sports but people have been playing forms of rugby and soccer for probably a lot longer

[@peterflynn2111]

that is 10 ADDITIONAL MINUTES PER QUARTER ADDED TIME TOTAL TIME 120 MINS

[@MertAus]

That is insane. These players must be super fit.

[@rachaelemmett5281]

Why is nobody mentioning the team theme songs?! When I first moved to Aus and heard that each team has a song and then heard some of the songs I found it hysterical, they are so funny, definitely listen to some if you can!

[@chrisking6667]

The main thing I tell my friends from overseas is that the game doesn't stop like American football. Like Soccer and basketball it will only stop at an umpires whistle. Even then you only have 15 seconds to make a decision. I've played most sports in an actual game environment with referees and the like but I've played this sport semi professionally along with Cricket semi professionally. You get very little time to think about decisions in this sport. When you don't have the ball you are running to give teammates an easier decision. You literally don't have to be big or fast to play this game, it helps of course but more important is know where to be. They call it a "footy brain" here and just means you can read the play and anticipate

[@ProfCockington]

Great points, I think that's what makes the difference between 'making it' and just being good at the game. You have to know where to position yourself as it's such a big field, sure soccer requires the same thing, especially with offside, but in AFL you can spend the entire game without a possession as the ground is literally that big.

[@bossleonie7658]

The best game of 2022 was probably Carlton vs Collingwood in Round 23. Carlton needed to win to make the finals and Collingwood needed to win to make the top 4 (they get a double chance in the finals). It was hyped as one of the biggest games in the last 20 years with a crowd of around 90,000 people.

[@soznomic]

Was at that game as a Carlton fan. Crushed by the result, but I can imagine it being one of the great games of the last few decades as a neutral. Got to see Collingwood lose to Sydney by a point as a bit of karma at least, haha.

[@graemeblackburn7511]

The comments below seem to be quite comprehensive,so I won’t add further. What I wish to point out, Melbourne Football Club ( the Demons) recruited an Irish lad by the name of Jimmy Stynes, who had absolutely no knowledge of Aussie Rules, although he did play Gaelic football. Jimmy was one out of the box. He won the clubs “Best & Fairest “ medal more than once; was picked in the “All Australian team “ & won the prestigious “ Brownlow Medal” which is awarded to the best & fairest player within the whole league at the end of each season. Jimmy was also a magnificent human being. He formed a charity called “ Reach Foundation “which reached out to disadvantaged kids. Jimmy unfortunately contracted cancer & passed away quite a few years ago, but his football legacy & his Reach foundation continue. I could go on & on, but this gives you a good insight into the wonderful life of Jimmy Stynes. Being an Irishman yourself, I thought you would enjoy his story & there is so much more that could be added. Cheers, Graeme. ps. You could gorge yourself with the uTube videos, there is heaps.

[@andrewstrongman305]

The atmosphere at the MCG during a big footy game is like no other. The supporters happily banter with each other as the game goes on.

[@carmelmcshanag8144]

There are a few other clips around that also explain different bits and pieces. As someone said below, it was designed to keep cricketers fit in the off season ... hence the cricket ground. There are some great individual highlights packages (Eddie Betts, Buddy Franklin, Dustin Martin, Garry Ablett Jnr and Snr ... it is a long list as the game has been going for over 150 years). There are also best goal compilations and marks (catches) compilations. They will certainly showcase some of the skills. It has become a zone-style game in the modern era, and tactics depend on the list of players, coach (manager) etc. There are definitely some more attacking or defensive teams and scoring can vary from game to game, but it is a high scoring game nonetheless. There are quite a few Irish recruits in the league now, having been lured from Gaelic football leagues. With time-on added, most quarters go for almost 30 minutes. Fan culture is such that there are intense rivalries but just a lot of stirring and banter with bragging rights being the prize for the victors ... they sit together in the stadiums and then jump on the same trains to get home ... one group is just a little more jovial than the other! 🤪

[@MertAus]

It so cool that it started to keep cricketers fit and became Australia's most popular sport. Such a great evolution. And even after reading the comment about the cricketers I never put 2 + 2 together about it being held in a cricket stadium. I never even thought to question that during the video. Thanks for the information of the individual highlights packages, will check them out. Also cool to know that there is differences in the way teams play with regards to strategy, etc. That is interesting about the fan culture and it does sound very different from soccer but it honestly sounds a lot of fun. Good to see some real sportsman ship off the field with the fans.

[@carmelmcshanag8144]

@@MertAus Also, forgot to mention that the women's league (AFLW) started in 2017. Unlike cricket, Aussie Rules has really only been accepted as a sport for women in the last decade or so. They are playing their comp at the moment. The league started with a few teams and this year is the first where every AFL club has their own team. It's not fully pro yet, and is a reduced season by comparison, but the skills are improving and the interest is growing.

[@bogantellectual]

I played one game of girls' AFL in school in the early 00s in the country, it was terrifying despite most players only having experience in netball or sometimes basketball. But being in the country, these girls were so athletic & tough I personally found them intimidating enough on the netball court, dsppite it being a non contact sport. (I wasn't cut from the same cloth and spent most of my time as a benchwarmer haha.) They were so driven to prove that they could play to the same standard as the boys. And given the chance to finetune their skills, get serious coaching, and opportunities to play (as is finally happening for girls now) professional AFLW will only improve and leaps and bounds. Many of the current players are already elite athletes who've crossed over from other sports (e.g. rugby or basketball) but they didn't grow up playing AFL like 99% of the men. @@carmelmcshanag8144

[@hjsgaming]

Watch the Geelong vs Collingwood final it was a good one

[@TheGezzagirl55]

2022 was a great year. Some very close games that were win in the dying minutes of the game. The Grand Final was unexpectedly a walkover for Geelong, but check out Geelong v Collingwood prelim final this year. Heart stopping

[@samcgill]

you're right.. it was a great game, but it was Sydney vs Collingwood

[@berranari1]

You may be referring to the Qualifying Final between Collingwood and Geelong. We (Collingwood) had a 2 goal lead with only a few minutes remaining and Geelong were still too good and beat us. I noticed that Amazon Prime had 2 funny ads about one day delivery on at that time. One ad featured cats and the other one Magpies. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6nVYnyentSYp9k If you did mean the Cats v Magpies final, I don't blame you for calling it a Preliminary Final as that would make more sense. The VFL / AFL finals names are ... unique, peculiar, wrong. Let's stick with unique.

[@tayb4812]

In my personal experience living in Vic, learning to bounce and handball a footy is taught in PE alongside how to dribble a soccer or basketball at every highschool as part of the curriculum. That doesn't mean I was ever good at it though.

[@mgreen1206]

I Love the AFL..Lance (buddy) Franklin reached 1000 goals this year and I was lucky enough to be at the game..it was phenomenal..when he got to 1000 so many people ran onto field. An AFL player runs about 14-16kms a game and the soccer player usually runs about 10-11kms. A lot of our Australian NBA players have a background of playing some AFL as a teenager such as ❤Patty Mills Josh giddey Ben Simmons Joe ingles To just make a few.. patty mills was especially talented and played AFL at a high level as a teenager

[@MertAus]

That is an amazing record from Lance Franklin. I will need to check out some of his highlights. Sounds like a proper legend.

[@lisasteel6817]

I love Buddy Franklin.

[@mgreen1206]

Buddy is an aboriginal man that by doing what he does helps promote the aboriginal culture.

[@Rob-Angus]

Go cats

[@mgreen1206]

@@Rob-Angus lol.. congrats you guys played phenomenal..

[@trevorwarren75]

There is a new version of this the explains a few aspects slightly better, such as the scoring. It also contains some footage of the women's league.

[@waynec3563]

The round stadium you were asking about was the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is primarily used for cricket and australian rules football, but has hosted rugby and football (soccer) matches and hosted the Olympics in 1956. During WW2 it housed, at various times, members of the US Army Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and US Marine Corps. The first ever cricket Test match was held at the MCG in 1877 between Australia and England. A match was played at the MCG celebrate 100 years of Test cricket, with the result being exactly the same - Australia won by 45 runs. Australia has played football (soccer) matches at the MCG for World Cup qualifiers. Also hosted friendlies at national and club levels. Some of the clubs to play at the MCG would be Manchester United (who played there again this year), Liverpool and Juventus. Here is a clip of the crowd singing You'll Never Walk Alone on Liverpool's visit in 2013. kzbin.info/www/bejne/faCQm32ifMlkqdE

[@Notric]

It is older than those other sports that it resembles so not a combination of them.

[@MertAus]

Cool, thanks for letting me know. Such a historic and awesome sport. Can wait to see more of it

[@unoriginalsyn]

One of the best reaction videos for the AFL I've seen, can tell your a genuine sports lover 💕

[@Paul-pl6dl]

The game started around 1858 in Victoria to keep cricketers fit over the winter it was known as the VFL then became a national team in the late 80's AFL you can look up games to learn more about it. It is a family friendly sport with very little violence from the crowds before during or after the game not like football in the UK or Europe at times crowds are from as little as 10,000 to 100,000 people average is about 45,000 and the finals from 50,000 to 100,000 Grand Final played at the M.C.G in Melbourne when you have 2 hours spare look at a complete game then you will learn a lot more about the game just remember the basic rules you will pick up the rest when you watch a game glad you like our game it's quick and exciting cheers

[@MertAus]

Thanks Paul, will definitely check out a full match soon to get a better understanding of the sport

[@tcullen3684]

@@MertAus I just wanted to clarify some things. It actually started out being called VFA, Victorian Football Association. The VFL, Victorian Football League, was a break away competition that started some twenty years later, for much the same reasons that Rugby League first broke away from Rugby Union. It was because players wanted to be paid. Not so much paid in the sense that professional athletes are now. It was more so players could receive financial compensation if they were injured & unable to work as a result. So like Rugby, this opened the game up to the broader community, including the working class & not just wealthy elites. For much of the early 20th century the two competitions were in direct competition with each other for the hearts & minds of the general public, as well with other codes.

[@shirleywinter9144]

For your info Aussie Rules is the most popular sport in Australia in the winter months. I am a mad fan and have been ever since I emigrated to Australia in 1966. I live in Victoria which has the most "footie" clubs of all states. My daughter and I are members of the Hawthorn Football Club and have been for many many years. They have been a very successful club since the 1960s winning at least one premiership every decade since then and in fact won a flag in a "3peat" winning the premiership in 2013,2014 and 2015. This is practically an impossibility in this day and age. Also each club in the competition has a "Cheer Squad" made up of members willing to support their team come hell or high water. We always sit behind the goals at one end dressed in as much Hawthorn gear as we can fit on our bodies, The Squad also makes a banner (different every game) which the team runs through at the beginning of the game. We also have small banners, flags gongs trumpets (in Hawks colours of course.) The most fanatical of the group also go to every game all over the country to support our "boys". My daughter and I used to be as fanatical as that but I have had to cancel the Interstate trips as I will be 78 soon and not in the best of health but my love and support for the "hawks" will never wane and I try to get to as many "home" games in Melbourne as I can. Hope this little bit of insight into our marvellous game will help your knowledge of how fanatical and passionate true supporters of a club are and that will never change Win Or Lose. Only a true and real supporter can say that!!!!!!!

[@sebastianliggieri8411]

Hey Make sure you check out Patrick Cripps. He won the best and fairest medal this year. (We call it Brownlow Medal) And check out also the updated edition of learning AFL. It's called Beginners guide to AFL

[@paulkelly4711]

Collingwood had a great season this year. They finished 17th last season, not expected to do anything this year, but finished 4th and missed out on a grand final appearance by 1 point to Sydney. If you can watch a replay of the Sydney Vs Collingwood preliminary final from this year, it was one of the best games of the season. A sad result for a Pies fan like myself, but a great game of footy.

[@bradnorman7535]

Not a pies fan but they was robbed! Hopefully Geelong will all be in the Aged care facility and Collingwood and Brisbane can fight it out next year. 😁

[@paulkelly4711]

@@bradnorman7535 I think we were kinda ripped off too. Papley's "forward craft" didn't help much in the granny though, haha. Still immensely proud of what the Pies managed this season.

[@petercrispin2129]

I went to the Freo game the week before, then went to the Sydney game. Ump's got that game wrong, but as I'm a COLLING... WOO... OOD fan, I'm going to say we were ripped off, but it was hilarious when Franklin was rubbed down. He was so angry. And then they lost against Geelong by a country mile which made up for it.

[@caitlin2178]

Wouldn't say it was a great game of footy, pies forgot how to play until the last quarter! There were much better games of close footy this season (most involving the pies haha)

[@MertAus]

That was a great turnaround compared to the previous seasons finish. Will defo look out a replay of the match you mentioned. Sounds awesome

[@Dr_KAP]

Great reaction! Suggest you check out Buddy Franklin and Cyril Rioli; also AFL best marks is a good place to start. The mark is the impressive aspect of the game you enjoyed in the video (where they jump all over each other to try to catch the ball)!

[@Rick-da-scale]

You beat me again Dr. I just gave him my long drawn out explanation, as well as raving about Buddy.

[@Dr_KAP]

@@Rick-da-scale I was looking for you actually lol I knew you’d be along soon. Hope you’re well ❤️

[@Rick-da-scale]

@@Dr_KAP If Dr is your actual profession, you would not want to know about my woes. Quite odd actually, in 73 years I have been to a doctor only “once” in my life for anything that wasn’t self-inflicted. Then from 12 months ago I’ve been back and forth to RMH hospital with pains, kidney stone, bladder/bowel infections etc. they want me to have an operation on bladder/bowel, but when I heard there’s a 2% chance of having one of those bags permanently on me, I said no way. Not even taking 2% risk of that because I can’t think of anything worse. I told them that I’ll be happy if I can survive until next years Swans premiership, that will do me. 😹 anyway I think I’ll probably kick on for a few more years yet. Hoping you are healthy and happy too. ❤️🦢🦢🦢

[@MertAus]

Dr_KAP Thanks for the suggestion. Yeah I really was surprised (and excited haha) by the mark. It is so different from anything I have seen in any other sport. Will make a reaction to some of them soon. It looks so impressive

[@MertAus]

Ricky D thanks for your other comment and I hope you are doing well. Wishing you great health!!!

[@imogencooper2541]

Loads of people think it's just a mix of other sports but the game actually started around the 1840s when a cricketer wanted to keep his team in shape through winter, and he found out about the Indigenous game marngrook (give it a quick google), since it's Indigenous it's likely a few thousand years old at least but I can't find anything definitive. The crowds are awseome, big games get typically 80,000-100,000 and the largest crowd ever was 121,696 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG, absolutely iconic stadium, give that a little google too). The supporters/barrackers don't really sing other than the team song at the end of the game, but they react to the game a lot and it's crazy loud. There's also some basic chants, most iconic is probably the "collingwood" chant (collingwood magpies is a huge team and one of the oldest) but every team has some version of it. There's loads of stereotypes for supporters of each team, at the moment the biggest clubs (by memberships) are west coast eagles 102,897, richmond tigers 100,792 and collingwood magpies 100,384 but there's tons of supporters who aren't members. It's biggest in Victoria, especially in Melbourne where pretty much everyone has a team even if they don't care that much, 10 teams are based in Victoria, the rest of the country is still pretty into it but not so much. In terms of strategies, teams do play to their strengths whether that's being defensive, more aggressive attacking, lots of handballs, mostly kicking, fast paced or slow paced, but it's generally accepted that you need to be able to do all of it to win the premiership. Biggest game of the year other than the grand final is the ANZAC day match, it's between collingwood and essendon who are huge rivals because of it and it's absolutely huge, if you ever get the chance go to it, there's nothing like it, it typically gets crowd numbers of 90,000+.

[@petercrispin2129]

Collingwood FC, also the best match to watch (apart from Grand Final) is the traditional ANZAC Day match between Collingwood v Essendon played on ANZAC Day at the MCG every year. Even though it is a normal Home and Away season game it attracts over 90,000+ fans and is always sold out. The story behind it is honourable, and we acknowledge our ANZAC's. Imagine a crowd of 100,000 people whilst a single bugle is playing and you can hear a pin drop. It always brings tears to my eyes and raises goosebumps on my arms. The other game is the Richmond v Melbourne game on ANZAC Eve where the MCG is darkened and they bring out the Light horseman with a torch. Also some teams wear a special guernsey to acknowledge ANZAC Day as well. These two games are the best, even for me surpassing the Grand Final. You should listen to all the clubs theme songs.

[@kwiksilvakmt]

I agree that the ANZAC games are up there, but Dreamtime at the G is on par.

[@petercrispin2129]

@@kwiksilvakmt I have yet to watch it. But hopefully this year.

[@thattassiewargamer]

Rugby and Rugby League tackles are harder but can usually be anticipated whereas Aussie Rules tackles can come from anywhere, even when you don’t have the ball!

[@canberrapear7219]

You should also check out AFL Scotland. It's got four or five teams around Glasgow and Edinburgh.

[@MertAus]

Really? I never knew Scotland had AFL. I live in Malaysia now (I have lived in Asia for 10 years so maybe I have just missed it) but I will definitely do some research on it.

[@TheCappaQueen]

If you come from Victoria, South Australia or Western Australia your main game is AFL. New South Wales and Queensland mostly play Rugby in its various forms, although they have 2 AFL teams each. The AFL mostly grew out of teams in the Victorian Football League which started more that 150 years ago. Victorian teams still dominate in the numbers. My team, Essendon, whilst not at its best at the moment, is 150 years old and has one of the highest number of premierships. The AFL women's game finally got off the ground just a few years ago and is growing strongly.

[@jeffmcmahon3278]

If you are from South Australia, Western Australia or Victoria, your main game is Australian Rules Football - the AFL is simply an organisation, not a football code.

[@berranari1]

Australian Football is also the main football code in the southern parts of N.S.W. Australian football legend Wayne Carey is from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. I remember that the Danihers played for New South Wales once.

[@dianematthews587]

Forgot Tassie

[@cgkennedy]

That stadium is the MCG or Melbourne Cricket Ground. AFL Finals are held there, the Boxing Day test is played there, the 1956 Olympics main stadium was there, and last Australian Commonwealth Games was there.

[@wanabeejess]

My husband got me into the sport when we first met. A lot of the time it is called 'chaos ball' and it's definitelyan accurate description. The fans are fanatical and definitely not afraid to show it but everyone usually gets along. Each team has a song and the whole crowd definitely knows their team's song and will sing along. I absolutely love the atmosphere of the games. I'd definitely recommend watching a video with best marks because the marking is definitely the part of the game that most people seem to enjoy

[@wombatforestfilms6248]

Hey mate love this vid, love the accent, at an AFL apposing fans sit next to each other and its ok, we dont have to be seperated, everyone is together, we are mad on it, but we respect each other rights and its a great time at the footy

[@shaz464]

Yes each club has a men’s and a women’s team. The men have been playing since 1859. The women have only been in the competition for 7 years.

[@MertAus]

Interesting. Before making this video I never realised how historic this sport is. It is awesome!!

[@leopoldstotch7711]

I played aussie rules for 8 years, and I'm Melbourne based, the home of footy basically - your analysis is awesome, and I've watched lots of reactions to our sport - rugby is more physical due to the high and low tackle rules - Aussie rules fans have nothing on european/south american football fans, except for "storm the field" traditions - your womens question was sus, made me wonder if you were lowkey a fan, very topical in Aus atm - the "climb on people" tactic is my favourite thing about Australia, we call it a "specky" short for spectacular grab/mark, can't wait for the day someone does it in the end zone of an NFL game - AFL tactics are very elaborate, possibly the most statistically evolved sport in the world but ironically very basically strategic, although I suppose this can be said for all sports - we don't have a Man Utd/Real Madrid, we have a compensation system for draft picks and such to help the struggling teams - Dustin Martin is the best player at the moment, Gary Ablett Snr and Jr are crazy good success stories - like Ronaldo and Ronaldo Jr in our dreams *we don't have stoppage time, we stop the clock during stoppages

[@valerieb5718]

Aussie Rules started in 1856, so we never adapted to another sport, so well established before many other sports even began.

[@macman1469]

Elite on ballers, midfielders, run , run and run upto half a marathon during the match. Men,women and kids all play.

[@MertAus]

Jeez that they are amazing athletes. That is an insane amount of running. Their stamina must be off the chart.

[@wildwood3031]

Best sport in the world.

[@MertAus]

Can't wait to learn more about it

[@FatherBnnL]

Check out biggest hits, best marks and best goals.

[@MertAus]

Going to do this soon mate thanks!

[@laurencebyron9183]

As a small person One thing I love about Aussie Rules is that it has positions for different builds.

[@MyMusic-cd3do]

Not sure if someone already addressed the bouncing of the ball, but this is a skill all of its own. When bouncing the ball while running (or any time, for that matter) you have to get the ball to hit the ground on the leading edge. (not the point of the ball) Think of the underside of the ball as a foot. You want the ball to hit the ground on the pad of the foot, just behind the toes. Doing this will bounce the ball back to you. If the ball hits the ground at any other angle it can be quite unpredictable. However, there is a pattern to what appears to be a randomly bouncing ball. If I remember correctly, a randomly bouncing ball that's going end over end will have two low bounces and on the third bounce it will bounce up, so if you're chasing one of those balls, you tend to wait for the high bounce to catch it, rather than scrambling after it. Of course, that depends on if you have the space and time for that. And if I got that wrong, I know one of my fellow Aussies will let me know in no uncertain terms.

[@kirst77]

I’ve only found you today, but I’ve watched about 10 of your videos. Love them! As an Aussie I’ve been laughing so much! I think this video is where you fell in love with Australia! Btw it’s the grand final this Saturday for AFL!

[@berranari1]

Hi there Mat. The women's game currently is played with 16 players and uses a slightly smaller ball. The duration of the quarters is shorter. The women's game is ever improving but it is currently much slower. As the speed increases so will the brutality. I say brutality, but as a player you must be putting pressure on the person with the ball. Otherwise it is playing 'Gaelic' football with an oval ball. That makes me sound like I hate Gaelic football. I don't. I just love Australian football so much. The composite Irish-Australian game was called "International Rules Football". Many top players in the AFL and the AFLW come from Ireland. One of the star defenders in the championship winning Geelong Cats is Zach Tuohy. Zach Tuohy (born 10 December 1989) is an Irish professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tuohy grew up in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland, and played Gaelic football before making a code switch to Australian rules football. You wouldn't think that there would be imported players in the women's game, but there are. Well, there are female players from overseas. In the men's game there are a few Irish guys, a Fijian and an American.

[@narellesmith7932]

All those tactics, yes. But it’s a fast paced running game . Fantastic! There is a stadium tour of the MCG ( fondly called the G ) Geelong Cats just won the grand final in 2022. Oldest team in the league. 🔵⚪️🔵⚪️

[@JAMMERMANG]

Melbourne Demons are older than Geelong by a few days

[@monicaking2140]

@@JAMMERMANG that’s what I thought 😊

[@MertAus]

Yeah it looks like the match is played at a crazy pace. Must be so exciting to watch a match, especially with it being so high scoring.

[@JAMMERMANG]

@@MertAus the Collingwood vs Geelong final was one of the best games of the year. You should react to the highlights!

[@michaelfink64]

Great reactions, mate. To answer some of your questions: the players need to be extremely fit, athletic and skilful. Because of the size of the ground, midfielders will commonly cover 15 km or more in a game. Although players have different roles (hence the variation in size), everyone needs to perfect the skills of the game, as shown in the video. One of the big differences to rugby and American football is that the players are scattered over the field, more like soccer, so that passes can go in any direction and you can be tackled from any angle as well. Players need to be acutely aware of their surroundings. And then, there is the vertical component, which you saw, that makes it a 3D game. The ground is oval because of the origins of the game. It was invented as a way of keeping cricketers fit over winter, so it is played on cricket grounds. The terms that are used are often also common to cricket (laws rather than rules, umpires rather than referees, boundaries rather than sidelines). Although it may seem like a mash up of lots of other sports, it predates most of these. The first game was played in 1858 and the game was codified in 1859. The supporters are pretty fanatical, but in a more laid back, Aussie way than soccer fans. There aren't songs being sung by the crowd during play (although every club has its own song that is sung by the players n the change rooms at the end of the game if they win). It is a bit less organised than that. Crowd violence occurs occasionally but it is much rarer than it was when I was a kid in the 70s and we don't need to separate clubs' supporters like they do in some soccer comps. Mostly it is just friendly, and sometimes witty, banter. That is one of the aspects of the game that foreigners have mentioned when I have taken them to a game. The score you mentioned was pretty high for an AFL game, but it is common for teams to score 90-100 points in a game. The record is around 230 points by one team, as I recall, but obviously that is an outlier. Yes, there is a women's league (AFLW). They are just kicking off the finals series now. They have been going for a few years. At first, the skills were not great and the scoring was pretty poor, but they have improved markedly and the games are entertaining. All 18 AFL clubs now have an AFLW team. In terms of player videos to watch, one of my favourites is Cyril Rioli, now retired. He was an indigenous player who had phenomenal skills, dogged determination and an uncanny knack of knowing where the ball was going to go. Here's a video of his career highlights (also gives a bit of background to his indigenous roots and playing as a kid): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHWUd6ydpp6Cmbc

[@strayandrongo7461]

One big difference between AFL and rugby is that in Rugby, because of offside rules, tackles can come from only one direction, but AFL doesn't have offside so tackles can come from anywhere

[@Rick-da-scale]

On the video, the red-and-white player featured when they said, “These players are basketball sized,” is Lance Buddy Franklin. This is a 6 foot five monster of a man with the speed, agility, and evasive skills of a rabbit. Search for, “Lance Franklin’s best 23 goals.” (23 is his number and numbers don’t represent positions, they only identify players.) This guy will blow your mind. This season he kicked his 1000th career goal (only seven other players have done that in history) 20,000 people invaded the ground to congratulate him. You can search for footage of his 1000th goal as well, and you will be dumbfounded by the sea of people on the ground. (Among his 23 goals you will see the crowd run on the ground then as well, but that was only because he kicked 100 goals for the season, a separate issue to the 1000 career goals.) Search also for the final quarter or final five minutes of the “2005 semi-final, Geelong and Sydney.” One of the most famous final quarters in AFL history. Excitement is through the roof. Yes I follow the red and white team, the Sydney Swans. They have played in finals more than any other team in the last 20 years. They have amazing players, and an amazing culture, and are very community orientated. They are worthy of your support. Cheers.

[@MertAus]

Thanks Ricky. Yeah a few people have mentioned Lance Franklin actually so definitely going to check out his stuff soon. Getting 1000 goals is an amazing record. Sounds like a true legend. I like the sound of the Sydney Swans. They sound pretty good, especially being community orientated. I am still doing some research on what team I will support haha. Will make a decision soon.

[@Rick-da-scale]

@@MertAus The rest of that comment was answering your question about prices, $37 adults, $15 concession, $5 kids. Finals tickets range from $85 for the first week to $185 for the grand final.

[@Rick-da-scale]

@@MertAus The Sydney Swans are a battlers team. Prior to 1982 they were south Melbourne. They were in financial difficulties and were told that they either moved to Sydney or folded up completely. Had a terrible run from 1982 for a number of years, but are now considered a powerhouse team who as I think I already said I’ve have been in the finals more times than other teams in the last 20 years.

[@MyMusic-cd3do]

@9:05 he didn't explain the scores. The first number, in this case for Collingwood 20 and Carlton 18 are how many goals have been scored. The second number 10 and 12, in this case, are how many 'behinds', or between the tall post and the shorter post (or going through the taller posts after being touched by someones hand). Goals are six points, and behinds are one. So Collingwood got 20 goals times 6 points = 120 point plus 10 behinds for a total of 130 points. (20 10 130) Whereas Carlton had 18 goals times six = 108 points plus twelve behinds for a total of 120 points. (18 12 120) Scoring in this way helps to see the degree of accuracy. In this example, both teams have actually had the same amount of scoring shots, but Collingwood has slightly better accuracy.

[@godamid4889]

Geelong is definitely the best team ever. If anyone says any different it's probably because they are actually netball players. Scoring can be tight between two even sides (e.g. 71 - 68), a shootout (e.g. 122 - 118), or a blowout (233 - 47). Plenty of people your size play - just not at the elite level. But if you did make it there they would get you on the weights anyway. The game has a lot less big hits due to concussion protocols these days, but the spectacular marks are still there. It's not as physical as union, but you feel the knocks because they come from any angle and it is easy to be caught unprepared. It's not uncommon for half the team to run over 12 kms in a game, but the best runners do around 17kms. Bouncing the ball is what most footy kids do on their walk to and from school. I grew up with a footy always in my hand, so it became second nature by the time I was a teenager. It's a great game to play - highly recommend you give it a try. You will build some great fitness and friendships.

[@chrismelbourne3119]

Hey mat if U want a British guys breakdown of the game I suggest U react to a blue abroad's KZbin channel he a pommy who gives a good breakdown of player positions compared with soccer positions also check out the beginners guide to AFL video that the AFL just released for international people to understand a little bit better than this video

[@TagSpamCop]

A Behind is like a shame-point. It means you failed, because the ball goes back to the centre and you've lost possession. It contributes to your overall score, but you never try for a Behind, you always go for a Goal, so the more Behinds you get, the worse you're doing on the day in a way.

[@MOEhock]

Regarding tactics: a lot of it is knowing the strengths of the opposition and matching defenders against good offense players. During the game the coach watches from up in the stadium and moves players around onto other opposition players who need to be countered, so the way the game is going influences that. As for spectator culture, no singing like in soccer, too fast and too many things happening for that generally, and lots of women attend the games, big presence of women in the supporters clubs too, and everybody sits mixed in generally. There will be sections that might be booked out for supporters of one team but normally it's all mixed, and almost never problems with that

[@fmkwvejf]

The vid you reacted to is pretty good for explaining the rules, but I don't think they put enough emphasis on the fact that there's no offside. With a couple of notable exceptions, players from both sides can be anywhere on the ground at any time. Pretty much every other football code has the two teams starting on opposite sides of the ground and facing off, but our sport has none of that. So the ball, the players, and the hits can come and go from any direction. I think it's one of the most important things that really gives our game its unique character.

[@Yana-zv3me]

6:45 YES! We have an AFL Womans league too as of a couple of years ago and they are weapons too and the game works the same! i suggest looking up some clips of them and reacting to that too because its amazing!

[@suemoore984]

Please do check out the AFLW - the women's league. Unfortunately they have to play during the summer because of the men's league playing from March until the end of September. They also have to support themselves with jobs outside of football, as the AFLW doesn't pay anywhere near as well as the men's league. They are worth watching, despite only having been a league for 5 years.

[@PennyPies]

Try watching the final quarters of a few Collingwood games from 2022. They had the most amount of wins ever by any team in the history of the AFL by under 10 points throughout the season. It was exhilarating. Collingwood v. Essendon (both games but the later one had an incredible finish) and the Collingwood v. Carlton game in Round 23 was crazy good. We call the ground the MCG or just the G and the atmosphere was nuts for those three games. Crowds were all over 80K. Just watch the last quarters if you can't watch the entire games.

[@michaelsmith-fw9bm]

that "huge stadium" you mentioned at start is the Melbourne Cricket Grounds and sits mid -high 90k.

[@johnziersch4605]

Hi MSTV and hello from South Australia. Thanks for your U-tube posts, I enjoy watching them. I can’t work out your accent though - probably not Scottish as I can understand most of what you say (and you probably wouldn’t understand everything I say, either). Players bounce the ball while running with it so that the game doesn’t become a “run with the ball” sport like Rugby or, God forbid, American Gridiron. This allows the focus of the game to be on HANDLING the ball.

[@MelodyMan69]

Yeh. I remember the Gaelic Football matches in the off season. Ozzies were OK at that ROUND BALL VERSION.

[@mattgale69]

Attendances are generally pretty high depending on the team, but the crowds are more passive spectators than active signing etc

[@cy_bels]

Afl is a big sport we love to attend in person. You will find that we are passionate supporters but peaceful for the most part. Only a very few people get in trouble, but the venues are generally very good about keeping those few people in control and are kicked out if needed for extreme action. I have found that fans from other sports find it wild that we can interact with people of opposition teams with civility before, during and after matches normally. We do have a women's league. They are awesome as well. The women's group is probably about 10 years behind the guys in development but they are still amazing to watch. Yes. Strategy is a huge part of the game. How a team uses their 18 players in and around stoppages. Whether they prefer to handball or kick more, go through the middle or along the sides. All of these are major parts of game strategy, as well as player selection such as how many tall or short forwards a team selects and how that lines up against the opponents defense. If you need a team to barrack for Richmond Tigers is always a great team. Dustin Martin is a good place to start.

[@The_funny_dude]

AFL is one of the oldest sport leagues in the modern world dating back to 1858. Some say that AFL has its roots in Marngrook, a game played in south eastern Australia by the local indigenous population for thousands of years.

[@tgward313]

tactics - don't stop running - hit em low ,hit em hard - kick goals

[@munchmandrifta]

You'll find teams vary widley like you said, some teams will go for long bomb kicks (kick as far down field as far as possible), while others try to play a close and low game, with a ton of handballs. As he mentioned there is no offside, this means you'll find a full back in full word position and scoring a goal.

[@markpaweena781]

Afl fan culture is great. It's passionate and loud but never angry and spiteful. It's just a game after all

[@MertAus]

True mate, that is a good mentality to have. Some times in soccer the fans can go a bit far (attacking each other, fighting, etc).

[@vaguetymora826]

I’m in Perth, so I’m an Eagles fan. You should watch any AFL Best Marks, or Hardest Hits videos.

[@TheDavie]

It's the most physical ballsport on earth by a galaxy, but not for the reason you probably think. Yes, the hits are brutal and very hard, easily on par with anything either Rugby codes or the NFL can throw up, but none of those sports have the high end endurance running that AFL does. Soccer on the other hand has the running and endurance part, not at the AFL level though, but Soccer equally doesn't have the brutal hits and tackles. To me, AFL is alone in the world of ballsports as the most unique game on earth. Basically, if the UFC and Triathlons had a baby... it'd be the AFL.

[@MertAus]

That is so true. That is what I noticed from this video. The size of the pitch means they have to super fit. And some other people have mentioned the distance figures the AFL players run and they are mind blowing. It is such a unique and great sport. The UFC and Triathlon having a baby is a great way to put it.

[@traceyandrob13]

20 is the goals which 6 points/ 10 is the behinds which is one points and the 130 is the total it adds up too. As Aussie kid we used to play kick to kick on the street with friends or siblings like I used to. We used to go to our local club which mine is South Mildura Football Club.

[@OldFossil]

Ever since I took my first breath I’ve absolutely loved this sport. To see that others from overseas enjoy watching our beautiful game makes me very happy. It truly is a unique sport. Personally I go for the *Hawthorn Hawks* (the team with the Premiership Cup at the end of the video 😎). We won three Grand Finals in a row from 2013-15 but we’ve since become a pretty average team. You’ll find that *A LOT* of overseas fans go for the *Sydney Swans* because it’s the main Sydney based team. They’re my local team since I live in Mid-North NSW and recently got destroyed in this year’s Grand Final to the *Geelong Cats*. Geelong’s off-season has been so far so good, apart from one of their all-time players leaving they’ve traded some talent to their squad and look like a threat for next season too. Definitely keep an eye out for Geelong. The most notorious, popular and overall, most hated club in the league is the *Collingwood Magpies*. They’re your New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys or even your Manchester United of the league. Their supporters are stereotypically dole bludgers who don’t have any teeth too. Most teams are from the state of Victoria and are based in Melbourne. The league used to be known as the *Victorian Football League* before the league expanded interstate. Hence why there is a lot of Melbourne suburb based teams. The AFL has 10 Victorian based teams and 8 interstate teams with a potential 9th coming in 2026 in Tasmania. Australian Football is the only professional sport to be created in Australia and was created in the 19th Century. Although there are claims that the game originated from the very similar Indigenous game of Marngrook that was created long before European Settlement, however there currently is no evidence of this. It’s an amazing sport that combines some of the worlds greatest sports together to create the work of art that is Australian Football. There’s plenty more I could blabber on about but that’s just a brief bit of knowledge about the game. Let me know if you want to hear more about the game, I can give you all the answers you need :)

[@Jellybeantiger]

You forgot the mighty Tigers!

[@bernadettelanders7306]

My sister, in her 70s barracks for Collingwood. She still has all her own original teeth and last year got a university degree in Anthropology and Genealogy. So all Collingwood supporters aren’t toothless dole bludgers lol. In her younger days she belonged to the Collingwood Cheer squad. I’ve never seen her drunk and never too drugs. I wonder how Pies fans got that label? Other teams must have people who have lost teeth and on the dole.

[@MertAus]

Awesome reply thank you very much. I am the same with soccer. I don't remember a time that I did not love it. I was just born a soccer fan and I am so glad that is the way I was raised. Really great to hear fans of other sports like yourself who are the same. I am thinking more towards supporting a Melbourne team actually because that is the only city in Australia that I have visited and I really loved it. Although I could yet be convinced if another team is interesting. I am doing some research on the teams at the moment in order to choose one

[@OldFossil]

@@bernadettelanders7306 that’s awesome to hear. I’ve definitely seen pies fans from all walks of life and rarely seen those without teeth. That said, I’ve seen people from other teams who would be your stereotypical pies supporter

[@bernadettelanders7306]

@@OldFossil the old Collingwood stereotype will probably never die, it’s now part of footy culture lol. Yes, totally agree other fans supporting other teams could fit the ‘so called’ image of Pie supporters lol.

[@stevemurrell6167]

Most exciting teams to watch at the moment would be Geelong Cats, Sydney Swans (these two played off in this years Grand Final), Collingwood Magpies, Melbourne Demons and Brisbane Lions. These were the top five teams in 2022. Other videos to watch would be 50 Top Goals, 50 Top Marks, Biggest Hits and if you want to see one particular player at his best, check out Buddy Franklin's Top 23.

[@thylacine1962]

its sure is a tough game. As an Australian I have watched it all my life. But when I saw my first ice hockey game, I realised that was the toughest sport with in minutes. Guys have been killed playing it. No lie.

[@darrenpants2700]

Name anyone killed

[@thylacine1962]

@@darrenpants2700 thats easy. Jamie McGruffy, Colby Cave, Timur Faizutdinov Watch these. "Moments that RUINED NHL Players Careers" "14-year-old hockey player dies as puck hits him in the chest during game" "NHL PLAYER DIES ON ICE" "19-year-old Ontario junior B hockey player dies during tournament" Ok?

[@shirleywinter9144]

Just a quick comment to let you know that Aussie Rules is the oldest form of football in the world. It was created in 1858 to try to keep British convicts fit, The rules do not take aspects from either soccer, American football, volleyball or rugby. Rather maybe some of those sports took aspects of "Aussie Rules" themselves. It is a unique game and although it has started to have too many Rule changes it is followed passionately by us "Dinkie Di's". So glad to see that so many overseas people are beginning to see videos of the games and are realising what they have been missing out on. ENJOY!!!!!

[@ariadnepyanfar1048]

I think the low scoring nature of Soccer means that a lot of tension and frustration builds up during games, leading to violence breaking out sometimes. AFL does't have the same problem. I didn't know Gaelic footballers played Aussie. That sounds like a fun international event. Ireland is a cool place. AFL is very much based on a game Indigenous Australians played for thousands of years, and was picked up by the British Colonisers in Victoria in the 1850s, shortly before Rugby was codified.

[@samcgill]

Agree with this. You could fix the fighting culture by making the goals 1 metre wider. Of course that's not going to happen but I totally agree with you. Having regular scores relieves a lot of tension amongst the crowd.

[@erniethegiantchicken1027]

Atmosphere at AFL games are more family friendly and less chanting than soccer but lots of banter between opposition as the crowds are not separated, but the tactics used are similar to soccer things like pressing and switching side to side as just a few examples.

[@stephanielane1821]

I saw on another reaction someone said it was instituted as a football code in around 1857 or there abouts, to keep cricket players fit during the off season, so it's been around a long time.

[@XTC065]

There are best defending teams and best attacking teams, some like to use handball more than others, some like the longer kicking game. Some strategies might stack the forward area with 'talls' or they might choose smaller faster forwards. My team showed up for the Grand Final this year, and they chose the strategy of leaving their balls at home, and I'm not referring to a Sherrin 😆😆.... maybe next year. GO THE BLOODS!

[@aldocadenaro8121]

Check out 2004 grand final port Adelaide v Brisbane, everyone thought Brisbane couldn't be beaten 👍

[@sarahphegan3582]

Also, when a player jumps on another player when they try to catch the ball, it’s called a spekky (idk why they didn’t include that)

[@ersinhuseyin2731]

Great to see your interest in our fantastic game of AFL, please watch the Richmond Tigers & player no-4 Dustin Martin nick name Dusty, simply amazing super talented

[@Rusty_Gold85]

Port Adelaide won 20 premierships before joining the AFL and won their first in 2004 . Tough thing is you can be from Interstate ,be the minor premier winning all Finals to the GF but the GF has to be played elsewhere and not your home ground

[@ttrus2771]

The traditional big 4 clubs from Victoria Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon & Richmond have huge followings similar (domestically) to United, Liverpool, Arsenal, etc. and have broadly been the most successful in terms of premierships. Games between these 4 (sometimes regardless of their on field form) pull 80,000 people…

[@carriebizz]

AFL is the first football in the world so anything after that was probably modelled on our footy. I'm Australian and a Victorian where afl was originally VFL as it was just my state but it branched out to other states.

[@arconeagain]

I reckon you're already hooked. Enjoy the journey, because you're going to love it. First thing, you need to find a team to barrack for. I'm a Richmond supporter. All the best, I just subscribed.

[@Sarcastic_Cow]

The difference between Aussie rules and soccer in Australia is, I would feel perfectly safe taking my young sons to watch an Aussie rules game any where in the Country against any other team but not the soccer.

[@karenstrong8887]

It is not taking anything from any other sport because it was the first football before any other games. It is the best game, fast and played by elite athlete’s that can run up to 20 Kilometre’s a game while keeping all skills for up to 90 minutes. It is fun to watch. All Grand Finals are played at the MCG, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Nothing beats the feeling of being there for a big game. The game started to keep Cricket players fit in the off season or kill them. The Grand Final a few weeks ago broke the record for crowd numbers, over 105,000 people. They must have added seats because I never saw a space before. The crowds are serious about their teams but not violent. They do fly to other States every second weekend to watch their team play because they are that serious. The smaller players are just as valuable as the taller players. Mostly in or near the centre because they can get under and away with the ball. They have to have speed. Except for the odd, very special player like Eddie Betts. He is small but he can fly high, he is fast and he can score as well as any other player. He played for my team for awhile but Eddie is the kind of player that you watch play for any team. He is magic. Watch a video called Buddy Franklin scores 1,000th goal and see what happens. He will probably be the last to do that because they have made it harder to do. He still plays for my husbands team. Eddie is retired. There are other video’s called things like the top 50 best marks, they are fun. You can go back to all time greats like Roy Cazaly. There is a song played at every Grand Final called Up There Cazaly and now it is every teams song. Have fun and thank you. You just found the best game in the world that only we knew about until Covid.

[@MertAus]

Thanks very much Karen for the detailed and comprehensive response. It really answers a lot of questions I had and it is great to find out all of this information. I will definitely have more AFL reactions coming, especially the best marks. That was one of my favourite parts of this video. Such an impressive skill and cannot wait to see more!

[@traceyandrob13]

The Grand Final was on in September but the season starts up in about March here it one of our biggest sport but also rugby league and rugby union is too. The other thing is our cricket which check Shane Warne. Most aussie kids played kick to kick with friends or siblings like I did with my brothers but we used to go local Football club which I was with South Mildura Football Club. Which had few people play in the AFL play but the most know that closer is Chris and Robbie Tarrant which out families hang out sometime which at the Football I used to babysit Robbie.

[@louislynge]

The womens league is the best womens sport IMHO, they go hard. Players can run 10-15 miles each game. The crowd are into the game (they sing the teams song etc) but it is mainly about the game, as it is so fast paced and hardly stops so there is no need to have long winded chants (like soccer) as there is always something going on. You should check out "specky" (spectacular) Marks (which are the amazing jumping catches), and react to one of these video's. Yes this is kind of like Gaelic football, BUT it is older than Soccer / rugby etc. Before the professional league it was actually a game played by the Aboriginal people for fun, with a ball made from Possum skin, and before colonisation. The game is less structured (IMHO) and the play is almost dictated by the "bounce of the ball". I used to call it "mugby" coz it's like rugby but more like an all in mugging.

[@MertAus]

They run a crazy amount. Not only are they physically strong but their cardio is amazing too. I think I will do a reaction to marks soon. That was one of the things I enjoyed seeing the most in this video.

[@munchmandrifta]

They forgot to explain the scoring.. so it's GOALS (6 Points) then Behinds (Single Points) then Total. So 20 times 6 = 120 + 10 behinds is 130 total points.

[@caro.k2958]

The large field of play is because back in 1858 the Aussies decided they needed a game to use cricket ovals in the off season. They came up with Aussie rules which is the oldest codified football code in the world

[@MertAus]

Ok that is interesting. I was quite surprised by the sheer size of the pitch. Never expected it to be so huge and never knew how big it was compared to other sports. It's very impressive and makes the physicality of the players even more impressive also.

[@Glenfern]

Love your enthusiasm Mat 🇦🇺❤🙏🤣

[@tms977]

If you're in Malaysia next year you should definitely come down to Melbourne to watch a game! Round one in March

[@laurencebyron9183]

Men's AFL season has just finished but the semi professional AFLW (women's) is in progress at the moment.

[@maninmotion8901]

Definitely check out Buddy Franklins 23 best goals, great video. As far as strategy goes, it is a very strategic sport, coaches all have different gameplans, and like you said some are more attacking some more defensive. Hawthorn Hawks have won at least one Premiership every decade since 1965, including 3 in the 70s, 5 from 83-91, and 4 from 08-15 which included a 3-peat.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

Its years before recruits get to play . They have to tune them in for fitness , put some bulk into their frame and razz up their skill work at break neck speed

[@johnking8789]

Footie is the people's game, no singular owners like soccer, clubs rely on the fan / member base, sponsorship, merchandise, tv royalties etc for their cash flow. Footie is and hopefully remains free to air on the telly.

[@MertAus]

That is perfect and definitely the opposite of soccer. It seems like the business people in soccer are just trying to suck as much life and passion (as well as money) out of it as possible. AFL sounds a lot more for the people as you mentioned

[@sarahphegan3582]

The points are incredibly high because the middle sticks are 6 points (so a goal), then the other two on the sides are just point (so 1 point). Also, AFLW (Women’s footy) is definitely wayyyy less supported

[@alysefan2264]

It has become a lot more tactical since the players became full time professionals and coaching as well. A few years ago it was quite defensive but more recently is back to being more attacking. 2022 was a great year lots of great games. Women's AFL started a few years ago. The skill level is not as high as you'd expect and they mostly arent full time professional athletes.

[@johnneeder9634]

In recent years, the 2 teams with the most members, fans who pay a yearly subscription, have been the Collingwood Magpies and the West Coast Eagles. Both teams have over 100,000 members, with West Coast topping the membership numbers for the last 2-3 years.

[@MonstaAU]

Great reaction, you already had been told what to expect and yeah these guys are supremely fit, quite muscular but also lean. Not bulky like Rugby players. Some wear trackers and often see well past 15km of distance covered in a match, most of that is running. That said, the umpires are all relatively young and almost as fit as well. Most of them still have vision and rulebook comprehension problems though ;) The ball is a bit of a handful, but most kids can bounce it by age 4 or 5. It does have a technique, you want to dig the front of the ball down a bit, even better if you have some forward movement. It's less girthy than a Rugby Union or League ball, slightly pointier. Usually it's made of Kangaroo leather. I am sure someone will happily send you one if you keep going down the AFL path, Aussies are generous to a fault. You might even get some snacks. A post office box may be in order for people to send you things. While everyone else has suggested many good videos to check out, one of the less known and understood parts of AFL is the data that is captured throughout the game. It is one of the most data-rich games which is then analyzed by teams and coaching staff. Teams have actual data analysts and actuaries on staff to crunch the numbers. This video is from 2016, so just imagine how much more data is captured today from trackers and monitors directly on each player (which did not exist at the time of this video): kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5DQloOtncRjaK8 Another really different thing to Football is that the AFL Clubs are not owned by wealthy individuals like the large UK teams. Each club is owned by the members (or in some cases, by a state football commission, or even the AFL itself in the case of some teams based outside Melbourne) who take out memberships each year with voting rights at an AGM. A membership would be similar to a season ticket there, but you don't usually get the ownership along with other season ticket holders. Prices vary between clubs but a General Admission membership to attend all home games is around AUD$200-$250 (about 110-140 quid) and reserved seating membership is about double that. If your team is playing away, you generally need to buy a ticket from General Admission. This is a good primer on the subject: drwolfmedia.com/who-owns-afl-clubs/ Otherwise, watch some games and highlights between now and March when the season will begin. Don't be in a hurry to pick a team, get to know the teams and how they operate, and one will pick you. We'd be happy to have you at Carlton along with Robbie Williams, but it really is your decision and you need to pick a team that suits you. I'd happily stump up for the cost a Carlton International Membership (with match streaming) if you think it's the team for you. You are only an 8-hour AirAsiaX flight away from KLIA to Sydney or Melbourne - definitely doable to attend a match in 2023 once they get their birds back in the air. My other half is from Sarawak. A UK resident called Rob got into the game as well from his reaction channel, and was recently out here on holiday and attended the Preliminary (Semi) final in Sydney where his team the Sydney Swans were playing. They came away with a 1 point win and a trip to Melbourne for the Grand final. Unfortunately they played their grand final a week early and got smashed in the actual game. Definitely worth a watch on your own time to get an outsiders perspective that you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3W7aYGNf8d5i7c

[@barnowl5774]

Great reply!

[@MertAus]

Thank you very much for the comprehensive response mate. I really appreciate it. That is awesome that there are children so young that play the sport never mind have the needed technical ability to bounce the ball. Pretty awesome. I was completely unaware of the data side of the game but that is very intriguing to me as someone who enjoys that side of soccer. Thanks also for the information on ticketing. That was something I was actually interested to know about and it seems like the prices are very affordable. That is one of my big gripes with how soccer is moving at the moment. A lot of working class people are being priced out of going to matches these days which is a shame. I haven't chosen a team yet but after researching Carlton there are a few reasons why I would. There nickname the Blues is something that attracts me as I am a Glasgow Rangers fan and our colour is blue. Funnily enough the Carlton logo also has similar style to our badge (the scroll style) and not many other teams have that is soccer. Also that fact they are based in Melbourne is another tick because I would most likely pick a Melbourne based team as that is the only place I have visited in Australia. Still to decide but Carlton might be a good shout. Thanks again mate

[@MonstaAU]

@@MertAus You are most welcome mate, anytime lah! You would almost say the ability to handle a footy in the southern states is genetic. It's very normal for kids to go and kick the footy back and forth to each other (or into the goals on the school oval) during school recess and lunch breaks. The AFL also does quite a bit of work with schools, and it's fairly usual to have a couple of players visit your school in Victoria every year or two for skills sessions. Prices have gone up, but we live during inflationary times. It's still affordable for families to go to a game or two per year without a membership. Might not be a 'big' game, but interstate teams generally have a lower attendance and would rarely be a sellout. The bigger problem in my mind is the cost of food and drinks at a game, which would probably double your cost if you want some sort of hot snack and maybe a couple of beers. You really should get into A Blue Abroad. Really great guy and his content will really help you as he comes from a similar background and perspective as you as a Rangers fan! It's quite funny that any Rangers fan is so very attracted to Carlton due to the logo and colour similarity, not to mention our line of 'We are the old Dark Navy Blues' is almost the same as 'We are the people'. I am actually a little surprised that there is not an official link or partnership between the two clubs. Carlton is also one of the foundation clubs, been struggling since the late '90s but had a bit of a renaissance this past season and just missed the finals. As you said the logo is traditional and it really means a whole lot to the fans and players. Inside the Carlton guernseys it says "When you put on this guernsey, the monogram on the front is more important than the number on the back".