Australian Rules Football: Now featuring actual Australians

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Jimmy the Saint, Mar 21, 2020.

  1. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    As I've mentioned in here before, I never really had any particular team I declared my loyalty to but Gomez35 has inspired me to do so here today.

    I'm officially a Dockers fan. Might even have to buy a pass so I can watch all of their matches instead of being stuck with whatever is on my TV that day.

     
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  2. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall


    (These songs are so fucking lame).
     
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  3. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    fingers crossed i dont forget this exists until the grand finals again
     
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  4. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member


    Your reasoning makes perfect sense mate and in a perverse kind of way I kind of like your choice. The dogs are fun to watch at the minute but the shinboners need all the help they can get, so hats off to you for getting behind 'em.

    Not sure if I'd compare the tiges to the patriots or the yankees though. Not yet anyway. To be fair, I don't think any team in the AFL could be considered that kind of perennial powerhouse as fortunes tend to fluctuate quite a bit. West Coast can usually be trusted to put out a strong team and they generally play a great brand of footy. Geelong has been consistently good over the last 15 years as well. Collingwood tends to make it to a lot of grand finals but they usually don't win them.

    Actually, if you were looking for a team that's struggled for decades with passionate fans, great colours etc. that will eventually come good, then Richmond is the EXACT team for you. It's just that you're about five years too late to jump on the tiger-train unfortunately.

    2016 was a very low ebb for us. Richmond was pretty much the top club in the 60's and 70's but had struggled badly since the early 80's. For as long as I'd followed them, we were starved of success. We were the butt of every joke imaginable - mainly because of the massive supporter base that's just way too passionate, loyal and delusional for our own good. (perhaps the Cleveland Browns or Notre Dame football might be a better reference for Americans)

    Then 2017 happened. That finals series was mind-blowing. We weren't just holding our own. We weren't just good either. We were incredible! Never in a million years did I think I'd see us win a flag. Never in a million years did I think we'd have a player half as good as dusty martin. But hey... what do I know? And now, looking back, if it wasn't for the lanky yank wearing prison bar stripes, we'd probably have four in a row. That's just absurd to me.

    The good times are pretty scarce but they're worth every moment of heartache you put up with during those years at the bottom - so for your sake, I hope North does come good at some point. Enjoy the ride.
     
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  5. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member

    Excellent choice sir. Gotta love the purple haze.
     
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  6. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    last thing i remember before forgetting about it was the essendon scandal. have they recovered from that yet?

    also, did tex walker ever grow the mullet back?
     
  7. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member

    Yeah it's pretty awful - especially when it sounds like that. This doesn't make it much better but your song normally sounds like this:



    Mind you, it was probably written in 1922. Obviously the ladies thought it was rather smashing back then.
     
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  8. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member


    Last I saw, Tex had a rather dodgy looking mo but no mullet sadly. That said, nearly every team has a few spectacular mullets running around nowadays.

    As far as Essendon is concerned, it hasn't been an easy road for them unfortunately. They've got some great young players now but they're still working their way back and it'll probably be a few years before they can say they've recovered. The bombers will be known as "the drug cheats" for a fair while yet though I suspect.
     
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  9. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall

    I considered barracking (I think that's the right term) for Freo for a minute based on some of their history, but the purple eliminated them from contention (their white outfit does look pretty awesome though).

    If you eventually decide to buy the Watch AFL subscription (it's the only one available for overseas fans I think) a tip I found on reddit is that you should buy it through Freo's club website - it's a bit cheaper (I want to say usually $10-20 - it's different for every club) and you get some club swag (scarf, webstore voucher, etc.) on top of that. Plus, redditors claim the money goes directly to the club rather than the larger AFL organization. Win-win IMO.

    Also Obelix: do you have any tips for getting footy gear from AUS to USA? I've found a couple cool North hoodies/t-shirts online, but none of the places deliver to the States. I figure you might have a couple ideas...
     
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  10. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member


    Yeah, "barracking" is the right word. We don't say "rooting" as that means something very different over here. :facepalm: :yousoright:

    It shouldn't be too hard for you to get AFL merch. If the stuff I want isn't on Richmond's club website (which is the ideal scenario for me as a chunk of the money goes to the club) then I order all of my AFL gear from this site - and they definitely deliver to the USA. You can even give them a call and order over the phone if you're a bit unsure. They're pretty good. I've got no idea what international shipping costs though.

    https://www.aflfootyshop.com.au/location/usa

    I do feel your pain mate. Funnily enough, there actually aren't many places in Brisbane where you can get non-Lions related AFL gear as it's still considered a bit of a niche sport in QLD. (rugby league dominates the sporting landscape up here) You can usually buy jerseys and caps in sports shops but that's about it. If I want to get my hands on scarves, shirts, hoodies and the really good team stuff there's a place I can go to on the other side of town but it's more convenient for me to get it online to be honest.

    That retro North hoodie looks phenomenal by the way. You'd be mad not to get that!
     
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  11. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member

    Big weekend coming up by the way. The 25th of April falls on Sunday this year which means the ANZAC Eve game will be on Sunday night and the ANZAC Day game will be on Sunday arve. Doesn't get better than that!

    The occasion usually delivers some great games no matter where the sides sit on the ladder.
     
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  12. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall

    I knew rooting :wax: was wrong , but wasn't totally sure I had barracking right, so cheers for that. That shop was where I looked first, but everything I wanted was sold out at the time (aaaaand... looks like it still is :angry:). And that retro hoodie is exactly what I am after... great minds and all that.

    Barves2125, it looks like North and Freo face off this weekend. Please be considerate with your post-match trash-talking. I have a feeling it will be ugly.
     
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  13. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Going to try to watch but not going to be home this weekend to do it. I'll make sure to talk shit regardless!
     
  14. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    I really need to get back into this.
     
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  15. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Just enjoyed Sydney beating Collingwood. This is just a fun fucking sport.
     
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  16. paulski

    paulski Well-Known Member

    Everyone enjoys Collingwood losing. :wink:

    Welcome aboard. Once Aussie Rules has you, you're hooked for life.:old:
     
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  17. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    I've been aboard since 2013 when I was first introduced but I'm with you on everything else. I'm definitely trying to get back to watching as much as I did when living in Straya. Time zones suck but we'll make it work.
     
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  18. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall

    I’d like to report that the Kangaroos also won. :chatzy:

    (For the first time in 23 games).
    :facepalm:
     
  19. IowaHuskerFan3

    IowaHuskerFan3 I hardly husk.
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    Where can I find these games? I see one starts in 20mins, Essendon vs. Fremantle
     
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  20. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Fox Soccer Plus if you have it.
     
  21. IowaHuskerFan3

    IowaHuskerFan3 I hardly husk.
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    Well fuck, guess I’ll try finding a stream. Thanks
     
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  22. El_Pato

    El_Pato Nunca Caminaras Solo
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    Does ESPN + not have some games, I swear I've seen it on there before
     
  23. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Hell of a match. Fuck the Bombers tho.
     
  24. IowaHuskerFan3

    IowaHuskerFan3 I hardly husk.
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    Very new to this phenomenon, but I felt like there was a lot of points left out there.
     
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  25. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    For sure.

    FWIW - Kicking it through the central posts is 6 points which is a lot. Kicking it through the outside posts is only 1. Thus it's a big deal to be able to get it through the middle and especially while running from defenders or from a long way out. Once you've started watching a bit it's easy to see how these guys become punters in American football.

    The term "punter" in Australia (and to a lesser extent some other Commonwealth nations) refers to people who gamble.
     
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  26. IowaHuskerFan3

    IowaHuskerFan3 I hardly husk.
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    I thought there was too much passing/kicking once they were 10-30 yards out? Unless they really try to square it up for 6?
     
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  27. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Sometimes they do a lot of that. Especially passing within range of the posts when they could probably just go ahead and kick it through already. I think clock management becomes a consideration when that's going on maybe.
     
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  28. IowaHuskerFan3

    IowaHuskerFan3 I hardly husk.
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    Do love watching some of these players high point the ball. Some are really good (probably taller?), and some have no shot at coming close
     
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  29. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall

    I can’t help imagining how NBA/NFL players would look making marks like that... Like, how fucking great would Lebron or ODB be at this game?
     
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  30. xec

    xec Well-Known Member
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    Damnit! Many years ago I began watching AR. I liked the name “Magpies” and had never heard of Collingwood. Thus, they became my team.
     
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  31. Weedlord420

    Weedlord420 Well-Known Member
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    imagine if Lebron played archery
     
  32. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    where does one watch these days?
     
  33. paulski

    paulski Well-Known Member

    It's all good, dude. :beerchug:
    Collingwood's actually become a lot more tolerable over the last 10 years, so much so that it didn't even bother me too much when it looked like they were going to win the flag in 2018. I was still glad when they lost in the last couple minutes though...:laugh:
     
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  34. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Currently rocking a Dockers shirt. Get some, m8.
     
  35. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Dockers v. Magpies is an absolute game. Fuck the Pies tho.
     
  36. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Show me a better team song than this one. I'll wait.

     
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  37. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    This is wild
     
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  38. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    In a bad way.
     
  39. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    Pandemic-long Kanga supporter here so :shrug:
     
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  40. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Oh you're a long time supporter. I only fully committed here --
     
  41. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I lived in Australia for a bit and at one point received an offer to come out and participate in practice with the local team where I was. Small rural town in the west so the talent was lacking but I wish I had given it a go. Just a very well rounded and fun sport.
     
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  42. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    I think it'd be extremely popular here if it weren't on at ungodly hours of the night for most of the country and a lack of interest in things they don't innately understand.

    If you like American football and football and don't like this, I don't know what to tell you. I guess you just hate Australians or something.
     
  43. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    It has a weird little mix of the athletic requirements of football, basketball, and rugby all mixed together. It's a bad ass sport through and through. You're absolutely right about the timing being one of the biggest hurdles. The ignorance towards unfamiliar things is, of course, the biggest.
     
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  44. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    Gaelic football is similar to it as well. When we went over to Dublin for the PSU-UCF game in 2014 we ended up drinking in the lobby bar with a bunch of guys there for some big match the next day at Croke Park and they walked us through the game. We watched it on TV the next day and were mad we weren't able to get tickets.
     
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  45. jorge

    jorge Founder of Post ITT if your team sucks
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    You guys are forgetting about all the nice legs and thighs eye candy.
     
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  46. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    I started introducing my wife to it and about 7 seconds in my brain said "What are you doing?!? Don't do that if you want her to remain even remotely attracted to you!!!"
     
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  47. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall

    Sooo, thoughts on...
    • Richmond dropping out of the top eight after a humiliating loss to GCS?
    • The Dees getting embarrassed by GWS?
    • Sydney demolishing the Eagles?
    • Burgoyne joining the 400 club?
    • Predictions about how the ladder will shake out over the next seven weeks?
    • Any other random details re: AFL?
     
  48. Obelix

    Obelix Well-Known Member


    Funny you brought up Burgoyne. They were showing highlights of his career (from his younger days at port until now), and one of the commentators mentioned how the game he's playing today is very different to the game he played back then.

    This just led me to wonder if we'll see more guys hitting the 300+ club in future. My thinking is - seeing how soft the game has become, it'll be interesting to see if this will extend their careers longer. Maybe...

    400 is just insane though. Heck of an achievement.

    As for Richmond,... yeah, it's not looking good for us is it? That loss is nowhere near as shocking as the media made it out to be though. In the weeks prior, we lost to WC, StK etc so it's basically a continuation of form. And the way the boys are playing we'll probably see a few more of these losses in the next few weeks. I wouldn't be all that surprised if the tigers missed the finals to be honest.

    Sad to see our demise happen so quickly. It had to end one day and there are a lot of reasons why it's happening so fast, but hey - the last five years was a hell of a ride. It sure was fun while it lasted.
     
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  49. Gomez35

    Gomez35 Walker of the world’s weird wall

    So what do you attribute the poor form to? I only watched them play once this season, vs. Port Adelaide, and they looked pretty strong TBH and played PA tough down to the siren... What do you think is going on that they've dropped so far? I'm no expert but I've picked up a lot over the course of the last few months by watching a couple matches a week and consuming a decent amount of AFL media - it's surprising to me to see last year's finalists go on such different paths despite remaining mostly intact from the GF. Or does that actually happen more often than I realize? I mean, I've gathered that teams rise and fall pretty regularly, but this does seem rather sudden.

    Also, if you had to guess, who do you figure ends up in the Grand Final this year?
     
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