A few varied shots to show some of the skills of the game.
Swan marking in front of Eagles player
at right.
3 Collingwood players.
Lion receiving the ball in front of Eagle
player
at right.
An uncontested mark high overhead
by Lion player
Lion breaking tackle ofat right.
Lion getting a hurried kick
away from
Essendon player.
at right.
Swan clearing ball from
two
This post began as a comment to Willowtree, (A dingo's got my barbie) but
grew to the stage where I thought it needed its own space so here is a
thumbnail sketch of my football life (that’s Australian Football League)
Aussie Rules… AFL, call it what you like, even aerial pingpong if you must.
Funny how things change and yet stay the same, when I was growing up in
Melbourne it was the done thing to hate everything about Sydney
(I'm talking 40s and 50s here) later when I moved to Queensland we
hated the NSW Cockroaches (even those of us who didn't normally care
two hoots about Rugby League).
My football allegiance has been flavoured by circumstances over the years,
I first supported
worked in Footscray and was given a complete Bulldogs kit for my oldest son.
WE
of his brothers became Cats supporters, I followed the Cats (for convenience
and family harmony) but when they played the bulldogs I went for the Dogs.
If you live in Queensland and want to keep in touch with AFL however you
MUST support Brisbane, there is just no news of any other club in the
media here, this enforced following of the locals was made much more
enjoyable by the three premiership flags in a row 2001/2/3.
There has been some pretty ordinary times both before and since those
halcyon days but the Lions are still capable of some extraordinary games at
times, one such was played last night against most peoples arch-enemy
Collingwood to whom they handed a football lesson and a 93 point thrashing,
traditionally most people who follow AFL support two teams, their own….
and whoever is playing Collingwood !!!!!
Getting back to my original point about interstate rivalry, I never really
felt that way about the Sydney Swans… perhaps because they were a
transplanted Melbourne side (South Melbourne, who my Mum supported)
the AFL in an effort to make our game more National repeated this in
Queensland by transplanting the Fitzroy club up here, previously both
NSW and Qld. had been staunch Rugby League States, this process of
expanding AFL has led to four more teams being added, two each from
SA and WA, both these States had a strong Aussie Rules following
already though.
the finals this September as they play 4 of the sides who currently are
in the top 6 for their last 4 games, no matter the outcome they have at
least shown enough ability to give hope for next season.
Meanwhile Geelong are on top of the ladder and looking a very strong chance
for their first flag since 1963, my Daughter's second son played for Geelong
for 3 seasons until injuries forced his retirement, pity he isn't there for
their big chance this year.
14 comments:
Hi Peter ~~ Some great pictures there...Brisbane gave Collingwood a lesson but I doubt if they will make the finals. Have you heard thst Michael Voss may come to Carlton. Not sure about that as he's untried. I'd rather have Sheedy. Been a busy week
with coaches sacked and Bracks resigning (over the great water debacle) no matter what he says.
Geelong are looking the goods, and Gary Ablett I hope will get the Brownlow. He's terrific.
Cheers, Merle.
That deleted comment was mine, I had trouble with the link.
As I was saying, I grew up in the 50s hating Victorians without ever knowing why. All I knew was that my dad hated them and that was good enough for me. It's not as bad these days, my best friend is from Benalla.
I recognise some of those shots from when I was looking for pictures to illustrate a post I did about AFL. (hopefully this link works)
http://tinyurl.com/2fen4c
GO the Swanies!!!
Great action shots, Peter. Did you take them?
Judy, and anyone else who is interested, no, I didn't take the photos they are file shots from the AFL site mainly.
Quite amazing, those rugby players. Great pics - I was also wondering if you took them, but I have my answer now!
I agree that the Lions will be unlikely to win overall, but it was great that they won over Collingwood. I think people's dislike for Collingwood comes from the fact the Eddie Maguire is involved with them. It's a good reason anyway.
There's still some roar left in the Lions!
I know the U.S. is a far cry away from you, but I swear my ability to comprehend leaves much to be desired. Truth is, I barely understand American Football and Poor me, I might as well have been reading Greek.
I liked the photos and the bright yellow football seems to be a step up from our pigskin.
Dang, tried to say hi but the comment didn't take.
So... "hi"
LOL
Hope you have a great day!
Among the reasons given for the anti- Collingwood Football Club feelings dates back to the very early 1920s when an Irish/Catholic shady business man named John Wren became a staunch backer of the club.
Wren also had a great influence on the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Daniel Mannix and the inference is that there was a Catholic/Protestant element to it all.
Sorry Puss in boots, its been around far longer than Eddie McGuire.
As for the "hatred" between Sydney and Melbourne, this began as rivalry for the title of Australian Capital which was a prime reason for the development of Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory. While Victorians derisively called the Sydney Harbour Bridge "The Coathanger", the NSW response was that Melbourne's River Yarra was the only one in the world that flowed upside down, with the mud on the top.
this sort of attitude went for everything from "Beer to Trams" and everything in between.
I had many discussions/arguments with friends over the years just what athletes are the best in the world. Based on the ruggedness of the game and the obvious conditioning of the athletes - my vote has always been for Australian Rules Football players!
The sport is shown very infequently on one of the ESPN stations and I really enjoy watching.
And speaKing of athletes - pox on those who dare to call Golfers and Race Car Drivers athletes. They have skills, but they are NOT athletes.
Aussie Rules Football players - now those are athletes! Rugby players, soccer players, and American football players are athletes, but even they take a back seat to your football players.
You sure have had a varied background re your footy allegiances, Peter!
Even though I'm a Carlton supporter, I guess I'm not typical in that I quite enjoy watching Collingwood play (but not this weekend when we play them!), and I have favorite C'wood players too, Buckley and that wonderful young player, Dale Thomas. I reserve my "hate" for Essendon, although I am a Sheedy fan.
As for athletes, yes, Aussie Rules players are supreme athletes, just look at how many kilometres they run each game!
I had no idea of the interest in or range of comment about our AFL code of football would be, Hale McKay has raised another point, the fitness of our players.
There is a brand new viewers access to data while players are on field, things such as Heart Rate measurement, Distance covered and speed of movement during a match, G forces of collisions, to name just a few. Remember I said this information is brand new to the public but has been available to coaching staff for some time, what happens is that selected players are fitted with a harness and electronic sensors to give the selected data back to a computer.
Some of the early data shown to the public tells us that players are covering a distance of 12 to 16 kms at speeds of 28 to 32 kph during the course of their average 1 hour of game time, their heart rates range from 140/190 for some and 120 /190 for others, there are collisions with opponents or the ground of up to "G forces" of 10 that's quite an impact, all this takes place without the protection of padding in fact as one or two of the more discriminating female readers have pointed out, they wear cute little tight shorts... they also wear in the main, sleeveless jumpers (pullovers) in the rain or sun of winter.
Just as I was about to post this Val's comment came in and I can't resist...
Nathan Buckley, drafted to Brisbane, chose to stand out of football for a year so that he could sign with Collingwood, his reason given "that he wanted the chance to play in a premiership side"... Good choice Bucks seeing that the Lions beat the Pies for the two flags that they played for.
Hey, Peter ... I'm not your typical Victorian in that I don't really follow footy, although I always have been, and always will be, a Hawthorn supporter. I watch the odd game here and there, but that's about it. It is an amazing game, though, and the guys that play it are amazingly fit.
Take care, Meow
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