AFL thread

[Stevo Da Gull]

Aussie Rules thread. I had been considering starting this thread for a while, no sure if there will be much much interest... but it was ultimately something horrible that prompted me to start this thread. During Sydney's game against West Coast, Swans forward Barry Hall unexpectedly turned and punched an opponent in the face in one movement. At first it looked as though the guy was going to get back to his feet but in the end he had to be helped from the field and couldn't return (I suspect a concussion anyway). Barry's game was later ended after a collision with the rail at the bottom of the stand. Although the physicality is one of the things that drew me to Aussie Rules this (unexpected punch) was certainly a step to far.

I'll provide a link to youtube if the incident is put up. HERE IT IS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzN4Ly_yd9w

Back to general AFL..... go the Crows!!

Round 4 results (will update):

[Jinxy]

Despite what many people think, this is an unusual occurrence in modern aussie rules. He'll probably miss the next 6 games at least and the Swans players and supporters will be absolutely disgusted with him. It was a very cheap shot as the other guy wasn't even looking. Hall has a reputation as a hard man, but there's nothing tough about punching someone when they are in no position to defend themselves. If I was the guy who got decked I wouldn't be too happy that my team-mates basically did nothing in response.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Round 4 results:
Essonden Bombers 98-128 Western Bulldogs
St. Kilda 94-136 Geelong
North Melbourne 127-79 Melbourne
Sydney 107-45 West Coast Eagles
Port Adelaide 104-124 Brisbane Lions
Hawthorn 114-70 Adelaide Crows
Carlton 111-88 Collingwood
Fremantle 73-137 Richmond

[Snoop Drog]

I wouldn't be too happy that my team-mates basically did nothing in response.

Looks like he got his mammy to stand up for him instead :p

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/family-calls-for-season-ban/2008/04/13/1208024993048.html

[padjoe]

Aussie Rules thread. I had been considering starting this thread for a while, no sure if there will be much much interest... but it was ultimately something horrible that prompted me to start this thread. During Sydney's game against West Coast, Swans forward Barry Hall unexpectedly turned and punched an opponent in the face in one movement. At first it looked as though the guy was going to get back to his feet but in the end he had to be helped from the field and couldn't return (I suspect a concussion anyway). Barry's game was later ended after a collision with the rail at the bottom of the stand. Although the physicality is one of the things that drew me to Aussie Rules this (unexpected punch) was certainly a step to far.

I'll provide a link to youtube if the incident is put up. HERE IT IS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzN4Ly_yd9w

Back to general AFL..... go the Crows!!

Round 4 results (will update):


I was sitting in the stand behind that hit and it was nasty. Hall had a good game but he spoiled it completely with that. I had to laugh at the eagles player who ran into to confront hall only to land on his ass as well.
Have to mention the form of kenneally, he is playing unbelievable stuff while it looks like as if the o'hailpins will be on their way home in the not so distant future. setanta dropped again last weekend.
as you said but go swans.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Geelong, Hawthorn and the Bulldogs all still undefeated after round 5 (Bulldogs drew with Richmond).

Melbourne captain David Neitz confirmed he will retire at the end of the season and is currently out with a long-term neck injury. He is determined to play again before retirement and will return for round 14 at the earliest. A bit of a sad situation for Melbourne and here are some (stolen) stats involving David and the Demons:

The Demons are the only team without a win after five rounds.

Neitz became the first Melbourne player to reach 300 senior games last year, but a knee injury restricted him to only 15 games and 26 goals.

Overall he has played 306 matches and kicked 631 goals, also a club record.

Neitz is in his ninth season as captain, another Melbourne record.

While this is a milestone year for the club (150th year), it has also been extremely tough so far for the Demons.

They remain in a difficult financial position and they appear headed for their first wooden spoon since 1997.

[padjoe]

Geelong, Hawthorn and the Bulldogs all still undefeated after round 5 (Bulldogs drew with Richmond).

Melbourne captain David Neitz confirmed he will retire at the end of the season and is currently out with a long-term neck injury. He is determined to play again before retirement and will return for round 14 at the earliest. A bit of a sad situation for Melbourne and here are some (stolen) stats involving David and the Demons:

The Demons are the only team without a win after five rounds.

Neitz became the first Melbourne player to reach 300 senior games last year, but a knee injury restricted him to only 15 games and 26 goals.

Overall he has played 306 matches and kicked 631 goals, also a club record.

Neitz is in his ninth season as captain, another Melbourne record.

While this is a milestone year for the club (150th year), it has also been extremely tough so far for the Demons.

They remain in a difficult financial position and they appear headed for their first wooden spoon since 1997.

i can see them only winning two games all season richmond and carlton. they are seriously understrength and it looks like they will be at the foot of the table all year. before they expand the league they need to ensure the stability of such clubs like the demons

[Stevo Da Gull]

padjoe, I'm not 100% in the know when it comes to finances in the AFL.
Is there a chance that one of the oldest professional sporting clubs in the world could fold? I've read that they may relocate because there's too much sporting competition in Melbourne but surely that would be a last resort? I don't expect you to have all the answers but what's the general consensus on the clubs future in Australia?

[padjoe]

padjoe, I'm not 100% in the know when it comes to finances in the AFL.
Is there a chance that one of the oldest professional sporting clubs in the world could fold? I've read that they may relocate because there's too much sporting competition in Melbourne but surely that would be a last resort? I don't expect you to have all the answers but what's the general consensus on the clubs future in Australia?


I'm not going to bull**** you that i'm some expert cause i'm only getting into the know of how the clubs work over here. like yourself i've followed it for years even played it at home and in america. The demons have been in dire straits for years the last time they were in trouble was in 1996 and they were just saved. They did enjoy a partial revival but they were hit again in this year's pre season losing a lot of talent out of the club. my understanding is that they are trying to get a melbourne team to relocate but it is not going to happen. the problem is that there is just so much sport and competition in melbourne. in AFL they have Carlton, North Melbourne, Demons, Collingwood, St Kilda Essendon and then you have richmond as well. sorry if i left some one out there.
You also have the Rugby League with Melbourne Storm and countless other codes. The Demons just don't have the backing or support and they seem to be dwindling every passing season because of lack of investment etc. In 2007 they heavily reduced their membership fee to attract more members which worked but the revenue didn't improve.
And in my opinion if it weren't the demons in this position then it would be carlton i would imagine.
From what I'm hearing with the forthcoming expansion and the new clubs that the GAA need to be on high alert. The expansion doesn't seem to be a very well thought out plan especially with the creation of a new sydney team to appeal to the Asian community. Rugby League is the main sport in Sydney.
I wouldn't be surprised if the demons or someone like that went under before the expansion. It is pointless bringing in new franchises especially into north queensland if the future of the current crop may be unstable.
The demons have sold home games to interstate venues to increase revenue in recent years including one game to brisbane in 2005 and the gold coast in 2006.

sorry i haven't answered your question i'll go digging for you

[Stevo Da Gull]

I'm not going to bull**** you that i'm some expert cause i'm only getting into the know of how the clubs work over here. like yourself i've followed it for years even played it at home and in america. The demons have been in dire straits for years the last time they were in trouble was in 1996 and they were just saved. They did enjoy a partial revival but they were hit again in this year's pre season losing a lot of talent out of the club. my understanding is that they are trying to get a melbourne team to relocate but it is not going to happen. the problem is that there is just so much sport and competition in melbourne. in AFL they have Carlton, North Melbourne, Demons, Collingwood, St Kilda Essendon and then you have richmond as well. sorry if i left some one out there.
You also have the Rugby League with Melbourne Storm and countless other codes. The Demons just don't have the backing or support and they seem to be dwindling every passing season because of lack of investment etc. In 2007 they heavily reduced their membership fee to attract more members which worked but the revenue didn't improve.
And in my opinion if it weren't the demons in this position then it would be carlton i would imagine.
From what I'm hearing with the forthcoming expansion and the new clubs that the GAA need to be on high alert. The expansion doesn't seem to be a very well thought out plan especially with the creation of a new sydney team to appeal to the Asian community. Rugby League is the main sport in Sydney.
I wouldn't be surprised if the demons or someone like that went under before the expansion. It is pointless bringing in new franchises especially into north queensland if the future of the current crop may be unstable.
The demons have sold home games to interstate venues to increase revenue in recent years including one game to brisbane in 2005 and the gold coast in 2006.

sorry i haven't answered your question i'll go digging for you

No need to go digging. I just wanted the general gist of the situation from the perspective of the AFL public. Thanks for that.
I just think it would be tragic for a club of such history to fold, but I suppose that lack of fans and money is a pretty huge problem. I wonder if they could try and sell themselves on an international scale to get overseas members, although this would of course cost money originally and they aren't exactly in a position to take risks.

[paudie]

I heard that Setanta has been dropped by Carlton for a few games this season. I think they've won a couple of games recently.

Any update on how he's doing?

[padjoe]

both brothers will be on their way home at the end of the year. their experiment hasn't worked and their only hope of staying in the AFL is to wait for the new clubs to come on stream. Begley and Clarke are taking the place by storm and the new recruits from the summer are doing well too

[paudie]

both brothers will be on their way home at the end of the year. their experiment hasn't worked and their only hope of staying in the AFL is to wait for the new clubs to come on stream. Begley and Clarke are taking the place by storm and the new recruits from the summer are doing well too


Thanks padjoe.

A couple of questions

How many new clubs will there be next season and have they decided where they'll be?

Who do Begley and Clarke play for again?

[Ash]

Big Bad Barry Hall
It does exactly what it says on the tin!

[padjoe]

http://afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=58394

the new clubs won't be welcomed into the league until 2011. actually there is new soccer franchises coming into the A-league the same year. the new AFL clubs include west sydney and the gold coast.
There are talks of an exhibition game going ahead in India and in different parts of asia to promote the new west sydney franchise. i personally don't see the value in the another sydney squad. The gold coast outfit is to cater for those who are too far away to support Brisbane. Again i don't think it will take off because the NRL is the dominant sport in the both regions. On the subject of the international rules there was suggestions that the AFL should play a few exhibitions in Ireland and the GAA likewise in Australia for audiences to gain a better grasp of both codes. Its pointless though because the international rules this year will an even further glorified gaelic football test.
Clarke is Collingwood and Begley is Brisbane Lions.

[padjoe]

Interesting weekend in the AFL. Geelong hammered by 40 points, hawthorn now only unbeaten side. Sad to see west coast eagles in decline only spared the foot of the table by the demons. Essendon destroyed by a mediocre swans performance. interesting to note a fierce battle has erupted between the AFL and NRL. The AFL lodged a $200 million bid for the ANZ stadium (Sydney Olympic Stadium) as a home for the new West Sydney team. The NRL are desperately trying to stop the bid because if it goes through six NRL teams could will lose their home and their guarantee of $100,000 per game played at the stadium. It could send a number of NRL clubs bust at a time when south sydney's future looks bleak. AFL is really looking to crush its rival.

[Jinxy]

Interesting weekend in the AFL. Geelong hammered by 40 points, hawthorn now only unbeaten side. Sad to see west coast eagles in decline only spared the foot of the table by the demons. Essendon destroyed by a mediocre swans performance. interesting to note a fierce battle has erupted between the AFL and NRL. The AFL lodged a $200 million bid for the ANZ stadium (Sydney Olympic Stadium) as a home for the new West Sydney team. The NRL are desperately trying to stop the bid because if it goes through six NRL teams could will lose their home and their guarantee of $100,000 per game played at the stadium. It could send a number of NRL clubs bust at a time when south sydney's future looks bleak. AFL is really looking to crush its rival.

BIGOTS!!!:D

[padjoe]

01/06 AFL FRE 10.15 (75) vs POR 16.7 (103)
01/06 AFL STK 19.15 (129) vs MEL 7.8 (50)
01/06 AFL SYD 21.13 (139) vs RIC 8.9 (57)
31/05 AFL BRI 18.21 (129) vs KAN 15.8 (98)
31/05 AFL GEE 19.19 (133) vs CAR 12.5 (77)
31/05 AFL COL 27.11 (173) vs WCE 10.13 (73)
31/05 AFL HAW 12.2 (74) vs WBD 15.16 (106)


P W D L F A % Pts
1 Hawthorn 10 9 0 1 1160 890 130 36
2 Geelong 10 9 0 1 1091 841 130 36
3 Bulldogs 10 8 1 1 1246 970 128 34
4 Adelaide 10 7 0 3 988 842 117 28
5 Sydney 10 6 1 3 1007 738 136 26
6 Collingwood 10 6 0 4 1173 932 126 24
7 Brisbane 10 6 0 4 1095 983 111 24
8 Kangaroos 10 5 1 4 957 987 97 22
9 St Kilda 10 5 0 5 969 965 100 20
10 Port Adelaide 10 4 0 6 1024 1016 101 16
11 Carlton 10 4 0 6 968 1071 90 16
12 Richmond 10 3 1 6 977 1057 92 14
13 West Coast 10 2 0 8 772 1085 71 8
14 Essendon 10 2 0 8 876 1241 71 8
15 Fremantle 10 1 0 9 888 1043 85 4
16 Melbourne 10 1 0 9 751 1281 59 4

[Stevo Da Gull]

I saw bits of the Aelaide and Collingwood matches. Adelaide scrapping to another victory :)... as for Collingwood :eek:

[padjoe]

yeah collingwood were good but they are blowing alot of hot and cold. i can't wait for the sydney swans v collingwood game on 5th July that should be a cracker.

on another note wasn't sure whether to start a thread or leave it in here but the world gaelic football championship, aka international rules, is back on this year. any opinions on it? talks of more socialising between the players inbetween the two games. My prediction aussies to win again and ireland to kick and scream and take their ball home. The series will be banished forever and ever.

[Jinxy]

yeah collingwood were good but they are blowing alot of hot and cold. i can't wait for the sydney swans v collingwood game on 5th July that should be a cracker.

on another note wasn't sure whether to start a thread or leave it in here but the world gaelic football championship, aka international rules, is back on this year. any opinions on it? talks of more socialising between the players inbetween the two games. My prediction aussies to win again and ireland to kick and scream and take their ball home. The series will be banished forever and ever.

Have you ever played the game?

[Stevo Da Gull]

yeah collingwood were good but they are blowing alot of hot and cold. i can't wait for the sydney swans v collingwood game on 5th July that should be a cracker.

on another note wasn't sure whether to start a thread or leave it in here but the world gaelic football championship, aka international rules, is back on this year. any opinions on it? talks of more socialising between the players inbetween the two games. My prediction aussies to win again and ireland to kick and scream and take their ball home. The series will be banished forever and ever.

Yeah, I've heard the rules have been tinkered to lean more in favour of the GAA lads. I'd say the games will be closer with Aus still winning probably followed by Ireland's superior athletes :rolleyes: kicking and screaming and taking their ball home.

[padjoe]

Have you ever played the game?

actually jinxy i have played the game. i played it in the turkey cup in LA back in 2006 with a local GAA team against a local AFL team both of whom i played with. Apart from the mark, the interchange, two referees, the tackle (which will be gone), six points for a goal and the four posts what really do the AFL have in it.

[Jinxy]

We decided we'd play IR at training one evening for the craic. Everyones natural instinct when they caught the ball (mark) was to play on. This wasn't really punished however as nobody knew how to do the tackle properly and the natural instinct was not to dive in and give away a free. You are trying to get lads to switch off 10-15 years of gaelic football training. Tackling and marking is the Aussies bread and butter. Sure its a round ball instead of oval, but everyone has kicked a soccer ball, or thrown a basketball around at some stage in their life so its not that big of a leap. A good low ball into a forward in gaelic football is a suicide pass in IR. You can't put a pass into space for a man to run onto as the lad behind him can just grab him as soon as he gathers possession. No sidesteps, no dummy solos because they are no use as the tackler is not trying to dispossess you he's trying to get you on the ground. To say it is basically gaelic football is so far off the mark it's not even in the same time-zone.

[padjoe]

We decided we'd play IR at training one evening for the craic. Everyones natural instinct when they caught the ball (mark) was to play on. This wasn't really punished however as nobody knew how to do the tackle properly and the natural instinct was not to dive in and give away a free. You are trying to get lads to switch off 10-15 years of gaelic football training. Tackling and marking is the Aussies bread and butter. Sure its a round ball instead of oval, but everyone has kicked a soccer ball, or thrown a basketball around at some stage in their life so its not that big of a leap. A good low ball into a forward in gaelic football is a suicide pass in IR. You can't put a pass into space for a man to run onto as the lad behind him can just grab him as soon as he gathers possession. No sidesteps, no dummy solos because they are no use as the tackler is not trying to dispossess you he's trying to get you on the ground. To say it is basically gaelic football is so far off the mark it's not even in the same time-zone.

while i can't really disagree with your post... you could always turn around and say your asking lads to switch off 10-15 years of aussie rules. Yes everyone has kicked a soccer ball at some stage but when you are concentrating on kicking an oval ball most days the end result is a banana kick and it is hard to maintain the accuracy.

9 out of 10 an AFL player will run on from the mark. sidesteps and dummy solos are a bane of Gaelic Football just like the short handpass.

It should be take the ball and release the ball long immediately.

If they want to learn to tackle then they need to fly out an aussie coach for a couple of weeks or months.

But having played and watched both games for a number of years I'll always contend that the rules lean more in favour of the Irish lads. But i can't argue with your post either.

if ireland are to beat the aussies they have to have height as their backbone up the middle of the park and they need to start kicking high into the forwards. I'm going to contradicate myself here immediately by saying that need a mixture of Ulster and Kerry style football approach to taking on the Aussies with a handful of Dubs. The likes of Colm Cooper are too lightweight to play.

[padjoe]

Stynes becomes new Demons chairman

FORMER Melbourne Brownlow Medallist Jim Stynes has been installed as Melbourne's new chairman at a board meeting at the MCG.

Stynes was one of seven new directors, with three of the incumbent directors staying on to make up a 10-member board.

Outgoing chairman Paul Gardner said he and the other directors who resigned were happy to make way for the revamp of the board because they were convinced Stynes had the energy and expertise needed to help the embattled club.

Stynes said he was yet to fully come to grips with the extent of the club's financial problems, with the Demons believed to be headed for a loss of about $1.5 million this year.

But he said he was certain he and his new board could lift the Demons out of the mire, with driving up the club's membership base his key priority.

An emotional Stynes said he had been driven to throw his support behind Melbourne to ensure the club was never forced to fold or relocate.

"I would like to watch with my son knowing one day he will watch his beloved Demons run out on to the MCG sitting alongside his own children," Stynes said, while pausing several times to hold back tears.

"You never know, he might be playing for his beloved Demons, every father's dream."

Stynes said when he arrived from Ireland as a youngster he never believed he would make it as an AFL footballer, but he said as he entered the chairmanship of the club, he was certain he could make that position a success.

Stynes played 264 games for Melbourne from 1987-98, and won four club best and fairest awards, alongside the 1991 Brownlow.

The Demons are amid a wretched season, having one just one of their 11 games and are last on the ladder.

[padjoe]

Round 12

Essendon 113 v 91 West Coast Eagles
Western Bulldogs 131 v 68 Brisbane Lions
Fremantle 120 v 67 North Melbourne
Sydney 102 v 67 St Kilda
Adelaide 72 v 76 Hawthorn
Geelong 108 v 49 Port Adelaide
Collingwood 89 v 119 Carlton
Richmond 116 v 94 Melbourne

[paul_oshea]

does anyone else think stynes is a bit of a ****?

[Stevo Da Gull]

Adelaide 72 v 76 Hawthorn

Geelong 108 v 49 Port Adelaide
Collingwood 89 v 119 Carlton


Adelaide game was tough viewing, suppose they have to lose some close one's as well. As for the other 2...:D

[Jinxy]

does anyone else think stynes is a bit of a ****?

Yes. You're either Irish or Australian, not both.
As Stephen Colbert says, "Pick a side, we're at war."

[Stevo Da Gull]

Oops I bet on : Port Adelaide v Richmond - Richmond +20.5 @ 5 - 6,
West Coast v Geelong - West Coast +32.5 @ 5 - 6 and
Brisbane Lions v Adelaide - Adelaide @ 7 - 4

:o

[SilkCut]

while i can't really disagree with your post... you could always turn around and say your asking lads to switch off 10-15 years of aussie rules. Yes everyone has kicked a soccer ball at some stage but when you are concentrating on kicking an oval ball most days the end result is a banana kick and it is hard to maintain the accuracy.

9 out of 10 an AFL player will run on from the mark. sidesteps and dummy solos are a bane of Gaelic Football just like the short handpass.

It should be take the ball and release the ball long immediately.

If they want to learn to tackle then they need to fly out an aussie coach for a couple of weeks or months.

But having played and watched both games for a number of years I'll always contend that the rules lean more in favour of the Irish lads. But i can't argue with your post either.

if ireland are to beat the aussies they have to have height as their backbone up the middle of the park and they need to start kicking high into the forwards. I'm going to contradicate myself here immediately by saying that need a mixture of Ulster and Kerry style football approach to taking on the Aussies with a handful of Dubs. The likes of Colm Cooper are too lightweight to play.

Why do people even bother to discuss this sham of a series. Dont get me wrong the game itself is fantastic - high scoring and fast - but as long as the GAA continue to send amateurs out to do battle with pros - who happen to weigh about 10kg's per man heavier, are faster, more athletic and better prepared - we are going to be beaten. Also any Irish player who happens to perform well will be snapped up by the AFL. The days when this was a fair contest are gone. AFL players are incredible athletes now, and as typical Aussies they will take no prisoners and have no mercy on the field of play, not their fault the Irish boys cant take the physicality of the game you can only play what is put in front of you. They wont even have to put out a team of first rate players to embarrass us.

[padjoe]

Why do people even bother to discuss this sham of a series. Dont get me wrong the game itself is fantastic - high scoring and fast - but as long as the GAA continue to send amateurs out to do battle with pros - who happen to weigh about 10kg's per man heavier, are faster, more athletic and better prepared - we are going to be beaten. Also any Irish player who happens to perform well will be snapped up by the AFL. The days when this was a fair contest are gone. AFL players are incredible athletes now, and as typical Aussies they will take no prisoners and have no mercy on the field of play, not their fault the Irish boys cant take the physicality of the game you can only play what is put in front of you. They wont even have to put out a team of first rate players to embarrass us.


i completely agree and thats why i'd prefer to see the hybrid of the aussie rules and nfl reborn from the second world war which was called austus.

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/category/nfl/2006/12/07/football-history-101-the-lost-hybrid-game/

"American servicemen arrived in Australia shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and by mid-1942, as many as 30,000 Americans were stationed in Melbourne, and more were stationed in Brisbane, where General Douglas MacArthur moved his headquarters in early 1943. The Australian soldiers didn't like the Americans very much, in no small part because they had more money, better uniforms, and much more charm around the local ladies.

Looking for some common ground, the Americans decided to reach out to the locals with a series of football exhibitions to help support local war charities. The local, though, didn't like American football very much -- too much time in between plays, too many strange rules and formations, etc. Observers seemed to enjoy watching forward passes, but they just didn't happen enough to keep people's interest

The Australian soldiers saw that as an opportunity to introduce their form of football to the visitors, and the Americans suddenly understood why the Aussies seemed so bored by American football. Australian football had much more freedom of movement and nonstop action than their game. They decided to try competing with their Australian hosts at Australian football.

That proved to be a bad idea. Aussie Rules is a kicking game, and by the early 40s, kicking had already become a relic in American football. The shape of the football changed in 1934 to help quarterbacks improve the accuracy of their forward passes, and drop kicking had been replaced with placekicking. So the Aussies were using their kicking skills to kick the Americans' butts up and down the oval pitch.

Clearly, something had to be done to fix this crisis in competitive balance. That's when Ern Cowley, a former Aussie Rules hero who at the time was baseball editor of the Melbourne Sporting Globe, came up with a brilliant idea...

One of the central tenets of Australian football is the mark. Any player who catches a kick that's 15 yards or longer can "mark the ball" and take a free kick from behind the spot of the catch. Cowley, who knew that the Americans were much better at passing the ball than kicking it, created a game based on Aussie Rules that allowed players to mark the ball after catching a forward pass.

Thus was born Austus, a hybrid of Australian and American football games that allowed the servicemen from different countries to play football against each other. Austus matches began to draw big crowds in 1943, in part because of the game's novelty, but also because of the much more balanced competition. The Australians continued to kick, but the Americans proved highly accurate with the pass, which wowed the spectators and made for very close and very exciting matches. Austus matches allowed both countries' servicemen raise large sums of money for various war charities and helped bring the two countries a little closer together.

There was hope that Austus matches would continue after the war, but alas, that was not to be. Once American forces returned home, they resumed playing American football, and the Australians went back to playing Aussie Rules. Austus faded into a remote corner of history and was forgotten."


At the same time i am looking forward to this year's compromise rules series but mainly because the irish lads are stopping off in NSW to play a local selection in a gaelic football exhibition.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Great game just ended on Setanta 2. Port Adelaide 74-76 North Melbourne, Port had a great chance to win the game with 30 seconds to go after a forward (I think) took a mark at an angle but it was still a great chance but he kicked a behind. That was a tight game!

[padjoe]

Great game just ended on Setanta 2. Port Adelaide 74-76 North Melbourne, Port had a great chance to win the game with 30 seconds to go after a forward (I think) took a mark at an angle but it was still a great chance but he kicked a behind. That was a tight game!


Yeah that was a great game. I watched the swans v hawthorn game yesterday incredible game. Hawthorn are surely favourites to win the grand final. they just have so much fluency and consistency to their game. Tadgh Kenneally is such legend and an incredible player. Well earns his 200,000 a year. Dislocated his shoulder three times against Hawthorn and just popped in back into place and kept playing no problem to him. I'm trying to find it on youtube but it aint there.

[Stevo Da Gull]

I got to see the weekend round-up today, Dean Solomon's elbow on Ling was a bit nasty. Plenty of good games this weekend, hopefully Adelaide turn their form around against Port Adelaide next weekend... more injuries again this weekend though, it looks like they'll suffer in the play-offs at the end of the year if they make it. Burton will be a loss but I hear he's considering some new special surgery.. read here : http://www.afc.com.au/tabid/4417/Default.aspx?newsid=63246

[padjoe]

Watch out GAA the Sydney Celtics are coming for your best players. Yes the new Sydney franchise which was to be aim primarily at west sydney's asian and arabic communities is set but not confirmed to be a club with irish connections. it hasn't been greeted with a warm response here and the new gold coast club could be shelved because of the recession kicking in here.

http://news.smh.com.au/sport/afl-considers-irishdominated-celtics-20080712-3dwo.html

[Stevo Da Gull]

Well, it's finals time folks!!

[Stevo Da Gull]

I didn't get to see Adelaide's decisive game, thankfully :( http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/sport/afl/story/0,26547,24309882-5016212,00.html

Semi's:
St Kilda - Hawthorn
Geelong - Bulldogs

Gotta say Geelong to win, not exactly a bold prediction though.

[Rebel11]

Have my ticket for the game on Sat come on the Hawthorns i will win a nice few quid if they win. Should be a great game

[bennocelt]

yeah collingwood were good but they are blowing alot of hot and cold. i can't wait for the sydney swans v collingwood game on 5th July that should be a cracker.

on another note wasn't sure whether to start a thread or leave it in here but the world gaelic football championship, aka international rules, is back on this year. any opinions on it? talks of more socialising between the players inbetween the two games. My prediction aussies to win again and ireland to kick and scream and take their ball home. The series will be banished forever and ever.

Wow an AFL thread, how did I miss this!!!:)

I think the int rules series is a load of rubbish, find it very difficult to watch it. Looks like the Aussies can win the thing all the time if they bother, and the Irish guys always look like big girls blouses (as they might say in Australia - maybe!).
it would be better if an irish AFL team could play some Aussie AFl team, now that would be much more interesting

I love AFL, its a cracking game, and makes Irish gaa look like the silly game it has become in recent years

Is there an AFL league in Ireland at the moment?

[Stevo Da Gull]

Is there an AFL league in Ireland at the moment?

Yip: http://www.arfli.com/ :)

[Stevo Da Gull]

Hawthorn beat Geelong 115-89. Cost me money but they were well worth the win!