2015 Grand Final game tomorrow. Hawthorn (Melb based team) v West Coast Eagles (Perth based team)
Sat.3rd Oct. Kick off at 11.30am Buriram time
Winner will be AFL champions for 2015
As much as I like watching Buriram United (it's the only game in town), I REALLY enjoy AFL football. Even my girlfriend has enjoyed the live broadcasts each week on Aust+ TV. ("young virile big men with hair, all wearing tight shorts" may have something to do with it 555)
Most Aussie expats will probably be aware that this game is on. It's live on Aust+ TV in Thailand (True network channel 792)
or I'm pretty sure that both Paddys Bar & Jimmys Bar will be screening the game.
Sport loving expats that have never seen Aussie Rules football, here's a few stats to help you enjoy the broadcast if you watch it.
- 18 teams in the national competition. 23 normal "home & away" games, starting in March. Teams play only 1 game each week.
- The top 8 teams then contest a 4 game "knockout" final series until only 2 teams are left to play in the Grand Final tomorrow.
- Each team has 18 on field players, plus 4 reserves "on the bench". All 22 players can be rotated on and off the ground at any time, for whatever duration, at the coaches' discretion.
- 3 field umpires control the game, roughly sharing 1/3 of the ground each. They can overrule each other if they've seen something that the other 2 have missed.
- No off side rules. All players can roam the entire ground at any time, regardless of where the ball might be.
- Game consists of 4 x 20min quarters
- Grand Final game is always played at Melbourne's MCG, regardless of which state the teams come from. Ground dimensions are 169m x 144m. It's a big ground. (Soccer ground is 105m x 68m)
- Sell out capacity crowd will be 100,000 spectators
- Scoring ... kick the ball through the "big sticks"= 1 goal (6 points)
Kick the ball through the "little sticks"= 1 behind (1point)
So, for example, a team may score 10 goals 7 behinds = 67 points in total
- No yellow cards, no red cards, no sin bin for misbehaving players. Umpires can "take the number" of bad boys, and the incident is referred to a panel the following Monday for disciplinary action eg ... perhaps a slap on the wrist, or maybe suspension for a couple of weeks.
- The game never stops for players that need tissues for a runny nose, or some magic spray for a kick in the shins. It only stops when a player has had his head ripped off and they can't find it, or maybe he's unconcious, or maybe a broken leg and he can't hobble off the ground under his own steam, or "the blood rule" (thanks to AIDS)
Dislocated shoulders, broken fingers, torn hamstrings, broken ribs ... game on. Don't stop.
The game is quite similiar to Gaelic Football played in Ireland, and several terrific Irish footballers have made a high profile career in AFL football.
Search Option
Recent Posts
Todays Birthdays
