Aussie Footy: One Toe Over The Line Sweet Jesus

I am prepared to make a bold statement…Australian Rules Football may be one of the best games ever invented. Period.

That’s right, I said it.

I’m sure that I could do some type of side-by-side comparison of the game, but my logic is much more straight forward. In fact, I have identified a few reasons for my bold proclamation:

1.      It’s a high action sport.

2.   It takes mad skills.

3.      After one quarter I basically understood it. (BONUS!)

4.      The more you drink, the more sense it makes.

5.      See reason three...and four.

Footy is basically organized chaos. While the players are running (as in the middle of play) their support staff are running on and off of the field bringing them water; men dressed in white chuck the ball into play (backwards) when it goes out of bounds, nobody wears pads/helmets and nobody stops the play when somebody gets hurt on the field. And, of course, there are three goals at each end...center one is worth six points and the two side ones are worth one point, respectively. What’s not to love?

Today’s SANFL Grand Final brought two titans together – the Central Bulldogs against the Norwood Redlegs. The Bulldogs, just so you know, are a scrappy lot that come from the wrong side of the tracks. They are just a group of hardworking lads just trying to make it in this cruel, cruel world. On the other hand, the Redlegs are nothing more than a bunch of spoiled, highbrow stiffs who were just a little too snooty for my taste.  

Thankfully, I am happy to report that my beloved Bulldogs won 71 to 65.

In truth, as you can imagine, I don’t know anything about either of these two teams. It was strongly suggested that I cheer for the Bulldogs and I’m glad that I did because I'm now undefeated in my footy predictions. Plus, it was a great match between two good clubs that provided me with a fantastic inaugural experience. Oh, and the beer helped too.