Can someone introduce me to Australian rules football?

[Bond... James Bond]

How is it similar, and how is it different to rugby?

Thanks in advanced.

 

[werisar00]

Australian rules football is a sport that lacks skill. In every other sport, mistakes are costly but in footy, anything goes, it has no brains. Ball control is not as important.
It is the only sport int he world that rewards people for failure (behinds). In 2009, a Geelong player kicked a point after the siren and won his team the game. He MISSED, but he still scores.

Games are often really boring blowouts in footy. In rugby they are usually tense and close. In footy, 10 goal blowouts where nothign exciting happens are common. Games are usually a stoppage-fest that is painful to watch. Most footy fans don't realize that games only go for 80 minutes. Yet there is so much stoppage that it takes 120 minutes.

There is no passion in the sport, crowds of 34,000 are so dead that you can hear the players talking. No atmosphere.
No international game either, the sport is non-existant in 99.999% of the world. It does nothing for Australia.

It may be the sport for you if you like other guy's balls pressed against your body.

 

[deedubya]

Its just an outstanding game,the best in the world. It has a genuine excitment factor about the game,where players fly through the air to catch the the football, which is refferred to as a mark. The kicking, handball, and tackling is a feature of the game, where all players skills are exibited. There is no comparision to Rugby or that other now world famous corrupt boring non scoring waste of time game known as soccer.

 

[the redman]

They have very few similarities apart from them having a similar shaped ball and played in winter on grass. The major difference being one requires thinking,refined skill and athleticism and the other brute strength and ignorance.LOL

 

[Shifty]

Seeing that im a big fan from the early James Bond movies. i would have thought that you could have asked Miss Money Penny or Q for that matter. to explain the difference for you. surely they could have done this research for you. while you were out banging beautiful babes & saving the world. because i do remember M saying. that the branch does function in your absence you know.

Anyway enough with the humour. there is a huge difference between the 2 codes of footy. as someone has already said. rugby is more of a direct strait up the ground brut force footy game. with some very skillfull short kicking & high bombing of the footy. just to get the ball over the opposition's line to score a try (4 points). then a designated kicker will have a shot at goal,with the ball sitting in a plastic cup. the angle that the ball is kicked from is determined from where the ball went over the line. the closer to the up right posts. the more easier the kick. if the ball does go through the goals. this is known as a conversion. which will ad another 2 points to the total. the other 2 ways of scoring in rugby are by field goals. which the score does vary from league to union. 1 point league. 3 points union. the other way you can score in rugby is if you are awarded a penalty. near the opposition's line. you can either take the tap. to try & run the ball over in a set of 6. or the designated kicker. can have a shot on goal. which will net 2 more points. if he puts it through. 1 extra note. rugby league is played with 13 men on the field. where as rugby union is played with 15 men. also the pack scrums play a much bigger part in union. because if a team push hard enough in the scrum. there is a chance your team can win the ball of the opposition. or over the line for a try. a 50/50 chance if you will. but in league its different. the side that wins the loose head & feed,puts the ball into the scrum. wins the scrum 99.9% of the time. a part of the rugby league game. that hasn't been removed yet.

Australian rules footy is a very different game. it is played with 18 men on the field. with 3 players on the bench + a substitute (new rule 2011) the benched players (3) are used by the coach to move players on & off the ground at a fairly rapid rate,as the game wears on. just so he can keep fresh legs out on the ground to do battle. the sub is used basically as an emergency if a player is injured. & cant take his place out on the ground. the coach will then activate the sub. most subs are activated in the 3rd quarter. if they are not used for the purpose of replacing an injured player. these players play a huge part in the overall context of the modern game.

When the 18 players are picked for a game. there is always a possibility that some players may not start in the places on the ground. from where they were selected originally. these are what are known as utility type players. they are very versatile & can play almost any position on the ground if need be. then we have key position players. these are players that play in a key position defensive role, players that try to stop the opposition from scoring. then there are key position forward players. who play the part of trying to score goals. these are becoming a bit of a dying breed in the game. as it has evolved over the last 30 years. then we have the followers. these consist of a tall ruckman. he is used to tap the ball at centre bounces.ball ups,anywhere on the ground when there is a stoppage. or throw ins. that's when the boundary line umpire comes into play. for when the ball goes over that line. he comes along to throw the ball back in. this is done by him placing his heels of his feet on the boundary line,facing the fence. then he throws the ball back in over his head so play can resume again. then there are the other 2 followers. these are either a ruck/rover or rovers. these terms are a bit old fashioned now. they are basically known as midfielders these days. they,with the other 6 midfielders. usually follow the ball around all over the ground. some playing defensive tagging roles. that's where they try to nullify there opponent from having an impact on the game. but most play a more attacking type game. these are the players who run & carry,hand pass,foot pass the ball down to their own scoring end of the ground.

When scoring in Australian rules footy. there are 4 upright posts. get the ball threw the middle post,without the ball being touched by the opposition. this is what is known as a goal. which will give you a maximum score of 6 points. that will be added to the total. if the ball strays through the posts on either side or hits the main posts. this is what is known as a behind. netting you another point. to ad to the total. this is why when you see a score board in Australian rules. it will look something like 7.9.58 the 1st digit is the amount of goals scored. the second is the behinds scored. the last is the grand total. hope this helps.
cheers.

 

[Biggus Dickus]

The only similarity with rugby is that the ball is kicked...and that the players run about....but that's it.

 

[Stephen Returns]

It's more of a 360 degree game. It's more exciting as well.