This is Football?

This week we went to our first AFL game. It was soooo different than rugby, but I had a really fun time! It's definitely a quicker-paced game compared to the rugby games that we have been to. I also really enjoyed the screaming crowed. They seemed way more enthusiastic than the crowds at the rugby games. It also seemed like there were many more women at the AFL game, which was nice to see! AFL seems like it takes a lot more agility to play compared to rugby. The players were so quick and had a very different body shape compared to the bulky rugby players. They were quick and lean and moved in many different directions rather than the typical forward-play of a rugby match. There were also a lot more possession changes in AFL compared to rugby, which made the game more exciting to watch for me. I would have to say that I think I liked the AFL game more than I have liked rugby. I like a quick-paced game so that I don’t have time to get bored haha! I was shocked to hear in class that they run 18-24 km per game! It was also interesting to get to play with the AFL ball outside, because the players make it look so easy to bounce the ball and kick it and everything. However, I realized that it is definitely not as easy as it looks!

Rabbitoh Rugby Game at ANZ Stadium

My very first ARL rugby game was such a success! The South Sydney Rabbitohs ended up winning (that was who we were supposed to cheer for). I really liked them anyway, because their jerseys were Christmas colored! Anyway, it was really cool to see an adult rugby game because it is so intense compared to the little league team that we had watched last week. These men are just massive and they plow over each other like bulldozers! I still don’t fully understand the rules, but hopefully by the end of my semester I will completely understand the rules of rugby. I love how avid the fans are at the games. They had so much spirit and had signs and everything! It reminded me of an NFL game back home, so it was a bit nostalgic! It was also really cool to see the women play at half time. It wasn’t quite as intense as the men’s game, but it was still very much a major contact sport! All in all, I had a pretty good Monday night watching rugby.

First Little League Rugby Game

Today, we went to our first little league rugby game at Erskineville Park. It was such a fun experience! It kind of reminded me of when I used to play soccer when I was little. I thought it was really cool that rugby could be played at such a young age and they seemed to take it very seriously too. I saw a team win and the boys were SO excited! Rugby seems like a very common social event in Australian culture. People had packs of beer and snacks. The whole family could come and watch the games and the entry was free. They even had an announcer who would talk about the games going on. I was pretty surprised that the five and six year old kids could actually tackle each other. Their knees were all scraped up after the game! They were so cute as they showed off their battle wounds from the match! Overall, I had a pretty great first rugby experience!