Australian Rules Football!

I recently went to an Australian Rules Football game. Some of you may have no idea what I am talking about. Well that's alright because I had never heard of this sport before I came to Australia either. But it is HUGE here. Australians refer to the game as footy (of course they shorten it) and they are obsessed with it. Many of my Australian friends not only watch the games religiously but they also play on club teams in the area. The game I went to was an AFL game (equivalent to our NFL). It was sooo much fun! It was the Fremantle Dockers agaisnt the Adelaide Crows.

I'd say Footy is a mixture of many sports. It is like rugby, soccer, and football combined. It is played in a huge oval stadium with a rugby shaped ball.



There are 18 players on each team. The aim of the game is to score goals by kicking the ball between the two middle posts for a score of 6 points. If the ball is kicked between the outside posts, it is only 1 point.



The players can advance the ball by using any part of their body. But the most popular exchanges are kicking the ball or handballing it. And the players are also allowed to run with it. Here is a player kicking the ball through the goal posts.



It is such a fast pace game and very physical. Can you believe it that the players wear NO padding at all? A lot of my Australian friends make fun of American football because all of the padding that they wear, they refer to NFL players as wimps. These AFL players are fearless, extremely strong, good looking, and also between the ages of 18 and 25. Here are the Fremantle Dockers up close and personal.



The Fremantle Dockers are not one of the better teams in the AFL. On this night, they played the Adelaide Crows, who are supposedly very good. It was a close game in the beginning but in the end, it was a blowout. SCOREBOARDDDD.



That's right! Fremantle killed them! My friends and I must have been a lucky charm. We are definitely planning on going to more games to cheer on our Freo Dockers!

So I am on my second study break right now! Study break to an American Study Abroad student means travel. I am actually flying out to Cairns tonight with ten other people. Cairns is where the Great Barrier Reef is! We plan on snorkeling, sky diving, white water rafting, seeing the rainforest, and going bungee jumping. I'll be gone for one week and I'm so excited! Have a great Easter! I'll miss you all!