Australian Footy

One of my cousins, Wei Jin (WJ) came over to Melbourne for 2 weeks holiday. We met up for number of meals and knowing what a sports fanatic he is, we thought of bringing him for a game of local football, i.e. footy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Before we can even suggest that, he had already asked us if we were interested for a game of footy. It was not hard to decide which game to go for as WJ is a big fan of Hawthorn (not bad for a guy that has only been in Australia for less than 2 weeks) and they were playing at MCG (Melbourne sports icon).

We managed to get our tickets but we had no idea how far our seatings were. When we went there this morning, we were pleasantly surprised that it’s a reasonable distance from the arena. The price weren’t too bad as well, approximately $34 per adult.

I think the last time we went for a game was when we were doing our degree back in 2001. I am not a fan of footy and Stephen does not enjoy watching it as much as European soccer. If we are in UK, Spain or Italy, we would be just like the locals, going for every match when his beloved team plays.

Overall, I think the game was pretty exciting, very fast paced and truly very different from the many soccer matches I have watched with Stephen. I remember reading the size of the footy arena being twice as big as a soccer field. TWICE! OMG!! There were a number of times where I had lost track of the ball… a tiny red ball in a huge arena with each team fielding 18 players, surely I am not the only one!

I didn’t really understand the rules of the game (or I am just not putting enough effort?? ), how penalty is given, how passing is made, etc. All I know is when the ball goes through the two highest polls, it is a 6 points goal. When the ball goes through the lower side polls or even hits any of the poll, it’s a 1 point goal. I still don’t understand why only 1 point is awarded when the ball struck the poll. I believe it should be a 10 points goal or something. What are the chances of hitting the poll given such a wide space and with such a great accuracy, surely one would deserve more points, i.e. bullseye. Hey, what do I know about footy??

A game consists of four quarters. The length of the quarters can vary from 15 to 25 minutes in different leagues. In the AFL, quarters are 20 minutes, but the clock is stopped when the ball is out of play, meaning that an average quarter could last for 27 to 31 minutes. At the end of each quarter, teams change their scoring end.

The first goal of the game was scored by Hawthorn (yellow and brown stripes), which are supported by my cousin and Jessica. Also Stephen’s as he heard that they are the stronger team. (Knowing him, he always supports the winning team).

When the goal is scored, the Goal Umpire signals a goal with two hands raised at elbow height, a behind with one hand, and then confirms the signal with the other goal umpire by waving flags above his head.

From the photos, it look like the weather was warm with the sun was out at the background. It was actually 12 degrees maximum. When the wind was blowing, it was freeeezing!!! That’s why we were all wrapped up nice and warm.