9:20 That’s the best part about it. No one likes a single team dominating the whole season, so having upsets and unpredictability are always welcomed. Plus, it makes every single finals game so intense.
Have a look at western Bulldogs 2016 finished 7th then as lower ranked team in finals every week was an elimination game. They went to West coast 4 hr flight away beat them, came back beat Hawthorn who had won 3 premierships in recent years. Then beat Sydney who had been in 3 or 4 finals in the last ten years to win their second ever premiership last one being 1956,? What are finals series
Always brings to mind West Coast Eagles. 1991 is their best season on record; 26 games, 21 wins, Top of the ladder by a pretty wide margin. Unfortunately one of the 5 they lost was the Grand Final. A year later, they were 4th on the ladder and took home the Premiership; the first time a non-Victorian team won. AFL is as much a game of endurance as it is skill; a team can play at peak condition for most of the season, then flop as the players become worn out and injured and still possibly take the title simply on points. Having it all on the line for the finals, and then the Grand Final however, has the players and coaches pushing themselves just that little bit harder, little bit further.
@@RobReacts1 Well, soccer players Always fake pain, it is so, so lame. The delayed catastrophic pained behavior for a little tap on the ribs, the diving, the wincing and grabbing the leg. I think if you did this in Australian football, they would drag you off the ground. Niewmeyer or what ever his name was with his rolling over and over is so typical of how soft they must be to carry on like such gooses.
This reminds me of that video from women's soccer where one player injured her leg, putting her kneecap out of place. She immediately started smacking back in place and ran back into the field. And then there's the guys who scream and roll over a lovetap
@@thejaiganticbridge5479 An AFL player done the exact same thing once. It's like AFL players playing in games with broken legs and such. All heart and love for their team, the sport and sportsmanship.
@@RobReacts1 I don’t know if someone else has pointed this out, but in the finals, the bottom teams will get kicked out if they lose, but the top teams get a second chance. So it is a bit fairer than having a bad week. Plus the finals are a whole different game, it is much rougher and everyone plays at 100%. Also the top teams get a week rest if the win the first round, leaving them well rested for their next round. Your position in the final 8 really matters.
@@gorillarawfare1963 I do get the excitement till the last day aspect, I really do. We have leagues and cup competitions so we have the best of both worlds surely
@@RobReacts1 not knowing the league and cup way I can’t comment. But if you are still watching AFL in September, then I guess you will have a better understanding of which is better. Btw not implying soccer should change to AFL version, but just whether our way makes sense for AFL.
@@RobReacts1 yeah, I'm Australian, for a start we rarely talk in imperial measurements. This was a video put together to explain AFL to Americans, so they got an American voiceover for it and converted measurements from metric. The actual game commentary you can hear is Australian.
@@michaelseparovich probably, the bad thing about Aussie football is that I have no emotional involvement. If Richmond beat Essendon, I don't care, if Everton beat Man I am out of my chair and shouting.
@@martynparkman6336 Unlike as it was in my family. My mother was mad Collingwood (along with her sisters) my father...mad Essendon. My brother and I followed Essendon ( determined before birth in their arrangement !) . When Collingwood lost to Essendon.. Mum refused to cook dinner and we never said a thing and watched the replay of the game with Dad in total silence ..while eating our toasted cheese and ham sandwiches..! You could say we were a product of a mixed marriage ! It is state sanctioned religion...
Glad you are intrigued by Australia's biggest sport. The playing field is so large because it's actually a cricket ground. Aussie Rules was invented so cricket players could stay fit during the off-season (winter). I understand that English cricket grounds are not oval, but in Australia they are, so the ground's shape is a compromise between both sports.
As an Australian, living where they have the grand final, football is an everyday norm for me. You had me chuckling quite a bit haha. My best advice, watch a game. It won’t make any sense but it will put a lot of this information into context. Good luck on your footy journey
Reminds me of when my Mum and Dad went to New Zealand, happened to be a Grand Final week I think?, anyway they had the match on the screen behind the bar, and dad and his mates were watching the game with a few Kiwi's (people, not the fruit) who were desperately trying to figure out what the game was all about, with Dad and his mates trying to explain everything. So yeah, if you're not an Aussie, our style of football can seem strange to others. I don't get American style football either, but I do understand Rugby a bit, and Soccer (real football) some more, but I love our game as it's still easy to understand, even though they're trying their damndest to make it complicated with new rule changes almost every season. Back in the day when I was a boy, there was only a few rules, and it was so easy to get away with things on the field, but it made footy fun. That's the same advice I'd also give to Rob, watch a few games, and everything will seem less confusing.
@@bushranger51 when I watched this explained video I was really confused. After watching 3 live games now, I was surprised how easy the sport is to watch and follow.
On what you said about not liking finals, in AFL the finals are amazing because every team steps it up a level and the intensity is crazy, it really works with AFL
@@RobReacts1 yes in 2016 the western bulldogs won the grand final from 7th, no home ground advantages, had to go to Perth and beat a strong west coast side, then went to Melbourne and beat the reigning premiers, then went to Sydney and beat a highly favoured GWS, then beat the team who finished 1st in the grand final.
@@themaster7552 yeah the fact that they had the chance is amazing. If we didn’t do finals it’d get boring if the best home and away team won every time
The behinds and the finals were brought in to minimise drawn matches. My great great uncle played in the first official grand final in 1896 beating South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans)
Fun fact, aussie rules was inspired in large part by an Indigenous Australian game called marngrook (literally "game ball") originally played with a ball made of stuffed possum skin, and often more than 50 players in each team.
@@RobReacts1 Yeah most defintely Because The AFL is something that pretty much all of Australia supports and watches every year and since people from other countries like you and other youtubers ive seen have been reacting to it , its becoming bigger and bigger
Understand that you may not like the ‘finals’ format, but to be honest I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Finals footy is something else and the regular season is about trying to make it to the finals.
Aussie here. A couple of explanations here. Sizes to positions in football. Using the example they used the video, Ballentyne (retired now) was a small forward, Nate Fyfe is a midfielder (still playing), and Sandilands was a ruckman (now retired). Ballentyne would have played in the area just to the sides of the goal squares, pushing up to the 50m lines or possibly higher up the ground if he isn't getting the ball. Fyfe, being a large midfielder (6'3" tall or 191cm) would play essentially anywhere on the ground while Sandilands because of his size would contest the centre bounces or the boundry throw ins and then run around either pushing ahead of the ball to provide a link when they are "going forward" or trying to get a kick behind the ball when the opposition has the ball and the Dockers are "going back in defence". In addition to these guys, we have key position players, guys who are between 6'3 and 6'8 (191 cm and 203cm). These are called Full Backs (FB), Centre Half Backs (CHB), Centre Half Forwards (CHF), and naturally Full Forwards (FF). Then there are the back pockets, forward pockets, half forward flankers, and half back flankers. And in the centre of the ground, between the centre square and the sides of the grounds, there are the wingers. Finally, there are two other positions (I've already mentioned briefly the ruckman) that fill out the group called the followers. These are the ruck rover and the rover. The objective of the ruck rover is to either contest the ball if the ruckman can't get to the stoppage (at least that's what they used to do) or they collect the ball after the ruckman has tapped it from the contest and they get it to, what used to be the smallest man on the field, the rover to clear the stoppage. If you look at the ground, you can see the 50m arcs at either end. From the very top of the arc, closest to the centre, imagine a straight line going across the ground from side to side. This is the half forward/back line. along this line are the half back/forward flankers and the centre half back/forwards. Their jobs are to either stop the ball entering the forward 50 of one team or get it into the forward 50 of one team. The CHF is usually one of the best long kicks on the ground. His job is to either get it to the FF or to kick goals. Either one, doesn't matter so long as they go through the big sticks in the end. If the ball goes over his head, it's usually the FF who is running at the ball to try and mark it. If the ball gets spoiled (knocked away from the FF's hands) and the ball goes to ground, the back/forward pockets try and crumb the ball and either remove it from the defensive 50, or try and kick a goal. A more detailed explanation of the ruck contests. The game is started with a bounce in the centre. The two tallest guys in either side are called the ruckmen. As they said in the video, it's like a top off in Basketball. Whenever a goal (6 points) is scored, the ball goes back to the centre for another bounce to restart play. If, during the course of general play, a player is tackled immediately after receiving the ball and can't dispose of it, the umpire who is controlling that section of the ground will cross his arms over his chest and call out "my ball". At this point, last man up off the ground with the ball is the winner... no really, but there is usually a fight to be the player getting up with the ball after the maul on the ground clears. At this point, the umpire will take control of the ball and throw it up and the two ruckmen, or the guy who nominated as one of the rucks, will contest the bounce and play resumes. Also there are times when the ball cross the boundry line. If the ball bounces before crossing the boundry line, it's usually a throw in where the boundry umpire will stand with his back to the play and throw the ball blindly over his head into the field of play. Once again the rucks or the player who nominates for the ruck contest will try and tap the ball to one of their fellow players and play resumes. If the ball cross the line without bouncing, it's a freee kick to the team who didn't kick it over the line. A newer rule that's been around for a few years now, is that the umpires will pay a free kick if they determine that the player who kicked the ball over the boundry (with a bounce) did so deliberately, that umpire will then award a free kick to the other team. Most of the basic rules are covered in the video, but there are a couple of others they don't mention. If you get tackled with the ball and can't get rid of it to a team mate legally (handball or kick), it's holding the ball. If you are tackled and drop the ball and it hits the ground (even if your foot connects with it after), that's incorrect disposal (dropping the ball). If you are tackled and either throw the ball one or two handed to a team mate, or if you scoop the ball off the ground in an upward motion, that's throwing the ball. If you are tackled and you don't have control of the ball, that's holding the man. Please pay attention to these 4 basic free kicks... because the umpires don't and it just makes people lose their shit. Also, 22 games doesn't go all that well into 18 teams and the 18 teams get to play 12 of the other teams once and 5 teams twice. This doesn't make for a very accurate final ladder which means that the final series is required. Also the team at the top of the ladder is called the minor premiers. Back when there was only 12 teams in the league. The number of teams playing finals was 5. The minor premiers would have the first week off. The other 4 teams would play 2 finals and one team would be eliminated. And so it would go for the next 3 weeks. One team eliminated in the first 3 weeks of finals leaving the final 2 to battle it out. These days there are 8 teams. The top 4 teams have what is called the double chance. The bottom 4 teams play an elimination final. The two teams who lose are out. The two teams who lost in the top 4 finals games play the winners of the two elimination finals. The losers are gawn! The two teams that won the top 4 finals have a rest for a week. The winner of the second final on week two, will play the winner of the first double change final from the first week. The winner of the first final in week two will play the winner of the second double chance final. The winners of both of the finals in the 3rd week will progress to the grand final. There is no playoffs for third and 4th place. The team that finishes at the bottom of the ladder wins the wooden spoon. They don't really, but that's what Australian supporters of VFL/AFL call it.
I think the better way of describing it would be 'Goals, Behinds, Total' Your breakdown is right tho 20 goals at 6 points each plus the single point behinds
Finals football is a complete step up from the regular season. The physical pressure and speed during games is greater, the crowds are huge, the atmosphere's electric. The top four teams are advantaged by a double chance but upsets do happen and it adds an entire dimension to the competition. Can totally understand why you wouldn't be a fan considering how uncommon the concept is in the UK, but honestly, the sport is so much better for having the finals system in place. Come the end of the AFL season, you should definitely keep an eye out for the games!
I do see the point that it always makes the end of season more interesting. With football it can either be nothing to play for for the last how ever many weeks or everything down to the last day.
@@RobReacts1 Totally! I definitely enjoy the last few weeks of the EPL when it's tight at the top and you're monitoring a heap of games at once to see how it impacts the final standings. That said, I equally enjoy the Championship playoffs because it's a similar concept to finals and it's such an evenly contested league -- an underdog team that finished fifth on the table earns themselves an opportunity to get promoted. It's a great concept, in my opinion!
@@KaneSutton92 it makes alot of the regular season kinda pointless when you finish with a playoff system. i like them separate, like the regular EPL season with cup matches as knockout. it also seems like a fairer indication of who the best team is when its evaluated over the course of a season, opposed to a single match where the better overall team may not actually win...just my opinions obviously.
@@derkaiser1306 That's a really good point, I definitely rate the excitement that cup football brings to the game. I'd argue it's probably less viable in a competition like the AFL though -- even though there's far fewer games in a season, I can't imagine the players would physically be able to keep up with the demands of a league and a cup competition at the same time. The toll that Aussie rules has on the body is very high. That said, an AFL cup competition with all teams involved would be great fun to watch.
There’s been some cracking finals over the years. The first year I got my MCC membership, my brother and I watched Carlton vs Essendon in the 1999 preliminary. As a neutral supporter, it made me appreciate finals a lot more
No one I've seen - who actually spent 5 min to understand the rules - has ever gone "meh". Everyone seems to love it. If Aussie Rules had been invented in the UK back in the 1850s, not Oz, it would be the most popular footy code in the world! Incidentally, the very tall players usually play as the ruckman - the player who contests ball ups (like a jump ball in basketball). Also, they can often play up forward where the height advantage gives them an edge in marking (catching) contests and therefore an opportunity to kick a set shot at the goal.
Depending on how good a kick they are, ruckman also tend to play a lot down in defence. Same as JW said with ruckmen in the forward line, having a ruck in defence can be an asset as they can mark the ball and prevent the opposition from being able to score a goal.
I got into Aussie Rules in about 83/84 when we had a free trial of cable tv which showcased the sport. The first game I saw was Collingwood v Hawthorn, a guy climbed up another players back to take the mark - as he did, an opposing player grabbed him by his long hair, and the umpire just called play on. I thought “This is crazy - I love it’” When I went to visit my sister in Queensland, I managed to attend a pre-season cup game, it was amazing.
It is one sport that you have to see live as so much goes on behind the play. TV camera follows the ball but doesn't show all the jostling for position off the ball.
@@mickholden8615 Yeah but throwby league is not football at all lots of thugs in it that i ve seen over time on and off the table top pitch it is played on
@@mickholden8615 And Rugby is slow and un skilled with poor endurance . The best players of rugby league had a really hard time keeping up and mastering the skills needed. they couldnt really cut it . Not to mention you can get hit from any direction , not just front on .
It's funny as an Aussie to listen to your reaction :) . It's a super fast game and lots of fun, hope you get to see some big matches live one day! It's even more fun when it's raining then it's really mayhem. I've always watched the FA Cup Final but never quite understood the league system there. Both our AFL and National Rugby League have finals seasons so that's all I've ever seen. Haven't thought about it the way you were saying and I found your opinion very interesting. It makes for a very exciting end to the season here but lots of heartache too of course.
Thanks! I watched the Sydney derby on TV and that was thrilling! Yea I want to go see all the sports I end up focusing on. If you need to understand the football league system then happy to explain ☺️ come join my discord
In the Premier League every team plays each other at home and away . The AFL can't do this because at 34 week season just isn't feasible. Also the Grand Final day is great.
The reason the pitch is so large is that they are cricket grounds, with the grand final played at the MCG, which can hold just over 100,000 spectators. Back in the 80s AFL was televised on Channel 4 in the UK and the introduction told viewers that the only rule was that there were no rules. Also of interest might be that there have been several cross over games between AFL and Irish Gaelic Football players.
The top 8 playoff system is rather unique, it does reward the higher up teams generally speaking. WEEK 1 (Qualifying and Elimination Finals) The bottom 4 (positions 5 to 8) will play each other in an elimination final, 5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th. Positions 5th and 6th get home ground advantage. The losers of these games are eliminated, the winners go on to play the following week against the losers of the top 4 games. The top 4 (positions 1 to 4) will play each other but not an elimination, 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd, these 4 teams have a second chance for this week only. Top 2 teams get home ground advantage. Losers will play winners of bottom 4 following week, the winners will get the following week off. 6 teams left. WEEK 2 (Semi-finals) The winners of the bottom 4 play the losers of the top 4, the top 4 teams will have home ground advantage. Losers of these games are eliminated, winners play the following week against winners of top 4 previous week. 4 teams left. WEEK 3 (Preliminary finals) The 2 winning teams from top 4 in week 1 (with home ground advantage) play against the the winners from week 2. Losers are eliminated, winners play in Grand Final following week. WEEK 4 Grand Final. It's very rare that teams from the bottom 4 of the top 8 win the Grand Final, in-fact it's only happened twice since the inception of a top 8 in 1994. Most common position to win the Grand Final from is position 3 followed closely by pos 1 and 2. Position 4 is once iirc. Once from 5th and once from 7th iirc.
8:45 the problem is that there are 18 teams and only 22 rounds. It would be really unfair to declare first past the post as the winner when you only play 5 teams twice. Some teams are going to have much easier draws. In the Premier league you play every team twice making it a fair schedule
Personally I think that they should just make it a 17 game comp (depending on where you finished the year before you might get more home or away games) or 18 game comp where you only play 1 team twice, and have a top 10 finals series, I’ve already got 2 concepts for a top 10 one.
@@themaster7552 I understand your comment completely but the issue I think we will come across is that it’s only a short amount of time before yet another team is added in, so it’ll impact the teams you play in a regular season more heavily
@@mickholden8615 sorry you don’t have any skill so you only know how to run and bump; nrl is a meat heads game, anyone can play it, you just need to be big.
Aussie Rules is a true 360 degrees game...you have players coming at you from all directions...no concept of offside. Soccer, both rugbies, gridiron all have a form of offside.
@@RobReacts1 if you're interested, there's the watchafl.com app. It's A$180 a year and you can share it with a mate. Then you can simply avoid spoilers and watch the replay.
@@RobReacts1 Average AFL player runs around 12-13km per game and soccer is around 10km with less intensity. Big difference is that AFL players need to build their body for taking hits high and low, so their bodies are generally far larger than soccer players and wouldn't be the typical build of an endurance athlete. I've played both soccer and AFL, soccer is far more skillful but AFL is way harder on the body and endurance. Sprints in soccer are generally no more than 10-20m but AFL sprinting is often 50-60m if the team gets a break, with the intensity factor being far higher.
@@RobReacts1 NO THE AVERAGE AFL MID FIELDER CAN COVER 25 KILOMETRES IN A GAME RUCK AND BACKS AND FORWARDS USUALLY TRAVEL 10 TO 15 KILOMETRES THE MID FIELDERS RUN ALMOST ALL OVER THE ENTIRE FIELD WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 160 METRES LONG AND THEY TEND TO DO 10 MINUTE BURST AND ARE SUBSTITUTED AND COME BACK ON WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN RESTED TO RECOVER THEIR HEARTRATES, THIS IS DONE TO MAINTAIN THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE HENCE THE 4 SUBSTITUTES WHICH IS NORMALLY ONE BACKMAN ,ONE FORWARD AND TWO MIDFIELDERS BECAUSE IF PLAYERS GET INJURED DURING THE GAME THEY CAN BE REPLACED BY THE SUBS
Aussie Rules: A full contact game that mixes aspects of basketball, soccer, various football codes that was invented as a way to keep Cricket Players fit during the winter.
The finals has always been a part of the sport its built in to the strategy of how teams play in normal season games. It also makes the league a lot of money with most stadiums filling out capacity for the 11 finals games.
Hi There, great video & thanks for taking an interest. I'm an Aussie. AFL is basically a mixture of Football (We call it soccer), Rugby & Basketball all combined into one. You may see a team's GBT, that means Goals, Behinds & Total, so if a team kicked 10 goals & 7 behinds in a match, their total would be 67. 10 goals = 60, as a goal is worth 6 points. Then you add the 7, as a behind is worth only 1. Therefore their game total is 67 points.
Hey Rob, if you start from the fact that this game is the greatest form of football in the world, then you're on the right track :) What I love about the game, apart from the incredible athleticism of the players is that it doesn't stop, it is a tough game and in a real contest in constantly ebbs and flows and you cannot know who will win until the final siren. Oh yeah, then there are the marks, the kicks and the legends of the sport. But wait, then there is the massive crowds, the really electric atmosphere and the crowd made up of families with every generation present. What a sport!
When you’re brought up on the game, especially in Melbourne, it’s ingrained into the culture. I barrack for Melbourne, because that was my dad’s team, and my brother and my nephews all follow Melbourne as well. Melbourne are the oldest club in the competition, they were established in 1858 by the Melbourne Cricket Club’s secretary at the time, Tom Wills, who drew up the first 10 rules of the game. Melbourne turns 164 years old in July this year.
@@RobReacts1 this video is a poem a Melbourne identity wrote a few years ago, it pays homage to Melbourne history from the beginning of the club ua-cam.com/video/PmWiN0eCo2o/v-deo.html
It is and most children play local games like in Mildura I still go for South Mildura so you play it with your family like I used to have to kick the footy with my brother's
Gday Rob I’ve just subbed after that react and (like many others here) can definitely help you out mate, no worries. I’ve played the game my entire life and it’s my favourite sport and the biggest spot by far in Australia. I’d even miss an Ashes test match to go and watch the footy! Lol It dates back to the mid 1800’s so is a very old sport here and was designed as a winter sport to keep cricketers fit for summer. Anyhow lots of big hits, best marks and best goals to react to. Also pick a team and get into it mate cause the season is only four rounds old. You can’t go wrong barracking for my team ‘West Coast Eagles’ 😜 Look forward to seeing your next AFL react
That you for subbing Mark! Means a lot and im so glad to get Aussies along for the ride :) Its going to get confusing you calling it footy though! haha I will be doing my best to watch some live games as i know they show them on Sky or BT! Just very early in the morning.
Glad youre enjoying it ... small correction its 6 points for a goal not 5 - this game was invented to keep cricketers fit during the off season ... and I must say our teams are truely fit
Maybe it's because I grew up with it, but I love the idea of finals. You get sides that are very strong in the minor round but choke under finals pressure....
Massive Port Adelaide supporter and member here. You should definitely do a live stream of a live game so we can answer any questions you might have while watching.
Hey Yani, I did the Sydney game yesterday. A bit tricky normally as its early in the morning here and normally i coach kids football saturday morning(but didnt this week). Join the discord and you can see my schedule of live watch alongs when iupdate it :)
@@RobReacts1 You definitely need to get on board with Port Adelaide. The most successful club in the league with 37 premierships between its SANFL (South Australian Football League) days and its AFL (Australian Football League) days. We have the best uniform (the Prison Bars) and also have a Creed which no other club has. To see more you can visit: www.portadelaidefc.com.au/
@@RobReacts1 here is the match highlights from the last few rounds: Round 2 vs Essendon: www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/890774/highlights-port-adelaide-v-essendon-ptv?videoId=890774&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1616834088001 Round 4 vs last years premiers Richmond:www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/901007/highlights-port-adelaide-v-richmond-ptv?videoId=901007&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1617974482001 Round 5 vs Carlton:www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/914325/highlights-port-adelaide-v-carlton-ptv?videoId=914325&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1618662600001 Also watch the pregame Never Tear Us Apart salute by the crowd to the players at home matches: ua-cam.com/video/MhrKNbG0TMY/v-deo.html Enjoy!
There is a game kids play at school called markers up, some may call it something else, but essentially one person kicks a football( the ball used in AFL) to a group of people and they have to try mark it. It gets really violent and people will shove and jump on u, if u mark the ball then u get to go up and kick the ball to everyone else and so on
haha awesome! I love kids games like that... In our primary school we had a game called trip up. Who ever was on it had to be triped up. who ever got that person then was on it
Just found this video - love that you'll be focusing on our great game! 😊 I am AFL fanatic but I started watching soccer (mainly EPL) a few years ago. I think there are pro's and con's with each system of deciding a season's winner. With the finals system in AFL, etc, it can suck if the team who has been the best all year has a bad day and loses in a final (as my beloved Port Adelaide have done in the past!) 😥 But while the soccer system seems fairer, I think it can be a bit anticlimactic. Especially if the season is decided with several games to go...or if the league-winning team isn't actually on the field in the deciding game. Remember when Leicester won the EPL title a few years ago - and it was a huge story, cos they were underdogs - but it was actually a Chelsea vs Tottenham game (I think - Chelsea was definitely involved) that sealed the result? I remember thinking at the time that all I wanted to see in that moment was the Leicester players' reactions, since they had won the title...but they weren't on the pitch so you had to watch a separate video later on for that 😂 I love thst with the finals in AFL, you immediately get to see the winning team's ecstasy and celebrations when they realise they have won 🙂
The scoreboard has three columns. in this video ( at 6:44 ) Collingwoods score reads 20 10 130 . The first column is goals ( 20 goals ) goals are worth six points . The second column is " behinds " ( the outside smaller posts ) there are 10 behinds . Behinds are worth one point . The third column is total points , therefore 20 goals @ six points each equals 120 points , plus 10 behinds @ one point each equals 10 points , 120 points plus 10 points equals 130 points . The last column , the total points (130) is all you need to pay attention to , and here it's made up of 20 goals and 10 behinds . You do the maths on the other score ( Carlton ) and you'll see what I mean. Before you ask , the 1 point " behind " is awarded because sometimes these guy's kick from 50 or 60 metres out so from that distance any sort of accuracy should be applauded . It also adds tension and drama when players keep missing because their misses are recorded right up there on the scoreboard.
@@RobReacts1 Yes you can, spot on. The last number is the total and only thing that matters. A team that kicks 6.4.(40) (6 goals and 4 behinds) may lose to a team that kicks 4.20 (44) (4 goals and 20 behinds).
@@RobReacts1 exactly , you can just look at the last number . That number is the total points, the other two numbers describe what the total is comprised of.
@@RobReacts1 The full score can indicate whether a teams accuracy or economy kept them in a game, or if a team had a lot of shots on goal and were wasteful. It can kind of indicate what sort of game it was without watching it. You'll often hear a comment like, they kicked them selves out of it, if they kicked something like 9 goals 15 behinds and lost.
The tall guy plays in the centre. When they bounce the ball he contests that. Plus the usually play towards the back a bit to help make it difficult for the opposition
the grandfinials being a big deal is a understatement 😂 lol the whole country goes into celebration mode even if its not your team playing its one big massive weeklong party basically
@bronzed Aussie na mate im wa, you know its loved when even the side thats usually never envolved still take the grandfinals as a excuse for day off and a piss up but ill admit we get more excited about our derbys then the grandfinals
Australian Rules football was started to keep cricket players in peak physical condition during winter, that’s why the game is played on the same size oval as a cricket ground.
By the way the accent is American, definitely not Aussie hahaha This video was made for promoting international recognition, so they got an American to narrate it (don’t ask why). But no, we don’t sound like that guy down here. Finals footy is an exciting time, there is a system that is heavily advantageous for the teams that finish in the top four. I think it’s called the Macintyre System. Finals footy is a different type of game. It’s an occasion to see the best footy teams play and also produces a Grand Final which is an amazing event (like America’s Super Bowl). I watch the Premier League and when Liverpool won it last season with multiple games remaining, it wasn’t exciting anymore, they were all dead rubbers. And I’m a Liverpool fan! Fans and players all celebrate at home awaiting results of other games. Nothing like hearing the final siren at a Grand Final where you know a champion will be crowned. Teams started playing more younger and inexperienced players than during the season. The season before, it was just Liverpool v Man City for games 25-38. Some teams will fight for Euro spots but so many concede defeat. With the finals system, it’s the complete reverse, the best footy is played at the end of the season. And if the team that finished at the top are truly the best, they should win the grand final.
The semi-finals add to the length of the season for the supporters, and the money people. It's fantastic, even if you're team hasn't made it through, you still follow the games. The intensity and pace, and ferocity of the games increase, the further along it goes. This happens in all levels of the sport , as a parent watching my son (starting@6yrs) grow up in system, with his own drive to be successful, make it to the stage wear he was good enough to play with/against full grown experienced adults@16yrs, it was incredible. 'Sorry' rambling.
Aside from the technicalities, it really is a pretty simple game that can be boiled down to a few sentences: You can kick, punch or tap the ball but throwing isn't allowed like in rugby and will result in a free kick for the opposition. It is full contact with tackling and bumping a player with the ball allowed as long as it is done in the correct manner, ie. not being too high or low, not falling onto the player's back and not unnecessarily slamming them to the ground with excessive force and you may ONLY tackle when a player is in possession of the ball - any tackles of a player without the ball results in the player who was unfairly tackled receiving a free kick. If a player performs a legal tackle of the player with the ball and the player does not get rid of the ball quick enough with either a punch or a kick, the tackler is awarded a free kick, if it is an illegal tackle then instead the player with the ball is awarded a free kick. If a legal tackle is applied and the player with the ball is judged to have not reasonably had an opportunity to get rid of the ball, that results in a "ball-up" which is a basketball style tip-off which is also how play is started at the beginning of every quarter and after every goal is kicked. If a kick travels at least 15 metres and is caught by a player without touching the ground or another player first (even if the same player who kicked it also catches it) that is called a "mark" and the player gets to have an unimpeded kick of the ball, marks cannot be taken if the ball comes off any other part of the body besides the foot or lower leg or if the ball does not travel through the air at least 15 metres and instead it is play-on. If the ball travels out of bounds off the foot of a player and clears the boundary line on the full, or if a player is deemed to have deliberately punched, carried or knocked the ball out of bounds then a player from the opposite team gets a free kick from where the ball went out, if the ball goes out of bounds in any other way - then there is what is called a "throw-in" where the ball is tossed back into play for a neutral basketball style tip-off. Put it through the big sticks with an untouched kick and your team gets 6 points, put it through a big and little stick OR if it goes through the big sticks and is touched or comes off any other part of the body besides the foot or lower leg OR if is kicked, punched or carried over your goal line by the opposition then your team get 1 point. (There are no such things as "own goals" in Australian Rules.) Team with most points at the end of 4 20 min quarters wins. That's the fundamentals and what you need to know to be able to follow what is happening. Enjoy our wonderful game which is one of the best things about being an Aussie!
At 6:20, the first number is the amount of goals scored and the second number is the number of behinds scored. So 20*6 and 10*1 add up to be 130 for the top and 18*6 plus 12*1 add up to be 120
These, are the best athletes on the planet they can cover up to 18km in a game, all while being tackled from any direction and marking a ball 12 feet in the air. The Finals games may have up to 100,000+ fans in attendance. The score line is goals kicked, (X6 points), behinds kicked, (1 pointers), and the TOTAL number of points scored.
The AFL football is not ONLY a sport it's also like a religion here, people come all over Australia (& oversea's) to watch the greatest game on earth on grand final day, the M.C.G. is packed to the rafters & to get a ticket is like finding hens teeth around about finals time! I've been lucky once to go to a grand final & the atmosphere with the crowd is electric, & the skills by the players go up ten fold it's indescribable! One day would love for you to watch a live game of the grand final footy & tell us then if this game hasn't convertated you yet?
haha, Iv fallen for rugby and now it may be time for Aussie rules. Im going to do a live watch along tomorrow morning for one of the first games tomorrow.
There are no goal keepers but any opposition player who touches a kicked ball that goes through the goal prevents it from begin counted as a goal (6 points) but does concedes a behind (1 point). If the opposition player prevents a kicked ball from going through it is obviously no score and play continues uninterupted.
@@RobReacts1 it’s worth actually seeing a game live as opposed to just watching it as there’s a whole lot more people running on and off the field than just the players. Tv just tends to focus on where the ball is but the whole thing is entertaining from start to finish.
In response to your question about the finals. In the regular season, each team plays 22 games, against every team once and 5 teams twice (traditionally local rivals). If after 22 games they team on top of the table were declared winners, this would not be very fair as each team has not played everyone so there is the finals. In the finals teams raise their game and the atmosphere in stadiums is on another level and the best Aussie Rules is played. It also gives a climax to the season that other sports don't. Think how the Premier league slowly moves to a conclusion towards the end of the season almost every year with the winner known several weeks in advance, and if there were not finals in AFL then there would be a lot of dead rubbers in the final few rounds with almost every team having nothing to play for. Despite the top 8 making finals, the lowest ranked team to win the Grand final came from 7th (the Western Bulldogs in 2016) and is fairly uncommon for a side outside the top 4 to reach the final 4 of the finals. As you are new to the sport I would suggest following a team as they go through this season. Most teams are well respected but Collingwood are the most hated. This weekend will be Round 5 starting with St Kilda v Richmond on Thursday starting at 10:20am UK time. BT Sport show 5 games per round and most of them start at a reasonable time. If you are looking for a good game to watch then I would suggest the 2018 Grand Final between the West Coast Eagles and Collingwood (who coincidently play each other on Friday) :ua-cam.com/video/JirTw6MLblY/v-deo.html If you are interested in umpires (the referees of AFL), "Razor" Ray Chamberlain is the most well known: ua-cam.com/video/OKMpRDotMGQ/v-deo.html
Cheers man. IV added the ref video to my watch list! The problem is those early games GMT. So it will be able finding the right day and time to watch live. I walk dogs in the mornings, coach football Saturday mornings and referee Sunday morning....tricky. I will have to find a time!
I would watch a few games/highlights first to get to understand the more detailed rules as the Ray Chamberlain video does go into some niche rules/unusual situations.
@@RobReacts1 I would also suggest a UA-cam Channel, Footy A2Z for a more in depth detail about the game. Check out AFL EXPLAINED series. ua-cam.com/users/FootyA2Zplaylists
If anyone is curious as to why the game is played on such a large oval it's because the sport was developed to keep cricketers fit during the off season so they used cricket ovals to play the sport on. There is also some overlap with the Irish Gaelic Football where because of the similarities between our two football codes another form of football called International Rules was developed using a mixture of of the two sports rules. The last International Rules game between Australia and Ireland was in 2017
Definitely understand where you’re coming from about the finals! I like it just because the finals have their own energy and all the games are really exciting to watch because there are suddenly high stakes.
I completely get that it keeps the excitement going to the last day of the season. but AFL only has 12 teams. In football premier league we have 20 teams so lots more games in the season.
@@RobReacts1 It's 18 teams, that's why we can't have a 34 + 4 weeks for finals. Where the EPL may have teams play 2 or 3 games in one week, the AFL tries to give teams a 6 day break, sometimes 5. The exception is the Anzac Day game which could possibly be a 4 day break if it is in the middle of the week. Anzac Day is celebrated on the Day. If it falls on a weekend, there is no public holiday - at least here in Victoria. Some states have the holiday on the following Monday if it falls on on a weekend. Hope that all makes sense.
Scraping into 8th spot is still pretty hard and the team can't just have one good game and win the championship. They need to beat the 5th place team at the 5th places home ground. Then they need to beat a loser from the top 4 teams. Then a winner from the top 4 Then win the grand final It's an impressive and rarely achieved feat.
@@RobReacts1 Nope, actually you don't get the "occasional" surprise, unless you count the following 3 times since 1877. Yes, that's right since 1877, only 3 teams have won the premiership from outside the top 4. Firstly no team has one the premiership from 8th spot or the last spot available to play the finals (because the total number of teams playing in the finals has changed relative to the number of teams in the comp since 1877). Western Bulldogs from 7th in 2016 is the closest and to be honest they were on a roll before the finals began so they just kept their winning streak going as the other finals teams were hit with injuries and fatigue after a long season - they peaked at the right time. Adelaide from 5th in 1998 is the next best and lastly this anomaly by Melbourne from 6th spot in 1900 in an experimental finals system that saw all 8 teams play finals (there were only 8 teams in the comp in 1900). This finals system was never used again. The main reason for the finals system is to the keep fans engaged and to generate income from the broadcast rights. The combined finals broadcast is the most watched sporting event in Australia and worth 10's of millions of dollars a year to the AFL.
The finals have have come from behind stories. In 2016, the Western Bulldogs finished 7th on the ladder. Second last position to qualify for finals and still went on to win the Grand Final. But in order to be there, teams have to win and win by more points. If two teams finish the season with the same number of wins, their position on the ladder is determined my their percentage, which is the difference between points they scored for season compared to points scored against them. So to make sure your team moves up the ladder, teams have to win by as much as they can.
So is it different to deciding football positions in teams are level? IE, in football if two teams have same points it's worked out by goal difference. Goals scored minus goals conceded.
re: playing field dimensions: "the playing field is an oval, typically between 135-185 metres (148-202 yd) long goal-to-goal and 110-155 metres (120-170 yd) wide wing-to-wing." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football_playing_field)
The first number in the scoring is the goals (6 points) the second is behinds (one point) and the third is them added together and the total score for the game. You can do the math.
From the looks of it, it takes a lot of ideas from Gaelic football ( one of the four Irish national sports under the GAA). The hand pass is identical, the fact that you have to bounce the ball every couple steps is similar, only in Gaelic it is every four steps you have to either bounce or solo the ball, and you can't bounce it twice in a row. I know it's probably just coincidence, but in fairness the Irish we're sent there in large numbers
Rob, Memories lol. Watch this again, I did - boy you’ve learned so much. Was looking for this vid and a recent footy one of yours for my sister to view. She doesn’t watch any reaction vids but has been to more footy matches since the 1960s that I could count. I was telling her about you and Charlie discovering TimTams and footy, thus my searching 😊
Having finals is way better than playing a season and whoever finishes on top wins,just take the Premier league for example man City won the league basically 6 to 8 weeks ago now it's just plain boring for the rest of the season but you still get excited for the fa cup and Champions league.enjoy for footy journey 👍greatest game on earth😁
The game has been around for 150 years. My Club North Melbourne started in 1869. The 7ft Sandilands plays in the ruck and contests the centre bounce where height is an advantage. Taller players generally play the key marking positions. Anyway, enjoy your journey watching the greatest sport on the planet.
@@RobReacts1 Welcome to the oldest football code in the world, with the oldest now professional clubs in the world. Melbourne formed in 1858, Geelong 1859, Carlton 1864, North Melbourne 1869. Carlton has played every season since it was formed. Both Melbourne and Geelong stopped playing during world wars. Crowds have been flocking to games from the early days when up to 10K at a match was not uncommon. Crowds of 30K plus at some games in the 1880's. There are some rural clubs in Victoria just as old as some of the older Metro clubs.
The seven footer’s position is the ruckman. The role is basically one of a midfielder except they are the ones contesting the jump balls, or as we call it in Australia the ball ups.
In the finals the first 4 teams get an extra chance to get to the next final. The last 4 is sudden death all the way in the finals. This is a contact sport some teams may have lost players due to injury but still get to the finals and then gain those players. This was a basic introduction directed at the USA market as you saw with yards rather than metres. These teams are involved with drafts, the thing that puts me off with English soccer is that money buys players in that league without limits. Richer clubs tend to win.
You need to go to a game and watch it play out live, full-field in front of you to truly appreciate it. The TV does a spectacular job of making it look messy and a free-for-all with its close-up, Jason Bourne camera style. Watch from the upper stand at a game with a beer and a pie if you get a chance.
The finals isn’t a simple knockout tournament. The top four teams get a second chance if they lose the first round, and the higher placing team in a match gets home ground advantage. There’s a big incentive to finish higher up the ladder, and it’s very rare (almost unheard of) for a team outside the top four to win the grand final.
Aussie here. It's a hell of a sport to watch and play. There's a comment here that says watch a game that I agree with, but i'd like to suggest a game or two. Watch either the 2005 Preliminary Final between Sydney and Geelong, or the 2005 Grand final. They sum up the spirit of AFL completely and showcase just how much impact a single player can have on the outcome of a game. For the record i'm an Adelaide Crows fan, so there's no bias here haha
Good content mate. Aussie Rules actually pre-dates Association football (English soccer), both rugby codes, American football, basketball and baseball in that it was codified and leagues created before the above-mentioned games were even a twinkle in someone's eye. Welcome to the best game on the planet.
Some rules that the video didn’t cover; -Holding the person for too long who does not have the ball is called “holding the man” or lots of aussies just scream “holding!”. That gives the person who’s being hold a free kick which means they get to have a kick without someone running at them. -Holding the ball is also another rule so if someone tackles them and they had an opportunity to get rid of the ball that means they are holding the ball which gives the person who tackled them a free kick. -Dropping the ball is when a player drops the ball. Pretty simple, so whenever u drop the ball is a free for the other team ( usually the person closest to where they dropped the ball ) gets the free kick. -High tackle, this is also just a high tackle. Like the video mentioned any sort of contact over the shoulder so your neck and head counts as a high tackle which gives the other team a free kick. -Ball up, it’s also just a ball up. This can be caused by many reasons, for example; Two people who are both going for the ball and cannot get the ball out of each others hands, someone getting tackled but is not able to get rid of the ball and at the start of the game they do one. If the ball goes out of the lines which people called “out of bounds” it also means a ball up but it’s a bit different. The ref/umpire thows the ball from where it went out but with his back showed to them. This is a rule because then there’s no reason for players to say that the umpire was passing it to the other team.
A really good recent game was Richmond v Port Adelaide, round 4 2021. New rules have been introduced (nothing a new viewer would notice) so this game is a great display of the new rules and was a tough contest.
Yep, that Port v Tigers game was astounding. Reigning Premiers made to look like they were standing still and the Port players going at it as hard as if they were playing in the GF. Brilliant.
@@Mirrorgirl492 the injury toll as well, such an important facet to the game. Aliir Aliir, and Duursma in the final quarter. There's a reason I like watching some teams more than others.
@@aidanpage-dhu4869 Being a Victorian, of course I'm no lover of Port, but by gee, by jingo, by crikey, they impressed me that night. Total commitment, injuries were inevitable.
@@Mirrorgirl492 I'm from North Queensland so have the luxury of not having to stick it to the non-Victorian teams :D I like many teams, is that allowed? What if I say Geelong are my number one?
@@aidanpage-dhu4869 I've lived all over Aus and have soft spots for many teams. I came from an ecumenical family: Mum - Dogs, Dad & Gran - Saints, Sister & Brother - Hawks and me Collingwood. But I love the Doggies, Geelong, Richmond and the Crows :)
Idk if anyone has answered this but people of the height of Aaron Sandilands play a position called "Ruck" basically when the quarter starts or anytime the ball is thrown in from out of bounds or thrown up from a stoppage the two ruck on each team will jump for the ball to get whats called a "clearance" where they can hit the ball to a team-mate to give them possession and get things moving. They're not as good at other positions although they're by no means bad, they just fill a niche role which is really important
9:20 That’s the best part about it. No one likes a single team dominating the whole season, so having upsets and unpredictability are always welcomed. Plus, it makes every single finals game so intense.
Have a look at western Bulldogs 2016 finished 7th then as lower ranked team in finals every week was an elimination game. They went to West coast 4 hr flight away beat them, came back beat Hawthorn who had won 3 premierships in recent years. Then beat Sydney who had been in 3 or 4 finals in the last ten years to win their second ever premiership last one being 1956,? What are finals series
1954. It used to be in the theme song.
True it’s to easy if u finish 1st plus being 1st in the afl is a curse
Always brings to mind West Coast Eagles. 1991 is their best season on record; 26 games, 21 wins, Top of the ladder by a pretty wide margin. Unfortunately one of the 5 they lost was the Grand Final. A year later, they were 4th on the ladder and took home the Premiership; the first time a non-Victorian team won.
AFL is as much a game of endurance as it is skill; a team can play at peak condition for most of the season, then flop as the players become worn out and injured and still possibly take the title simply on points. Having it all on the line for the finals, and then the Grand Final however, has the players and coaches pushing themselves just that little bit harder, little bit further.
Unless ur Geelong
Soccer, where grown men pretend to be hurt.
Aussie rules football, where grown men pretend they're not hurt.
Thats the same saying the rugby fans have said
@@RobReacts1 Well, soccer players Always fake pain, it is so, so lame. The delayed catastrophic pained behavior for a little tap on the ribs, the diving, the wincing and grabbing the leg. I think if you did this in Australian football, they would drag you off the ground. Niewmeyer or what ever his name was with his rolling over and over is so typical of how soft they must be to carry on like such gooses.
@@johnnyneverletmedown53 trust me as a football fan, even I am embarrassed by the diving and cheating
This reminds me of that video from women's soccer where one player injured her leg, putting her kneecap out of place. She immediately started smacking back in place and ran back into the field.
And then there's the guys who scream and roll over a lovetap
@@thejaiganticbridge5479 An AFL player done the exact same thing once. It's like AFL players playing in games with broken legs and such. All heart and love for their team, the sport and sportsmanship.
Fun fact: Victoria has a state holiday for the Grand Final Parade that takes place the day before the Grand Final. It’s a big deal.
Victoria is the state that Melbourne is in, where the grand final is held.
Not only that, we have a day off for a horse race - The Melbourne Cup. It's a great city to live in.
Greatest holiday mate fuck work when you can watch the footy 😂
Not to mention a holiday for a horse race, how great's that!
Making a public holiday for a parade of footballers down Swanston st when the game is played on Saturday. Stupid have the Friday as a holiday.
Being an Aussie, I love watching non - Australians react to AFL. This is our pride and joy.
EDIT: OMG thankyou for all the likes xx
Im glad to be learning about it!
@@RobReacts1 Now you should attempt to play it!!!!!
@@SP-uu8fc haha would love to give it a go
Have watched so many.. its a funny pride thing.. we aren't allowed to be proud of very much these days, it's all our game which is the beauty of it.
same here
I can’t imagine a football competition without a finals series and grand final to crown the champion.
What an anticlimax that would be.
yea but we have cup competitions with the finals. Our leagues are long, so if you finish top then you deserve to win
@@RobReacts1 I don’t know if someone else has pointed this out, but in the finals, the bottom teams will get kicked out if they lose, but the top teams get a second chance. So it is a bit fairer than having a bad week. Plus the finals are a whole different game, it is much rougher and everyone plays at 100%. Also the top teams get a week rest if the win the first round, leaving them well rested for their next round. Your position in the final 8 really matters.
@@gorillarawfare1963 I do get the excitement till the last day aspect, I really do. We have leagues and cup competitions so we have the best of both worlds surely
@@RobReacts1 not knowing the league and cup way I can’t comment. But if you are still watching AFL in September, then I guess you will have a better understanding of which is better. Btw not implying soccer should change to AFL version, but just whether our way makes sense for AFL.
I reckon
"Love the Australian accent" - that's an American voice over.
Aha are you sure?? I couldnt tell the difference. Sorry for being ignorant
yeah that's defs not australian lol
Think he heard the commentators,not the voice over
@@RobReacts1 yeah, I'm Australian, for a start we rarely talk in imperial measurements.
This was a video put together to explain AFL to Americans, so they got an American voiceover for it and converted measurements from metric.
The actual game commentary you can hear is Australian.
He’s talking bout the commentary in the games u dags hahaha
I'm English, have lived in India for 11 years. My cable channel shows 7 live Aussie games every weekend. I love it.
Would probably line up pretty well with the timezones.
@@michaelseparovich probably, the bad thing about Aussie football is that I have no emotional involvement. If Richmond beat Essendon, I don't care, if Everton beat Man I am out of my chair and shouting.
@@martynparkman6336 Unlike as it was in my family. My mother was mad Collingwood (along with her sisters) my father...mad Essendon. My brother and I followed Essendon ( determined before birth in their arrangement !) . When Collingwood lost to Essendon.. Mum refused to cook dinner and we never said a thing and watched the replay of the game with Dad in total silence ..while eating our toasted cheese and ham sandwiches..! You could say we were a product of a mixed marriage ! It is state sanctioned religion...
In Australia having someone take a hanger on you is just part of life as a kid during recess and lunch. Marks up
Markers up, kick-to-kick, Marngrook
Whatever you call it, it's the origin of AFL and every Aussie boys childhood game
Er........................?
@@leopoldstotch7711 NSW and QLD, the 2 relevant states?
Glad you are intrigued by Australia's biggest sport. The playing field is so large because it's actually a cricket ground. Aussie Rules was invented so cricket players could stay fit during the off-season (winter). I understand that English cricket grounds are not oval, but in Australia they are, so the ground's shape is a compromise between both sports.
As an Australian, living where they have the grand final, football is an everyday norm for me. You had me chuckling quite a bit haha. My best advice, watch a game. It won’t make any sense but it will put a lot of this information into context. Good luck on your footy journey
Cheers Charlotte! I watched the sydney Derby last week and it was so good. Suprisingly easy to follow along to as a beginner as well!
@@RobReacts1 the Showdown is on this week. Even as a Doggies supporter (Western Bulldogs), I look forward to this game.
Reminds me of when my Mum and Dad went to New Zealand, happened to be a Grand Final week I think?, anyway they had the match on the screen behind the bar, and dad and his mates were watching the game with a few Kiwi's (people, not the fruit) who were desperately trying to figure out what the game was all about, with Dad and his mates trying to explain everything. So yeah, if you're not an Aussie, our style of football can seem strange to others. I don't get American style football either, but I do understand Rugby a bit, and Soccer (real football) some more, but I love our game as it's still easy to understand, even though they're trying their damndest to make it complicated with new rule changes almost every season. Back in the day when I was a boy, there was only a few rules, and it was so easy to get away with things on the field, but it made footy fun. That's the same advice I'd also give to Rob, watch a few games, and everything will seem less confusing.
@@bushranger51 when I watched this explained video I was really confused. After watching 3 live games now, I was surprised how easy the sport is to watch and follow.
It's so lovely to see people from outside Australia learning about our culture! Thank you so much for this series ☺️
On what you said about not liking finals, in AFL the finals are amazing because every team steps it up a level and the intensity is crazy, it really works with AFL
I do get that it gives excitement till the very last day
And you get crazy things like the Bulldogs win in 2016.
@@RobReacts1 yes in 2016 the western bulldogs won the grand final from 7th, no home ground advantages, had to go to Perth and beat a strong west coast side, then went to Melbourne and beat the reigning premiers, then went to Sydney and beat a highly favoured GWS, then beat the team who finished 1st in the grand final.
@@themaster7552 best final for years
@@themaster7552 yeah the fact that they had the chance is amazing. If we didn’t do finals it’d get boring if the best home and away team won every time
The behinds and the finals were brought in to minimise drawn matches. My great great uncle played in the first official grand final in 1896 beating South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans)
Fun fact, aussie rules was inspired in large part by an Indigenous Australian game called marngrook (literally "game ball") originally played with a ball made of stuffed possum skin, and often more than 50 players in each team.
true and in one game the ground was over 1 mile long !!
Important fact I reckon.
Fun fact too lol
@@geoffgloyn9888 That was the first game ever between school boys from Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar.
This is Bullshit the black fellas had nothing to do with Aussie rules....it was inspired by Irish football and where it is derived from.
Very true 👍 it was originally an indigenous game
Loved the video, but honestly the finals are THE BEST part of the season, bar none, the finals are amazing!
its always good to see people from different countries reacting to the AFL
Anything to give exposure right?
@@RobReacts1 Yeah most defintely Because The AFL is something that pretty much all of Australia supports and watches every year and since people from other countries like you and other youtubers ive seen have been reacting to it , its becoming bigger and bigger
Understand that you may not like the ‘finals’ format, but to be honest I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Finals footy is something else and the regular season is about trying to make it to the finals.
Aussie here. A couple of explanations here.
Sizes to positions in football. Using the example they used the video, Ballentyne (retired now) was a small forward, Nate Fyfe is a midfielder (still playing), and Sandilands was a ruckman (now retired). Ballentyne would have played in the area just to the sides of the goal squares, pushing up to the 50m lines or possibly higher up the ground if he isn't getting the ball. Fyfe, being a large midfielder (6'3" tall or 191cm) would play essentially anywhere on the ground while Sandilands because of his size would contest the centre bounces or the boundry throw ins and then run around either pushing ahead of the ball to provide a link when they are "going forward" or trying to get a kick behind the ball when the opposition has the ball and the Dockers are "going back in defence".
In addition to these guys, we have key position players, guys who are between 6'3 and 6'8 (191 cm and 203cm). These are called Full Backs (FB), Centre Half Backs (CHB), Centre Half Forwards (CHF), and naturally Full Forwards (FF). Then there are the back pockets, forward pockets, half forward flankers, and half back flankers. And in the centre of the ground, between the centre square and the sides of the grounds, there are the wingers. Finally, there are two other positions (I've already mentioned briefly the ruckman) that fill out the group called the followers. These are the ruck rover and the rover. The objective of the ruck rover is to either contest the ball if the ruckman can't get to the stoppage (at least that's what they used to do) or they collect the ball after the ruckman has tapped it from the contest and they get it to, what used to be the smallest man on the field, the rover to clear the stoppage.
If you look at the ground, you can see the 50m arcs at either end. From the very top of the arc, closest to the centre, imagine a straight line going across the ground from side to side. This is the half forward/back line. along this line are the half back/forward flankers and the centre half back/forwards. Their jobs are to either stop the ball entering the forward 50 of one team or get it into the forward 50 of one team. The CHF is usually one of the best long kicks on the ground. His job is to either get it to the FF or to kick goals. Either one, doesn't matter so long as they go through the big sticks in the end. If the ball goes over his head, it's usually the FF who is running at the ball to try and mark it. If the ball gets spoiled (knocked away from the FF's hands) and the ball goes to ground, the back/forward pockets try and crumb the ball and either remove it from the defensive 50, or try and kick a goal.
A more detailed explanation of the ruck contests. The game is started with a bounce in the centre. The two tallest guys in either side are called the ruckmen. As they said in the video, it's like a top off in Basketball. Whenever a goal (6 points) is scored, the ball goes back to the centre for another bounce to restart play. If, during the course of general play, a player is tackled immediately after receiving the ball and can't dispose of it, the umpire who is controlling that section of the ground will cross his arms over his chest and call out "my ball". At this point, last man up off the ground with the ball is the winner... no really, but there is usually a fight to be the player getting up with the ball after the maul on the ground clears. At this point, the umpire will take control of the ball and throw it up and the two ruckmen, or the guy who nominated as one of the rucks, will contest the bounce and play resumes. Also there are times when the ball cross the boundry line. If the ball bounces before crossing the boundry line, it's usually a throw in where the boundry umpire will stand with his back to the play and throw the ball blindly over his head into the field of play. Once again the rucks or the player who nominates for the ruck contest will try and tap the ball to one of their fellow players and play resumes. If the ball cross the line without bouncing, it's a freee kick to the team who didn't kick it over the line. A newer rule that's been around for a few years now, is that the umpires will pay a free kick if they determine that the player who kicked the ball over the boundry (with a bounce) did so deliberately, that umpire will then award a free kick to the other team.
Most of the basic rules are covered in the video, but there are a couple of others they don't mention. If you get tackled with the ball and can't get rid of it to a team mate legally (handball or kick), it's holding the ball. If you are tackled and drop the ball and it hits the ground (even if your foot connects with it after), that's incorrect disposal (dropping the ball). If you are tackled and either throw the ball one or two handed to a team mate, or if you scoop the ball off the ground in an upward motion, that's throwing the ball. If you are tackled and you don't have control of the ball, that's holding the man. Please pay attention to these 4 basic free kicks... because the umpires don't and it just makes people lose their shit.
Also, 22 games doesn't go all that well into 18 teams and the 18 teams get to play 12 of the other teams once and 5 teams twice. This doesn't make for a very accurate final ladder which means that the final series is required. Also the team at the top of the ladder is called the minor premiers. Back when there was only 12 teams in the league. The number of teams playing finals was 5. The minor premiers would have the first week off. The other 4 teams would play 2 finals and one team would be eliminated. And so it would go for the next 3 weeks. One team eliminated in the first 3 weeks of finals leaving the final 2 to battle it out.
These days there are 8 teams. The top 4 teams have what is called the double chance. The bottom 4 teams play an elimination final. The two teams who lose are out. The two teams who lost in the top 4 finals games play the winners of the two elimination finals. The losers are gawn! The two teams that won the top 4 finals have a rest for a week. The winner of the second final on week two, will play the winner of the first double change final from the first week. The winner of the first final in week two will play the winner of the second double chance final. The winners of both of the finals in the 3rd week will progress to the grand final. There is no playoffs for third and 4th place.
The team that finishes at the bottom of the ladder wins the wooden spoon. They don't really, but that's what Australian supporters of VFL/AFL call it.
@6:11 The score table may look weird but it's 'Goals', 'Points' & 'Total Points'
A Goal = 6 points.
e.g. Collingwood 20 Goals = 120 points + 10 points = 130 Total points
I think the better way of describing it would be 'Goals, Behinds, Total'
Your breakdown is right tho 20 goals at 6 points each plus the single point behinds
'Goals' 'Behinds' & 'Total points' (would be odd if a team only had one point, to go at the end saying 25 goals - 1 points....)
You are right when you say it looks like a very Australian sport! 😂
It does!
The finals are just different to the regular season. More intense, just bloody good footy. Can't play the regular season without finals!!!
Fantastic vid! As an Aussie I love to see any foreigner from anywhere showing an interest in Australia’s great game👍
cheers John
Finals football is a complete step up from the regular season. The physical pressure and speed during games is greater, the crowds are huge, the atmosphere's electric. The top four teams are advantaged by a double chance but upsets do happen and it adds an entire dimension to the competition. Can totally understand why you wouldn't be a fan considering how uncommon the concept is in the UK, but honestly, the sport is so much better for having the finals system in place. Come the end of the AFL season, you should definitely keep an eye out for the games!
I do see the point that it always makes the end of season more interesting. With football it can either be nothing to play for for the last how ever many weeks or everything down to the last day.
@@RobReacts1 Totally! I definitely enjoy the last few weeks of the EPL when it's tight at the top and you're monitoring a heap of games at once to see how it impacts the final standings. That said, I equally enjoy the Championship playoffs because it's a similar concept to finals and it's such an evenly contested league -- an underdog team that finished fifth on the table earns themselves an opportunity to get promoted. It's a great concept, in my opinion!
@@KaneSutton92 it makes alot of the regular season kinda pointless when you finish with a playoff system. i like them separate, like the regular EPL season with cup matches as knockout. it also seems like a fairer indication of who the best team is when its evaluated over the course of a season, opposed to a single match where the better overall team may not actually win...just my opinions obviously.
@@derkaiser1306 That's a really good point, I definitely rate the excitement that cup football brings to the game. I'd argue it's probably less viable in a competition like the AFL though -- even though there's far fewer games in a season, I can't imagine the players would physically be able to keep up with the demands of a league and a cup competition at the same time. The toll that Aussie rules has on the body is very high. That said, an AFL cup competition with all teams involved would be great fun to watch.
There’s been some cracking finals over the years. The first year I got my MCC membership, my brother and I watched Carlton vs Essendon in the 1999 preliminary. As a neutral supporter, it made me appreciate finals a lot more
No one I've seen - who actually spent 5 min to understand the rules - has ever gone "meh". Everyone seems to love it. If Aussie Rules had been invented in the UK back in the 1850s, not Oz, it would be the most popular footy code in the world!
Incidentally, the very tall players usually play as the ruckman - the player who contests ball ups (like a jump ball in basketball). Also, they can often play up forward where the height advantage gives them an edge in marking (catching) contests and therefore an opportunity to kick a set shot at the goal.
After watching this video, im so excited to watch!
Depending on how good a kick they are, ruckman also tend to play a lot down in defence. Same as JW said with ruckmen in the forward line, having a ruck in defence can be an asset as they can mark the ball and prevent the opposition from being able to score a goal.
Lol wish he'd watch vintage Tony plugger Lockett playing.
I got into Aussie Rules in about 83/84 when we had a free trial of cable tv which showcased the sport. The first game I saw was Collingwood v Hawthorn, a guy climbed up another players back to take the mark - as he did, an opposing player grabbed him by his long hair, and the umpire just called play on. I thought “This is crazy - I love it’” When I went to visit my sister in Queensland, I managed to attend a pre-season cup game, it was amazing.
I have a best Marks video coming out at 6pm and the best way i could describe it was "this is so australian" :D
AFL is soft compared to Rugby Leage
It is one sport that you have to see live as so much goes on behind the play. TV camera follows the ball but doesn't show all the jostling for position off the ball.
@@mickholden8615 Yeah but throwby league is not football at all lots of thugs in it that i ve seen over time on and off the table top pitch it is played on
@@mickholden8615 And Rugby is slow and un skilled with poor endurance . The best players of rugby league had a really hard time keeping up and mastering the skills needed. they couldnt really cut it . Not to mention you can get hit from any direction , not just front on .
It's funny as an Aussie to listen to your reaction :) . It's a super fast game and lots of fun, hope you get to see some big matches live one day! It's even more fun when it's raining then it's really mayhem. I've always watched the FA Cup Final but never quite understood the league system there. Both our AFL and National Rugby League have finals seasons so that's all I've ever seen. Haven't thought about it the way you were saying and I found your opinion very interesting. It makes for a very exciting end to the season here but lots of heartache too of course.
Thanks! I watched the Sydney derby on TV and that was thrilling! Yea I want to go see all the sports I end up focusing on. If you need to understand the football league system then happy to explain ☺️ come join my discord
Ahhh I'm so glad to see this! AFL is almost a cult here, I'm glad you got the chance to check it out... Can't wait for the live tonight :)
i messaged you in the discord. But looking at doing a live for one of the AFL games tomorrow.
Only south of the League Line
Very interesting to go back and watch this now that you've fallen in love with the game and actually travelled to see 2 matches!
In the Premier League every team plays each other at home and away . The AFL can't do this because at 34 week season just isn't feasible.
Also the Grand Final day is great.
Yea i do love the fact there is excitement till the last day
Great video mate! Will be following your AFL Journey as an Aussie myself! Enjoy our great game
The reason the pitch is so large is that they are cricket grounds, with the grand final played at the MCG, which can hold just over 100,000 spectators.
Back in the 80s AFL was televised on Channel 4 in the UK and the introduction told viewers that the only rule was that there were no rules.
Also of interest might be that there have been several cross over games between AFL and Irish Gaelic Football players.
Yea someone did say there is a bit of a link to Gaelic football
@@RobReacts1 ua-cam.com/video/RMi4_T8jv7E/v-deo.html
The top 8 playoff system is rather unique, it does reward the higher up teams generally speaking.
WEEK 1 (Qualifying and Elimination Finals)
The bottom 4 (positions 5 to 8) will play each other in an elimination final, 5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th.
Positions 5th and 6th get home ground advantage. The losers of these games are eliminated, the winners go on to play the following week against the losers of the top 4 games.
The top 4 (positions 1 to 4) will play each other but not an elimination, 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd, these 4 teams have a second chance for this week only. Top 2 teams get home ground advantage. Losers will play winners of bottom 4 following week, the winners will get the following week off. 6 teams left.
WEEK 2 (Semi-finals)
The winners of the bottom 4 play the losers of the top 4, the top 4 teams will have home ground advantage. Losers of these games are eliminated, winners play the following week against winners of top 4 previous week.
4 teams left.
WEEK 3 (Preliminary finals)
The 2 winning teams from top 4 in week 1 (with home ground advantage) play against the the winners from week 2. Losers are eliminated, winners play in Grand Final following week.
WEEK 4
Grand Final.
It's very rare that teams from the bottom 4 of the top 8 win the Grand Final, in-fact it's only happened twice since the inception of a top 8 in 1994. Most common position to win the Grand Final from is position 3 followed closely by pos 1 and 2. Position 4 is once iirc. Once from 5th and once from 7th iirc.
Its an interesting concept for sure!
8:45 the problem is that there are 18 teams and only 22 rounds. It would be really unfair to declare first past the post as the winner when you only play 5 teams twice. Some teams are going to have much easier draws. In the Premier league you play every team twice making it a fair schedule
Personally I think that they should just make it a 17 game comp (depending on where you finished the year before you might get more home or away games) or 18 game comp where you only play 1 team twice, and have a top 10 finals series, I’ve already got 2 concepts for a top 10 one.
@@themaster7552 I understand your comment completely but the issue I think we will come across is that it’s only a short amount of time before yet another team is added in, so it’ll impact the teams you play in a regular season more heavily
AFL is so addictive. Once you pop you just can’t stop
Just wish it wasnt at stupid o clock in the morning!
AFL looks like something old ladies do You must have ruby league there it’s a mans game
@@mickholden8615 sorry you don’t have any skill so you only know how to run and bump; nrl is a meat heads game, anyone can play it, you just need to be big.
Aussie Rules is a true 360 degrees game...you have players coming at you from all directions...no concept of offside. Soccer, both rugbies, gridiron all have a form of offside.
@@RobReacts1 if you're interested, there's the watchafl.com app. It's A$180 a year and you can share it with a mate. Then you can simply avoid spoilers and watch the replay.
The elite trait of all AFL players is endurance.
Even the guys who are 6'9" and up are travelling around 10-12 kilometres in a game.
Im sure thats a similar distance in football(soccer). As a ref i do similar. I think afl has the bigger pitch but more players.
@@RobReacts1 The record in AFL I beleive is 19ks in a single game which is insane. (I stress, that is the record,, not the norm)
Soccer players midfielder covers about 9-12km
@@RobReacts1 Average AFL player runs around 12-13km per game and soccer is around 10km with less intensity. Big difference is that AFL players need to build their body for taking hits high and low, so their bodies are generally far larger than soccer players and wouldn't be the typical build of an endurance athlete. I've played both soccer and AFL, soccer is far more skillful but AFL is way harder on the body and endurance. Sprints in soccer are generally no more than 10-20m but AFL sprinting is often 50-60m if the team gets a break, with the intensity factor being far higher.
@@RobReacts1 NO THE AVERAGE AFL MID FIELDER CAN COVER 25 KILOMETRES IN A GAME RUCK AND BACKS AND FORWARDS USUALLY TRAVEL 10 TO 15 KILOMETRES THE MID FIELDERS RUN ALMOST ALL OVER THE ENTIRE FIELD WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 160 METRES LONG AND THEY TEND TO DO 10 MINUTE BURST AND ARE SUBSTITUTED AND COME BACK ON WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN RESTED TO RECOVER THEIR HEARTRATES, THIS IS DONE TO MAINTAIN THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE HENCE THE 4 SUBSTITUTES WHICH IS NORMALLY ONE BACKMAN ,ONE FORWARD AND TWO MIDFIELDERS BECAUSE IF PLAYERS GET INJURED DURING THE GAME THEY CAN BE REPLACED BY THE SUBS
Aussie Rules: A full contact game that mixes aspects of basketball, soccer, various football codes that was invented as a way to keep Cricket Players fit during the winter.
Ended up with a breed of superhuman demigods.
The finals has always been a part of the sport its built in to the strategy of how teams play in normal season games. It also makes the league a lot of money with most stadiums filling out capacity for the 11 finals games.
Hi There, great video & thanks for taking an interest. I'm an Aussie. AFL is basically a mixture of Football (We call it soccer), Rugby & Basketball all combined into one. You may see a team's GBT, that means Goals, Behinds & Total, so if a team kicked 10 goals & 7 behinds in a match, their total would be 67. 10 goals = 60, as a goal is worth 6 points. Then you add the 7, as a behind is worth only 1. Therefore their game total is 67 points.
Its interesting because its like its like its taken the best of loads of different sports and called it Aussie rules :D
Hey Rob, if you start from the fact that this game is the greatest form of football in the world, then you're on the right track :) What I love about the game, apart from the incredible athleticism of the players is that it doesn't stop, it is a tough game and in a real contest in constantly ebbs and flows and you cannot know who will win until the final siren. Oh yeah, then there are the marks, the kicks and the legends of the sport. But wait, then there is the massive crowds, the really electric atmosphere and the crowd made up of families with every generation present. What a sport!
Im sure the rugby fans said something very similar about the greatest sport when i started learning about that haha
When you’re brought up on the game, especially in Melbourne, it’s ingrained into the culture. I barrack for Melbourne, because that was my dad’s team, and my brother and my nephews all follow Melbourne as well. Melbourne are the oldest club in the competition, they were established in 1858 by the Melbourne Cricket Club’s secretary at the time, Tom Wills, who drew up the first 10 rules of the game. Melbourne turns 164 years old in July this year.
Im amazed how long its been around!
@@RobReacts1 this video is a poem a Melbourne identity wrote a few years ago, it pays homage to Melbourne history from the beginning of the club ua-cam.com/video/PmWiN0eCo2o/v-deo.html
It is and most children play local games like in Mildura I still go for South Mildura so you play it with your family like I used to have to kick the footy with my brother's
Carn the dees!
@@andrewbeales2631 ❤️💙
Aaron Sandilands (7ft guy) has retired from the sport but he was a ruck which means he jumps for the ball and taps it down to his teammates
Or defends his goal from a set shot
Gday Rob
I’ve just subbed after that react and (like many others here) can definitely help you out mate, no worries.
I’ve played the game my entire life and it’s my favourite sport and the biggest spot by far in Australia. I’d even miss an Ashes test match to go and watch the footy! Lol
It dates back to the mid 1800’s so is a very old sport here and was designed as a winter sport to keep cricketers fit for summer.
Anyhow lots of big hits, best marks and best goals to react to.
Also pick a team and get into it mate cause the season is only four rounds old.
You can’t go wrong barracking for my team ‘West Coast Eagles’ 😜
Look forward to seeing your next AFL react
That you for subbing Mark! Means a lot and im so glad to get Aussies along for the ride :)
Its going to get confusing you calling it footy though! haha
I will be doing my best to watch some live games as i know they show them on Sky or BT! Just very early in the morning.
West coast the drug culture club lol
Glad youre enjoying it ... small correction its 6 points for a goal not 5 - this game was invented to keep cricketers fit during the off season ... and I must say our teams are truely fit
Cheers man
Maybe it's because I grew up with it, but I love the idea of finals. You get sides that are very strong in the minor round but choke under finals pressure....
Massive Port Adelaide supporter and member here. You should definitely do a live stream of a live game so we can answer any questions you might have while watching.
Hey Yani, I did the Sydney game yesterday. A bit tricky normally as its early in the morning here and normally i coach kids football saturday morning(but didnt this week). Join the discord and you can see my schedule of live watch alongs when iupdate it :)
@@RobReacts1 You definitely need to get on board with Port Adelaide. The most successful club in the league with 37 premierships between its SANFL (South Australian Football League) days and its AFL (Australian Football League) days. We have the best uniform (the Prison Bars) and also have a Creed which no other club has. To see more you can visit: www.portadelaidefc.com.au/
@@RobReacts1 here is the match highlights from the last few rounds:
Round 2 vs Essendon: www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/890774/highlights-port-adelaide-v-essendon-ptv?videoId=890774&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1616834088001
Round 4 vs last years premiers Richmond:www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/901007/highlights-port-adelaide-v-richmond-ptv?videoId=901007&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1617974482001
Round 5 vs Carlton:www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/914325/highlights-port-adelaide-v-carlton-ptv?videoId=914325&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1618662600001
Also watch the pregame Never Tear Us Apart salute by the crowd to the players at home matches:
ua-cam.com/video/MhrKNbG0TMY/v-deo.html
Enjoy!
@@RobReacts1 here's a little background to our mighty club: ua-cam.com/video/wRVKDaXbz2U/v-deo.html
Hi, just re-visiting the beginning of your AFL Journey. What a ride it has been.
For sure! I didn't even know what Aussie rules was back then
There is a game kids play at school called markers up, some may call it something else, but essentially one person kicks a football( the ball used in AFL) to a group of people and they have to try mark it. It gets really violent and people will shove and jump on u, if u mark the ball then u get to go up and kick the ball to everyone else and so on
haha awesome! I love kids games like that... In our primary school we had a game called trip up. Who ever was on it had to be triped up. who ever got that person then was on it
Boyz will be boyz 😀
Let's not forget cocky laura
So interesting looking back at this and seeing your first reaction to Aussie Rules 😁
Feels like a lifetime ago!
Sandilands is a ruckman. His main job is to contest the bounces/ball ups.
Go Lurch!
Just found this video - love that you'll be focusing on our great game! 😊
I am AFL fanatic but I started watching soccer (mainly EPL) a few years ago.
I think there are pro's and con's with each system of deciding a season's winner.
With the finals system in AFL, etc, it can suck if the team who has been the best all year has a bad day and loses in a final (as my beloved Port Adelaide have done in the past!) 😥
But while the soccer system seems fairer, I think it can be a bit anticlimactic. Especially if the season is decided with several games to go...or if the league-winning team isn't actually on the field in the deciding game.
Remember when Leicester won the EPL title a few years ago - and it was a huge story, cos they were underdogs - but it was actually a Chelsea vs Tottenham game (I think - Chelsea was definitely involved) that sealed the result? I remember thinking at the time that all I wanted to see in that moment was the Leicester players' reactions, since they had won the title...but they weren't on the pitch so you had to watch a separate video later on for that 😂
I love thst with the finals in AFL, you immediately get to see the winning team's ecstasy and celebrations when they realise they have won 🙂
I completely get that the play off system leads to excitement till the last day for sure
The scoreboard has three columns. in this video ( at 6:44 ) Collingwoods score reads 20 10 130 . The first column is goals ( 20 goals ) goals are worth six points . The second column is " behinds " ( the outside smaller posts ) there are 10 behinds . Behinds are worth one point . The third column is total points , therefore 20 goals @ six points each equals 120 points , plus 10 behinds @ one point each equals 10 points , 120 points plus 10 points equals 130 points . The last column , the total points (130) is all you need to pay attention to , and here it's made up of 20 goals and 10 behinds . You do the maths on the other score ( Carlton ) and you'll see what I mean.
Before you ask , the 1 point " behind " is awarded because sometimes these guy's kick from 50 or 60 metres out so from that distance any sort of accuracy should be applauded . It also adds tension and drama when players keep missing because their misses are recorded right up there on the scoreboard.
So basically you can just look at the final number
@@RobReacts1 Yes you can, spot on. The last number is the total and only thing that matters.
A team that kicks 6.4.(40) (6 goals and 4 behinds) may lose to a team that kicks 4.20 (44) (4 goals and 20 behinds).
@@RobReacts1 exactly , you can just look at the last number . That number is the total points, the other two numbers describe what the total is comprised of.
@@RobReacts1 The full score can indicate whether a teams accuracy or economy kept them in a game, or if a team had a lot of shots on goal and were wasteful. It can kind of indicate what sort of game it was without watching it. You'll often hear a comment like, they kicked them selves out of it, if they kicked something like 9 goals 15 behinds and lost.
The tall guy plays in the centre. When they bounce the ball he contests that. Plus the usually play towards the back a bit to help make it difficult for the opposition
makes sense! :)
the grandfinials being a big deal is a understatement 😂 lol the whole country goes into celebration mode even if its not your team playing its one big massive weeklong party basically
victorians even have the the friday off before the game on saturday to start the party early
@bronzed Aussie na mate im wa, you know its loved when even the side thats usually never envolved still take the grandfinals as a excuse for day off and a piss up but ill admit we get more excited about our derbys then the grandfinals
@bronzed Aussie I did say victorians
Australian Rules football was started to keep cricket players in peak physical condition during winter, that’s why the game is played on the same size oval as a cricket ground.
I did a video on the origins. what an awesome story
@@RobReacts1 I shall go check it out now. Cheers.
@@RobReacts1 Also, Australian Rules (or Melbourne Rules) is the oldest formalised football sport in the world.
Also why there's 11 players per team, so the whole cricket team could play
@@N17C1 you mean 18 players, right? Cricket has 11, football has 18.
By the way the accent is American, definitely not Aussie hahaha
This video was made for promoting international recognition, so they got an American to narrate it (don’t ask why). But no, we don’t sound like that guy down here.
Finals footy is an exciting time, there is a system that is heavily advantageous for the teams that finish in the top four. I think it’s called the Macintyre System. Finals footy is a different type of game. It’s an occasion to see the best footy teams play and also produces a Grand Final which is an amazing event (like America’s Super Bowl). I watch the Premier League and when Liverpool won it last season with multiple games remaining, it wasn’t exciting anymore, they were all dead rubbers. And I’m a Liverpool fan! Fans and players all celebrate at home awaiting results of other games. Nothing like hearing the final siren at a Grand Final where you know a champion will be crowned.
Teams started playing more younger and inexperienced players than during the season. The season before, it was just Liverpool v Man City for games 25-38. Some teams will fight for Euro spots but so many concede defeat.
With the finals system, it’s the complete reverse, the best footy is played at the end of the season. And if the team that finished at the top are truly the best, they should win the grand final.
I think he was referring to the commentary on the actual play, not the narrator when he said Aussie accent
The semi-finals add to the length of the season for the supporters, and the money people. It's fantastic, even if you're team hasn't made it through, you still follow the games. The intensity and pace, and ferocity of the games increase, the further along it goes. This happens in all levels of the sport , as a parent watching my son (starting@6yrs) grow up in system, with his own drive to be successful, make it to the stage wear he was good enough to play with/against full grown experienced adults@16yrs, it was incredible. 'Sorry' rambling.
You need promotion and relegation with a pyramid system. there is no excitement at the bottom of the table
Was hoping you'd do a video on AFL because I'd like to know what on earth is happening
I'm hoping more people are like you and follow along for the ride!
@@RobReacts1 can you react to GAA next
Aside from the technicalities, it really is a pretty simple game that can be boiled down to a few sentences:
You can kick, punch or tap the ball but throwing isn't allowed like in rugby and will result in a free kick for the opposition.
It is full contact with tackling and bumping a player with the ball allowed as long as it is done in the correct manner, ie. not being too high or low, not falling onto the player's back and not unnecessarily slamming them to the ground with excessive force and you may ONLY tackle when a player is in possession of the ball - any tackles of a player without the ball results in the player who was unfairly tackled receiving a free kick.
If a player performs a legal tackle of the player with the ball and the player does not get rid of the ball quick enough with either a punch or a kick, the tackler is awarded a free kick, if it is an illegal tackle then instead the player with the ball is awarded a free kick.
If a legal tackle is applied and the player with the ball is judged to have not reasonably had an opportunity to get rid of the ball, that results in a "ball-up" which is a basketball style tip-off which is also how play is started at the beginning of every quarter and after every goal is kicked.
If a kick travels at least 15 metres and is caught by a player without touching the ground or another player first (even if the same player who kicked it also catches it) that is called a "mark" and the player gets to have an unimpeded kick of the ball, marks cannot be taken if the ball comes off any other part of the body besides the foot or lower leg or if the ball does not travel through the air at least 15 metres and instead it is play-on.
If the ball travels out of bounds off the foot of a player and clears the boundary line on the full, or if a player is deemed to have deliberately punched, carried or knocked the ball out of bounds then a player from the opposite team gets a free kick from where the ball went out, if the ball goes out of bounds in any other way - then there is what is called a "throw-in" where the ball is tossed back into play for a neutral basketball style tip-off.
Put it through the big sticks with an untouched kick and your team gets 6 points, put it through a big and little stick OR if it goes through the big sticks and is touched or comes off any other part of the body besides the foot or lower leg OR if is kicked, punched or carried over your goal line by the opposition then your team get 1 point. (There are no such things as "own goals" in Australian Rules.)
Team with most points at the end of 4 20 min quarters wins.
That's the fundamentals and what you need to know to be able to follow what is happening.
Enjoy our wonderful game which is one of the best things about being an Aussie!
At 6:20, the first number is the amount of goals scored and the second number is the number of behinds scored. So 20*6 and 10*1 add up to be 130 for the top and 18*6 plus 12*1 add up to be 120
Aaron Sandilands played as a ruckman who's job is to contest the ball ups or boundary throw-ins and was one the greatest at the job
My 3rd nephew is Tim English who is ruck for the Dogs. Ruck can make or break a team.
Cheeky boi sean darcy is turning out to be one hell of a replacement for the big man.
These, are the best athletes on the planet they can cover up to 18km in a game, all while being tackled from any direction and marking a ball 12 feet in the air. The Finals games may have up to 100,000+ fans in attendance. The score line is goals kicked, (X6 points), behinds kicked, (1 pointers), and the TOTAL number of points scored.
The size of the field must mean players are so fit. And i hear you only have 4 subs.
The AFL football is not ONLY a sport it's also like a religion here, people come all over Australia (& oversea's) to watch the greatest game on earth on grand final day, the M.C.G. is packed to the rafters & to get a ticket is like finding hens teeth around about finals time! I've been lucky once to go to a grand final & the atmosphere with the crowd is electric, & the skills by the players go up ten fold it's indescribable! One day would love for you to watch a live game of the grand final footy & tell us then if this game hasn't convertated you yet?
haha, Iv fallen for rugby and now it may be time for Aussie rules. Im going to do a live watch along tomorrow morning for one of the first games tomorrow.
It has something in common with Gaelic football and there are sometimes crosscode matches and players who move between the codes.
Yea I hear Ireland and Australia do a little mixed international
There are no goal keepers but any opposition player who touches a kicked ball that goes through the goal prevents it from begin counted as a goal (6 points) but does concedes a behind (1 point). If the opposition player prevents a kicked ball from going through it is obviously no score and play continues uninterupted.
Im looking forward to learning more and watching more :D
@@RobReacts1 it’s worth actually seeing a game live as opposed to just watching it as there’s a whole lot more people running on and off the field than just the players. Tv just tends to focus on where the ball is but the whole thing is entertaining from start to finish.
God watching these videos are so entertaining as an Aussie
Aha I don't understand why. But I appreciate it 🤣
In response to your question about the finals. In the regular season, each team plays 22 games, against every team once and 5 teams twice (traditionally local rivals). If after 22 games they team on top of the table were declared winners, this would not be very fair as each team has not played everyone so there is the finals. In the finals teams raise their game and the atmosphere in stadiums is on another level and the best Aussie Rules is played. It also gives a climax to the season that other sports don't. Think how the Premier league slowly moves to a conclusion towards the end of the season almost every year with the winner known several weeks in advance, and if there were not finals in AFL then there would be a lot of dead rubbers in the final few rounds with almost every team having nothing to play for. Despite the top 8 making finals, the lowest ranked team to win the Grand final came from 7th (the Western Bulldogs in 2016) and is fairly uncommon for a side outside the top 4 to reach the final 4 of the finals.
As you are new to the sport I would suggest following a team as they go through this season. Most teams are well respected but Collingwood are the most hated. This weekend will be Round 5 starting with St Kilda v Richmond on Thursday starting at 10:20am UK time. BT Sport show 5 games per round and most of them start at a reasonable time.
If you are looking for a good game to watch then I would suggest the 2018 Grand Final between the West Coast Eagles and Collingwood (who coincidently play each other on Friday) :ua-cam.com/video/JirTw6MLblY/v-deo.html
If you are interested in umpires (the referees of AFL), "Razor" Ray Chamberlain is the most well known: ua-cam.com/video/OKMpRDotMGQ/v-deo.html
Cheers man. IV added the ref video to my watch list!
The problem is those early games GMT. So it will be able finding the right day and time to watch live.
I walk dogs in the mornings, coach football Saturday mornings and referee Sunday morning....tricky. I will have to find a time!
I would watch a few games/highlights first to get to understand the more detailed rules as the Ray Chamberlain video does go into some niche rules/unusual situations.
@@RobReacts1 I would also suggest a UA-cam Channel, Footy A2Z for a more in depth detail about the game.
Check out AFL EXPLAINED series.
ua-cam.com/users/FootyA2Zplaylists
If anyone is curious as to why the game is played on such a large oval it's because the sport was developed to keep cricketers fit during the off season so they used cricket ovals to play the sport on. There is also some overlap with the Irish Gaelic Football where because of the similarities between our two football codes another form of football called International Rules was developed using a mixture of of the two sports rules. The last International Rules game between Australia and Ireland was in 2017
Yea i did the History video and learnt that. A good idea!
Next you should react to AFL Top 50 Marks (catches) Of All Time.
ua-cam.com/video/7AjcFfBvIcs/v-deo.html
It just made the list :D
Definitely understand where you’re coming from about the finals! I like it just because the finals have their own energy and all the games are really exciting to watch because there are suddenly high stakes.
I completely get that it keeps the excitement going to the last day of the season. but AFL only has 12 teams. In football premier league we have 20 teams so lots more games in the season.
@@RobReacts1 ah makes sense
The last time 12 teams were in the competition was 35 years ago...but, ok.
@@RobReacts1 It's 18 teams, that's why we can't have a 34 + 4 weeks for finals. Where the EPL may have teams play 2 or 3 games in one week, the AFL tries to give teams a 6 day break, sometimes 5. The exception is the Anzac Day game which could possibly be a 4 day break if it is in the middle of the week. Anzac Day is celebrated on the Day. If it falls on a weekend, there is no public holiday - at least here in Victoria. Some states have the holiday on the following Monday if it falls on on a weekend. Hope that all makes sense.
Welcome to the madhouse! Enjoy the journey :)
I am loving it already!
You have to have a final series! Not having a final series is like eating an egg without salt
well i agree with one part of your statement. You need to have some salt on a boiled egg :D
See if you can find the 2018 Grand Final online - well worth a watch.
As a pies supporter I have blocked that entire year from memory
Go West Coast
A great sport, when you mark it in the air between opponents the sensation is incredible
Scraping into 8th spot is still pretty hard and the team can't just have one good game and win the championship.
They need to beat the 5th place team at the 5th places home ground.
Then they need to beat a loser from the top 4 teams.
Then a winner from the top 4
Then win the grand final
It's an impressive and rarely achieved feat.
I suppose the top few teams are still more likely to win it but you ocassionally get the suprise
@@RobReacts1 nothing wrong with a surprise 😉
@@RobReacts1 Nope, actually you don't get the "occasional" surprise, unless you count the following 3 times since 1877. Yes, that's right since 1877, only 3 teams have won the premiership from outside the top 4. Firstly no team has one the premiership from 8th spot or the last spot available to play the finals (because the total number of teams playing in the finals has changed relative to the number of teams in the comp since 1877). Western Bulldogs from 7th in 2016 is the closest and to be honest they were on a roll before the finals began so they just kept their winning streak going as the other finals teams were hit with injuries and fatigue after a long season - they peaked at the right time. Adelaide from 5th in 1998 is the next best and lastly this anomaly by Melbourne from 6th spot in 1900 in an experimental finals system that saw all 8 teams play finals (there were only 8 teams in the comp in 1900). This finals system was never used again. The main reason for the finals system is to the keep fans engaged and to generate income from the broadcast rights. The combined finals broadcast is the most watched sporting event in Australia and worth 10's of millions of dollars a year to the AFL.
The finals have have come from behind stories. In 2016, the Western Bulldogs finished 7th on the ladder. Second last position to qualify for finals and still went on to win the Grand Final. But in order to be there, teams have to win and win by more points. If two teams finish the season with the same number of wins, their position on the ladder is determined my their percentage, which is the difference between points they scored for season compared to points scored against them. So to make sure your team moves up the ladder, teams have to win by as much as they can.
So is it different to deciding football positions in teams are level? IE, in football if two teams have same points it's worked out by goal difference. Goals scored minus goals conceded.
Australian attitude "hey you only just missed that goal....have a point anyway mate" 🤣
Also Aussie attitude: let’s not wear any padding at all and hit each other full on contact.
Stealing Jimoin's material for a few likes on UA-cam are we?
re: playing field dimensions: "the playing field is an oval, typically between 135-185 metres (148-202 yd) long goal-to-goal and 110-155 metres (120-170 yd) wide wing-to-wing." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football_playing_field)
Its bloody huge!
Ozzy man reviews afl vs soccer😊
IV heard that name. Il take a look!
@@RobReacts1 Just make sure there are no littlies about when you watch, his language is typical Aussie, so lots of swearing ;-)
The first number in the scoring is the goals (6 points) the second is behinds (one point) and the third is them added together and the total score for the game. You can do the math.
‘I’m loving it already just by Australian accent’ when the voice over is clearly american
It clearly wasn't that obvious as I didn't realise. I'm just an ignorant Brit willing to learn. So chill buddy
@@RobReacts1 i was just joking but I guess it’s pretty hard to tell in just words :)
@@quacker7581 I will let you off 😉
almost certain he made reference to the commentators, not the narrator.
@@RobReacts1 actually the guy doing the voice over was an American/Aussie who’s lived in Oz for years so you were right.
From the looks of it, it takes a lot of ideas from Gaelic football ( one of the four Irish national sports under the GAA). The hand pass is identical, the fact that you have to bounce the ball every couple steps is similar, only in Gaelic it is every four steps you have to either bounce or solo the ball, and you can't bounce it twice in a row. I know it's probably just coincidence, but in fairness the Irish we're sent there in large numbers
I'm just here to mention how much I miss Fitzroy
Soon it will be North 😭 The AFL hates us.
@@thomasmarshall7570 from a 70 year follower of the Lions. It was devastating. I hope you don't have to go through it.
@@felicitymoore7340, honest question, did the three Lions flags make up for it? I'd cry like a baby if that ever happened to my Doggies.
I miss University
North, perhaps if your fans attended games you wouldn't need to be bailed out year after year
Rob, Memories lol. Watch this again, I did - boy you’ve learned so much. Was looking for this vid and a recent footy one of yours for my sister to view. She doesn’t watch any reaction vids but has been to more footy matches since the 1960s that I could count. I was telling her about you and Charlie discovering TimTams and footy, thus my searching 😊
Haha my new love of AFL!! 🤣
Having finals is way better than playing a season and whoever finishes on top wins,just take the Premier league for example man City won the league basically 6 to 8 weeks ago now it's just plain boring for the rest of the season but you still get excited for the fa cup and Champions league.enjoy for footy journey 👍greatest game on earth😁
haha the rugby subscribers said Rugby was the greatest game as well!
@@RobReacts1 did they tell you on April fools Day???🤣🤣🤣
@@dionwilson3731 haha!
The game has been around for 150 years. My Club North Melbourne started in 1869. The 7ft Sandilands plays in the ruck and contests the centre bounce where height is an advantage. Taller players generally play the key marking positions. Anyway, enjoy your journey watching the greatest sport on the planet.
I am really amazed at how old the sport is!
@@RobReacts1
Welcome to the oldest football code in the world, with the oldest now professional clubs in the world. Melbourne formed in 1858, Geelong 1859, Carlton 1864, North Melbourne 1869.
Carlton has played every season since it was formed. Both Melbourne and Geelong stopped playing during world wars.
Crowds have been flocking to games from the early days when up to 10K at a match was not uncommon. Crowds of 30K plus at some games in the 1880's.
There are some rural clubs in Victoria just as old as some of the older Metro clubs.
lol, we think your system without finals is dumb and boring
Yea but we have multiple cups for that!
Yeah, and some of them are pretty good too. Whatever the fans want, I reckon, and those with the $$ can stay out of it.
The seven footer’s position is the ruckman. The role is basically one of a midfielder except they are the ones contesting the jump balls, or as we call it in Australia the ball ups.
only game in the world where you get a point for missing.
haha thats true!
@@RobReacts1 The ‘behind’ scoring system makes it a lot less likely the game ends up in a draw
And yet a game like soccer gives you extra points for scoring 'away'.
If you'd run 220 feet with 240 pound players bashing you only to miss you might see the need for even a small reward.
It emphasizes the randomness of the game. That's part of the mystique.
In the finals the first 4 teams get an extra chance to get to the next final. The last 4 is sudden death all the way in the finals. This is a contact sport some teams may have lost players due to injury but still get to the finals and then gain those players. This was a basic introduction directed at the USA market as you saw with yards rather than metres. These teams are involved with drafts, the thing that puts me off with English soccer is that money buys players in that league without limits. Richer clubs tend to win.
Yea i need to do some learning about drafts. I suppose it means each season can massively change i assume
Can you do a reaction to the club songs? Each team has a song that they run out to and sing at the end of the game if they win.
do you have a decent link?
@@RobReacts1 try this one - ua-cam.com/video/3ClosiDhfoY/v-deo.html
You need to go to a game and watch it play out live, full-field in front of you to truly appreciate it. The TV does a spectacular job of making it look messy and a free-for-all with its close-up, Jason Bourne camera style. Watch from the upper stand at a game with a beer and a pie if you get a chance.
You should react to Dustin Martin "A decade of Dusty" is a good one.
Added to the watch list! Not sure if it will get through copyright so may need to go on the members extra content
6:50 - Easy way to get the final score - multiply the first number (goals) by 6 and add the second number (behinds) , 20 x 6 = 120 +10 =130.
We can just look at the last number right?
The finals isn’t a simple knockout tournament. The top four teams get a second chance if they lose the first round, and the higher placing team in a match gets home ground advantage. There’s a big incentive to finish higher up the ladder, and it’s very rare (almost unheard of) for a team outside the top four to win the grand final.
occured no more than 5 years ago.
I think its just a strange concept as we dont really have it in football over here.
Aussie here. It's a hell of a sport to watch and play. There's a comment here that says watch a game that I agree with, but i'd like to suggest a game or two. Watch either the 2005 Preliminary Final between Sydney and Geelong, or the 2005 Grand final. They sum up the spirit of AFL completely and showcase just how much impact a single player can have on the outcome of a game. For the record i'm an Adelaide Crows fan, so there's no bias here haha
iv watched the sydney derby the other saturday which was bloody brilliant!
Yeah, I go for Richmond and I have been ever since I was born.
Good content mate. Aussie Rules actually pre-dates Association football (English soccer), both rugby codes, American football, basketball and baseball in that it was codified and leagues created before the above-mentioned games were even a twinkle in someone's eye. Welcome to the best game on the planet.
The scores are laid out Goals:Behinds:Total. That score they used of '18 12 120' means 18x6=108 for goals then you +12 for behinds to get 120 points
So really you only need to look at the last number
Some rules that the video didn’t cover;
-Holding the person for too long who does not have the ball is called “holding the man” or lots of aussies just scream “holding!”. That gives the person who’s being hold a free kick which means they get to have a kick without someone running at them.
-Holding the ball is also another rule so if someone tackles them and they had an opportunity to get rid of the ball that means they are holding the ball which gives the person who tackled them a free kick.
-Dropping the ball is when a player drops the ball. Pretty simple, so whenever u drop the ball is a free for the other team ( usually the person closest to where they dropped the ball ) gets the free kick.
-High tackle, this is also just a high tackle. Like the video mentioned any sort of contact over the shoulder so your neck and head counts as a high tackle which gives the other team a free kick.
-Ball up, it’s also just a ball up. This can be caused by many reasons, for example; Two people who are both going for the ball and cannot get the ball out of each others hands, someone getting tackled but is not able to get rid of the ball and at the start of the game they do one. If the ball goes out of the lines which people called “out of bounds” it also means a ball up but it’s a bit different. The ref/umpire thows the ball from where it went out but with his back showed to them. This is a rule because then there’s no reason for players to say that the umpire was passing it to the other team.
A really good recent game was Richmond v Port Adelaide, round 4 2021. New rules have been introduced (nothing a new viewer would notice) so this game is a great display of the new rules and was a tough contest.
Yep, that Port v Tigers game was astounding. Reigning Premiers made to look like they were standing still and the Port players going at it as hard as if they were playing in the GF. Brilliant.
@@Mirrorgirl492 the injury toll as well, such an important facet to the game. Aliir Aliir, and Duursma in the final quarter. There's a reason I like watching some teams more than others.
@@aidanpage-dhu4869 Being a Victorian, of course I'm no lover of Port, but by gee, by jingo, by crikey, they impressed me that night. Total commitment, injuries were inevitable.
@@Mirrorgirl492 I'm from North Queensland so have the luxury of not having to stick it to the non-Victorian teams :D I like many teams, is that allowed? What if I say Geelong are my number one?
@@aidanpage-dhu4869 I've lived all over Aus and have soft spots for many teams. I came from an ecumenical family: Mum - Dogs, Dad & Gran - Saints, Sister & Brother - Hawks and me Collingwood. But I love the Doggies, Geelong, Richmond and the Crows :)
Idk if anyone has answered this but people of the height of Aaron Sandilands play a position called "Ruck" basically when the quarter starts or anytime the ball is thrown in from out of bounds or thrown up from a stoppage the two ruck on each team will jump for the ball to get whats called a "clearance" where they can hit the ball to a team-mate to give them possession and get things moving. They're not as good at other positions although they're by no means bad, they just fill a niche role which is really important
ah yes, trying to get the umpire throws and defensive duties