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  Welcome to the Australian Rules Football thread for 2014!  Congratulations to Hawthorn for winning the 2013 Premiership. Thanks go to The Deadly Hume for providing a very solid foundation to work from and Hellbeard for the opening cartoon. Thanks also Footyprophet and the Prospectus for some copy/paste words. Strap yourself in, time for an effort post.  So what the hell is Australian Football anyway? It's the bastard game of a bastard country, that's what. In short, it involves running the ball, punting, catching, dribbling, tackling, and, of course, scoring. Seemingly chaotic, Aussie Rules is a skilful sport that places particular emphasis on athletic ability and physicality. It is played during the Australian Winter, and while not as harsh as in the Northern Hemisphere, still has its moments. The main league is the Australian Football League or AFL, which has co-opted the name of the sport itself in some regions.  HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS Brisbane come back in the last 2 minutes against Geelong in the upset of 2013 Geelong maintain the 'Kennett Curse' (since broken) against Hawthorn Adelaide stage a thrilling comeback against North Melbourne  A BRIEF HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL The Goldfields of Victoria in the 1850s, and the cultural upheaval of that time, are credited with influencing early Australian football games. Men who worked on the Goldfields all migrated from across the world with their own version of football; from Gaelic Caid, to English Rugby and bastardised games with compromised rules. Some have claimed that these games were influenced by Indigenous Australian ball games such as Marn Grook. In 1857, Tom Wills, an able cricketer, returned from studying in England and called for the development of a football code to keep cricketers fit during the off-season so that they might be more competitive. In 1858, the Melbourne Football Club was formed by Wills, his cousin H.C.A. Harrison, W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson, it remains as one of the oldest football clubs in the world. They began working on codifying the first laws of Australian Football. That year, the first recorded match was played between the schools Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College at Yarra Park, the site of the modern Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).  Fast forward to the modern day and Australian Football has become a dominant football code in Australia, despite not being followed universally across the country. The modern league evolved out of the Victorian state competition, explaining why there is such a large team presence out of the city of Melbourne. Teams were merged, teams were moved, teams play in Tasmania, but today the Australian Football League has representation in each of the major cities of Australia. It boasts the largest memberships, attendances and viewership, and best athletes in the country. The turn of the decade has seen two new teams introduced to grow the game where there is not a strong AFL presence, also being two of Australia's fastest growing regions with large internal and external migration. The AFL is going full evil empire. SEASON 2013 On the field, 2013 was quite an exciting year. Seeking redemption for their failure in 2012, Hawthorn were forced to slay a giant hoodoo as well as overcoming three other sides in the top four on the way to their 11th flag. With belief emboldened by a narrow escape against Geelong, the Hawks tamed a rampant Fremantle in a hard-fought though far from spectacular Grand Final. The Dockers had reason to be pleased with their season, reaffirming themselves as a legitimate football club with their ruthless execution of Ross Lyon's game plan. Port Adelaide was the surprise packet, shedding the tag of basket case by finishing the season as a finalist with new-found respect. Player-wise, Gary Ablett again had no peer, collecting a second Brownlow and giving more fuel to claims he is an even better player than his father. Off the field was something of a disaster for the league. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire wiped out years of good work against racism when he compared Sydney's indigenous star Adam Goodes to King Kong on breakfast radio. The comment came just days after a young female Magpies supporter called Goodes an "ape" over the fence, and was marched from the MCG after Goodes pointed her out in one of the year's enduring images.  However, season 2013 was dominated by one story, the Essendon Supplements Saga. Before the start of the season, the Australian Crime Commission released a report relating to the infiltration of 'Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport'. It was a very scary document with no one directly implicated and nothing immediately coming to pass except a lot of brown trousers among the CEOs of the top sporting bodies in the country. After a series of deep and thorough investigations, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority reported that Essendon might have taken banned substances (peptides) in the previous two seasons and had fostered an environment that could very possibly had led to players taking substances that weren't cleared at the time and are banned at present. This led to volleys back and forth in the media and in board-rooms, while the AFL went into damage control. Ultimately the Bombers lost their CEO, were fined $2million, stripped of its first and second round draft picks in the 2013 and 2014 draft, and relegated from participation in the 2013 finals, to 9th position, despite finishing with enough wins to qualify. On top of this, Senior Coach James Hird was declared the key provocateur of the rogue program and suspended from any involvement in the football world for a year. As further punishment for his transgressions, Essendon paid Hird's salary for 2014 in advance and sent him on a round the world study trip. But he was forbidden from attending the AFL's Christmas party so I guess that balances out somehow. Some saw these events as a win for Essendon, which is interesting, given that the club is paying a million in advance to someone who isn't working next year, has just paid a $2 million fine, and is asking its members for donations to help pay for a brand new training facility. It is important to remember that no charges have been laid against any players, and whether or not banned substances have been used is still unproven. As the ASADA investigation remains open, it is possible that other sanctions may be enforced against players and officials some time down the track. Yay! 2013 was the worst season that the AFL endured in terms of image and board-room brawling since 1996, when Fitzroy's body was packed off to Brisbane, and the Hawthorn members rightly rose up against a mindless merger with Melbourne that the AFL had tried to engineer. Vale Season 2013.   If you don't know jack about Aussie Rules, here is a quick little introduction to the rules of the sport. If you've got a spare 30 minutes you could just watch this video to get a solid understanding. Otherwise, here's the short and nasty.  TIMINGS The length of an AFL match is 80 minutes, broken into 4 quarters, each having roughly 20 minutes of playing time. At the end of a quarter, time is added on to make up for stoppages during the game. There are no player or coaching instigated timeouts in Australian Football. THE FIELD OF PLAY  CORE RULES Play is commenced at the start of each quarter, and restarted after a goal, through a bounce in the centre square. Around the ground if play breaks down with the ball in dispute amongst a pack, the ball is thrown up. At throw-ups and bounces, two opposing ruckmen attempt to tap it to the advantage of their gathered teammates. If the ball goes out-of-bounds (not on the full) it is thrown back into play by the boundary umpire. The position of the ball, and not the player holding it, determines if play has gone out of bounds. Infringements are penalised by giving the ball to the other team and giving them pressure-free use of the ball from the spot of the infringement. This is called a 'free kick'. The following actions are infringements.
Fifty metre penalties can also be given for infringing after the fact or for an especially egregious foul. It is not unheard of for multiple penalties to be given after a single play if the offending player keeps offending after the original free kick has been given. SCORING
PLAYERS, SUBSTITUTION AND INTERCHANGE On the field a team consists of 18 players, and no more than 3 players held in reserve, or the interchange, colloquially known as 'the bench'. Another player is held out of the game as a substitute and may replace another player for the remainder of the game at the discretion of the team. This substitute player is identified by wearing a green vest until activated. After a player is substituted out of the game, they are required to wear a red vest. Players may be interchanged at any time during the match, including during the intervals. Introduced for the 2014 season, a team may only make 120 interchanges in a single match.  KICKING Kicking is the ability to hit the ball with the foot. In Australian football, kicking can be done while running or standing still, and can be used to simply gain ground, or be precise in picking out a team mate. Kicking is probably the most important individual skill in Australian Football. Not only is kicking for goal important, but being able to move the ball down the field while giving the opposition little opportunity to turnover the ball is equally as important. As well as having to be able to weight a kick, or being able to penetrate defensive set-ups, various specialised kicks are used in Australian Football including the torpedo, banana and snap kicks. The most common type of kick is called the 'drop punt' where the ball is held vertically and the point of the ball is struck by the top (dorsal) part of the foot. This results in the ball spinning backwards end-over-end. This is considered the easiest type of kick and is far and away the most accurate. Being able to kick effectively requires players to be able to have good depth perception in reading the defence, identify laneways of progress, utilise the correct kick and then weight kicks for a team mate's advantage. Being able to execute this under pressure is a highly sought after skill, especially for those who are expected to kick for goal in tight situations, such as for small forwards.  MARKING Marking is one of the most spectacular and popular aspects of the Australian game. A 'mark'‚ is the term used when a player catches the ball when kicked from either an opponent or a teammate. The ball must have travelled a minimum distance of 15 metres, must not have touched the ground, and must not have been touched by any other player on the field. A player is allowed to leap upon the back and shoulders of another player to artificially elevate himself from the ground and surrounding players to complete the mark. He must not use his hands on his opponents back to assist his elevation - it must be a clean leap. These types of marks are often referred to as 'speckies'(spectacular marks), 'hangers' (for the hang time when a player is in the air), or 'screamers'‚.  HANDBALLING Handballing, or handpassing, is the skill of punching the ball out of an open palm as a means of passing to a teammate and maintaining possession of the ball. Being able to handball successfully primarily requires good hand-eye coordination and familiarity with the ball. The skill has become a major attacking weapon as players can use handballs to clear quickly from a stoppage or contest and run the ball from defence, being able to attack without exposing themselves to a marking contest. OTHER SKILLS A player is judged just as much on what they can do with the ball as much as what they can do without the ball. Defensive football focuses on controlling the field and restricting the movement of the ball. This is not only done through a team's structure, but by defensive efforts, sometimes called 'one percenters' , that are intended to apply pressure to players and cause a turnover. Australian Rules is a contact sport, but the object of the game is to win the ball and score. Keeping that in mind, players try to win the ball by tackling and stopping an opponent from offloading the ball with a handpass or kick. Stopping the player from gaining ground, as is the objective in Rugby and American Football, is less important than forcing a stoppage resulting in less collisions and 'hits' and more plays designed to cause the ball to fumble or spill to your team's advantage. As there is no offside rule, players can be tackled from any direction, and often blindsided. For this reason, players are permitted to block, or screen, in the immediate vicinity of the ball, even if it is not being carried by a player. This is called shepherding or bumping and is often the hardest contact seen in Aussie Rules as it is directly 'playing the man' in an attempt to win the ball.  PLAYER POSITIONS Although there are no restrictions to where a player may move to during the course of play, teams are still selected according to designated positions.  The main role of the forward line to beat their defenders, be delivered the ball, and kick goals. Tall forwards are expected to be good at winning contests, marking, and kicking from set shots. Small forwards are more likely be opportunistic and poach spilled balls, demanding more agility and pace. The back line's main role is to try and stop the opposition forwards from scoring, turnover the ball, and set up rebounds for their own team. The midfield is composed of a centre and two wingmen. All require elite endurance and their main role is to link the defence to the attack and to stop the opposition from moving the ball through the middle of the ground freely. The Followers move around the ground with the ball, with a tall ruckman whose main role is to contest ball-ups by trying to tap it to his team's advantage and a couple of rovers, who stated role is to take the ball from the ruck tapouts and deliver it down field one way or another. These players are also called 'on-ballers'.  The Australian Football League, or AFL, is the highest level professional Australian Football competition. It is contested by 18 clubs each season who are spread across Australia, although the majority of these are based in the Australian metropolitan region of Melbourne in the state of Victoria. Players are recruited to the clubs via an annual draft held in November. Players are able to move between clubs via a club trade or free agency, all conducted over a 4 week period in October, after the season-ending Grand Final, and there is a hard Salary Cap used to ensure parity in player spending. The average income for an AFL player sits at just over $250,000. Unlike many of the major sporting leagues around the world, the AFL has predominantly eschewed the private ownership of its clubs. The majority of clubs are headed by a Board of Directors who make decisions on the direction of the club on behalf of its membership as dictated by that particular club's constitution. The AFL is currently in consolidation mode, looking to grow the frontier teams it has recently established in Western Sydney and on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The AFL has started to look offshore to expand the playing talent available and the footprint of the league globally, looking to play games in New Zealand, China and India while recruiting talent from the USA and Ireland and even going as far as holding Draft Combines there. The second tier of competition is made up of a number of state leagues, the VFL (derived from the old VFA), SANFL, WAFL, the TSL in Tasmania, and the NEAFL which covers NT, Qld, NSW and the ACT. Many of the clubs in these have affiliations or are indeed just a reserves squad of the AFL teams. These effectively act as the farm system for the AFL clubs. There's also a national knock-out competition for the best state league clubs which is shown on pay-TV in Australia, but doesn't have a high profile otherwise. This year will also see the International Cup take place in Melbourne from Saturday August 9 to Saturday August 23 2014. It sees both male and female amateur teams from all over the world compete and gives the AFL warm feelings that people somewhere outside of Australia play our native game.  Speaking of the fairer sex, Australian football has a fair representation amongst women. The best women across all the leagues in Australia are chosen to represent their state and play in the AFL's women's elite competition; the AFL Women's National Championships. Abroad, regions often have a female league in place parallel to the men's league. In 2013, the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs hosted the first AFL women's exhibition game. The teams were drafted from the best players in female football around Australia and the match was played as a curtain raiser for the Women's Round match between the two AFL clubs. It is the AFL's plan to have a professional women's league in place in the next decade. THE PRESEASON Clubs are increasingly trying to find a way to improve player performance and fitness in the initial preseason training period. Collingwood became the first AFL club to embark on altitude camps in the USA, which they conducted in Arizona and Utah from 2005. The Magpies initiative, and their relative success in this time, sparked rivals to explore altitude training overseas. Following this preparation period, there are a series of practice matches and then an official preseason competition organised by the AFL. In the past these have not only been used as a means to prepare teams for the season proper, but to introduce rules variations in an attempt to test them for use in the season, or to try and make these games more of a unique event and draw crowds (no one goes). This year, 18 games will be played across 18 days featuring matches in regional Australia during the seasonal period where our sunburnt country is baked into oblivion. Preseason Fixture THE SEASON The AFL Home and Away season is conducted across 25 weeks starting in mid-March. These weeks are broken into 'rounds', or groupings of matches usually held over a weekend. The season opening first round has been split across a fortnight. Within this season, an individual team will play 22 matches and have two byes, or rest weeks. Each bye takes place across a three week span with 6 teams per week having a rest for each week of the three. The first bye takes place between rounds 8 and 10, while the second bye is scheduled for rounds 18 which is split across two weeks much like round 1. Who a team plays within the season is not determined by strict divisions or conferences, but there is a measure of transparency and flexibility. In the construction of each year's fixture, the final ladder from the previous season will be split into the top six teams, middle six teams and bottom six teams with an intent to better manage the equality of double matchups for all clubs. There is no relegation or promotion between leagues. AFL matches are played all over the weekend. The marquee matches, aired nationally, are usually saved for Friday and Saturday nights. Multiple matches being played at the same time is usually avoided in order to try and maximise the television audience for each match. The weekly results of games are tabulated to produce a single table Premiership ladder. The top eight teams on this ladder at the end of the Home and Away Season qualify to compete in the finals. Home & Away Fixture THE FINALS At the conclusion of the Home & Away season, the top eight teams on the ladder go through to the finals, a single elimination, 4 week, playoff series. The top four needs to win only two finals to reach the Grand Final, while the second four needs to win three. Being in the top four also affords the chance for teams to earn a bye in the second week of finals should they win their initial match and gives them a second chance should they lose their first final. The seeding and progression of the finals are as follows;  The Grand Final itself is arguably the single biggest sporting event in Australia. It is traditionally held on the final Saturday in September and is always contested at the birthplace of Australian Football, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, regardless of who is contesting the match. The Grand Final is a single elimination final, but unlike the other matches in the Finals, if the scores are drawn at the final siren, the game is replayed the following week. This has happened thrice in AFL history.  The winning team of the Grand Final are crowned the Premiers, receiving the AFL Premiership Cup and the Premiership Flag, which is a large pennant raised at their first home game the following year. All the players in the team who played that day receive a gold Premiership Medallion. The following season that club's AFL logo on their playing guernsey will be detailed in gold rather than red. 
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THE CLUBS  Founded: 1990 Premierships: 2 - 1997, 1998 2013 Record: 10/12, 108.1%, 11th Coach: Brenton Sanderson (3rd year) Key Players: Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Tex Walker, Brent Reilly, Scott Thompson 2014 Season Preview After being a kick away from the grand final the year before, 2013 was a disappointing year for the Adelaide Football Club and its fans. The Crows didn’t even make the finals and lost two of its prime forwards to serious leg injuries. Despite a disappointing end to the season, the Crows pumped a lot of games into their emerging talent, providing a silver lining to a year that dashed high hopes for so many. A major hole appeared in the Crows’ list with a lack of small forward options in 2013. Sure, the Crows paid overs to get Eddie Betts, but Adelaide are a genuine threat for the flag in the next half decade and Betts is one of the best at his position, despite the knockers. 2014 should have the Crows rebounding from a horror year and have them back in contention should their moves in the offseason of adding Betts and Podsiadly prove shrewd. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Eddie Betts (f/a), James Podsiadly (t), Matt Crouch (d), Riley Knight (d), James Battersby (r), Charlie Cameron (r), Jake Kelly (r), Alex Spina (r). Outs: Ian Callinan (del), Ben Dowdell (del), Nick Joyce (del), Tim Klaosen (del), Tim McIntyre (del), Dylan Orval (del), Aidan Riley (del), Richard Tambling (del), Bernie Vince (t). Supporters cmndstab, elentar, Dandy_GO, Chairchucker, Mystical Machine Gun    Founded: 1996 (from the merger of Fitzroy Lions, founded 1883, and the Brisbane Bears, founded 1987.) Premierships: 3 - 2001, 2002, 2003 (Fitzroy won 8 prior to the merger.) 2013 Record: 10/12, 89.6%, 12th Coach: Justin Leppistch (1st year) Key Players: Daniel Rich, Dayne Zorko, Pearce Hanley, Jack Redden, Tom Rockliff 2014 Season Preview Never has a team had a season of such dizzying highs and such depressing lows as the Brisbane Lions did in 2013. The sacking of coach and club legend Michael Voss and the departure of five highly talented youngsters was the sobering bullet point on a series of amazing comeback wins, with Ash McGrath’s after the siren goal against Geelong perhaps the most memorable moment of the year. With so many young players leaving the club, it feels like the Lions are starting again, the last two years of drafting being seemingly wasted. They even delisted not awful player Todd Banfield in the expectation they could then place him on the rookie list, but were sharked by Richmond. There are serious question marks on the Lions in the short-term and it is doubtful that the new coach can inspire them to be consistently competitive. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Jackson Paine (t), Luke McGuane (f/a), Trent West (t), James Aish (d), Darcy Gardiner (d), Daniel McStay (d), Lewis Taylor (d), Tom Cutler (d), Nick Robertson (d), Jono Freeman (d), Isaac Conway (r), Zac O'Brien (r), Archie Smith (r). Outs: Simon Black (ret), Jesse O'Brien (del), Aaron Cornelius (del), Niall McKeever (del), Stephen Wrigley (del), Richard Newell (del), Callum Bartlett (del), Todd Banfield (del), Billy Longer (t), Sam Docherty (t), Jared Polec (t), Patrick Karnezis (t), Elliot Yeo (t). Supporters PTizzle    Founded: 1864 Premierships: 16 - 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995 2013 Record: 11/11, 106.7, 8th  - eliminated by Sydney in the 1st Semi FinalCoach: Mick Malthouse (2nd year) Key Players: Marc Murphy, Chris Judd, Andrew Walker, Kade Simpson, Bryce Gibbs 2014 Season Preview After a surprise finals appearance care of Essendon's disqualification last season, and an emotional win over Richmond in an elimination-final that had the MCG heaving as if it was the last Saturday of September. Then reality kicked in as the Blues lost to the battered Swans by 24 points. Just like the season as a whole, the final score flattered the Blues. They were not as good as their final position indicated. Malthouse flagged plenty of changes to the list around midseason, indicating that he thought the Blues needed to make some changes or threaten to fall out of the middle range of competitive teams. They were active in the trade period, adding in some quality. Where they will finish in 2014 is as uncertain as who will be their main forward threat. It is Carlton’s 150th season as a club and this season will see a number of events to celebrate the fact. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Dale Thomas (f/a), Andrejs Everitt (t), Sam Docherty (t), Patrick Cripps (d), Cameron Giles (d), Nick Holman (d), Cameron Wood (r), Luke Reynolds (r), Blaine Johnson (r), Ciaran Sheehan (r), Ciaran Byrne (r). Outs: Eddie Betts (f/a), Shaun Hampson (t), Jeremy Laidler (del), Aaron Joseph (del), Marcus Davies (del), Andrew Collins (del), Frazer Dale (del), Patrick McCarthy (del), Rhys O'Keeffe (del), Luke Mitchell (del), Nick Duigan (ret). Supporters TG-Chrono, drunkill, boss key    Founded: 1892 Premierships: 15 - 1902, 1903, 1910, 1917, 1919, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936, 1953, 1958, 1990, 2010 2013 Record: 14/8, 115%, 6th - eliminated by Port in the 2nd Elimination Final Coach: Nathan Buckley (3rd year) Key Players: Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Dayne Beams, Steele Sidebottom, Travis Cloke 2014 Season Preview The Magpies are heading into the 2014 campaign on the back of a surprising elimination final loss against Port Adelaide in September and will be looking to atone. It was a dramatic end to an up and down season for the Pies as wily Power coach Ken Hinkley got the best of Nathan Buckley for the second time last season. That loss pushed Collingwood out of the top 6, however, ensuring a more favourable draw in 2014. Collingwood always seem to get the best of the trade period and the national draft and this year was no exception. Collingwood brought in some good young talent, and you can expect all of these players to be given plenty of opportunities to show what they can do during the 2014 season. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Jesse White (t), Taylor Adams (t), Patrick Karnezis (t), Tony Armstrong (dfa), Matthew Scharenberg (d), Nathan Freeman (d), Tom Langdon (d), Jonathon Marsh (d) Outs: Darren Jolly (del), Alan Didak (del), Jordan Russell (del), Andrew Krakouer (del), Ben Richmond (del), Michael Hartley (del), Dale Thomas (f/a), Heath Shaw (t), Jackson Paine (t), Ben Johnson (ret). Supporters tnimark    Founded: 1871 Premierships: 16 - 1897, 1901, 1911, 1912, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1962, 1965, 1984, 1985, 1993, 2000 2013 Record: 14/8, 107.3, 9th*  Coach: Mark Thompson (Interim, 1st year) Key Players: Jobe Watson, Brendon Goddard, Brent Stanton, Michael Hibberd, Ben Howlett 2014 Season Preview Essendon’s 2013 season was one of off-field turmoil that ultimately drew attention away from their impressive on-field performances. The Bombers counted themselves amongst the top four for most of the year but a woeful turn of form in the latter half of the year drove them down to the lower end of the top eight before the AFL barred them from finals altogether. While on paper the forward-line appears strong, it’s all potential rather than reality going into this season. Crameri was Essendon’s highest rated forward and has gone to the Bulldogs. Who can stand up and take charge of goal kicking duties will be the question that determines how successful the Bombers are this year. The Thompson-coached Cats of 2007 were recognised for their ability to defend stoppages. It’s something that the bombers need to get right as they sat in the bottom part of the league in conceding scores from stoppages. Despite being even in clearance differential they were outscored by 201 points at stoppages, ranked 16th. This will be another key in not fading at the end of the year as has been the recent narrative. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Kurt Aylett (t), Shaun Edwards (t), Paul Chapman (t), Zach Merrett (d), Orazio Fantasia (d), Patrick Ambrose (r), Fraser Thurlow (r). Outs: Stewart Crameri (t), Scott Gumbleton (t), Alwyn Davey (del), Luke Davis (del), David Hille (ret), Hal Hunter (del), Nathan Lovett-Murray (ret). Supporters gay picnic defence, thepokey, sixteenstraws, hambeet    Founded: 1994 Premierships: 0 2013 Record: 16/5/1, 134.1, 3rd - Lost to Hawthorn in the Grand Final Coach: Ross Lyon (3rd year) Key Players: Stephen Hill, David Mundy, Matthew Pavlich, Nathan Fyfe, Michael Johnson 2014 Season Preview Despite the heartache of a Grand Final loss, 2013 was a resounding success for the Fremantle Dockers. They managed the nucleus of their midfield through the year, and had most of their stars playing during finals. They continuously overcame adversity, and built a game plan designed to grind down even their toughest opponent. It was injury that ultimately hampered the Dockers’ season, and several of their big names simply weren’t healthy for significant parts of the year. Stars Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands, Luke McPharlin played a combined 29 regular season games out of a possible 66, and never really reached top gear. Ruckman Jon Griffen was in fine touch before a knee blowout ended his season prematurely, and the unlucky Anthony Morabito saw his season over before it had even begun (again). Their finals campaign included exceptional wins over Geelong at Kardinia Park and a banged up Sydney at home, and they will take on 2014 as one of the top 4 outfits and premiership contenders. Off season acquisitions Colin Sylvia and Scott Gumbleton will hopefully add further offensive options to a team that was held to just 6 goals in the Grand Final. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Colin Sylvia (f/a), Scott Gumbleton (t), Michael Apeness (d), Alex Pearce (d), Brady Gray (d), Michael Wood (r), Tom Vandeleur (r), Jacob Ballard (r). Outs: Jesse Chrichton (del), Peter Faulks (del), Alex Forster (del), Josh Mellington (del), Alex Howson (del), Haiden Schloithe (del), Viv Michie (t), Jayden Pitt (ret). Supporters Chichevache    Founded: 1859 Premierships: 9 - 1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, 1963, 2007, 2009, 2011 2013 Record: 18/4, 135.6%, 2nd - Eliminated in 1st Preliminary final by Hawthorn Coach: Chris Scott (4th year) Key Players: Joel Selwood, Steve Johnson, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, James Kelly 2014 Season Preview Another solid year for Geelong, finishing second on the ladder and making the preliminary final in a finals series that the Cats might describe as disappointing. The balance of age at Geelong is quickly swinging toward the next generation. Four of the club’s five oldest players in 2013 have moved on and a wealth of experience has been gained by the club’s youngsters. The Cats have an army of youngsters waiting in the wings, through a combination of near-perfect drafting and a fully aligned VFL reserves team allowing them complete control on their development. The Cats won’t bottom out any time soon but at some stage there will be a year of underperformance where they finish mid table and miss the finals. Will it be 2014, or are the last premiership veterans going to keep performing at a high enough level to drag the youth along with them? Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Darcy Lang (d), Jarrad Jansen (d), Jake Kolodjashnij (d), James Toohey (r), Nick Bourke (r), Zac Bates (r), Michael Luxford (r). Outs: Paul Chapman (t), James Podsiadly (t), Josh Hunt (t), Trent West (t), Joel Corey (ret), Ryan Bathie (del), Cameron Eardley (del). Supporters Shmoses, You Am I, Apolis    Founded: 2009 Premierships: 0 2013 Record: 8/14, 91.7, 14th Coach: Guy McKenna (4th year) Key Players: Gary Ablett Jnr, Harley Bennell, Jaeger O’Meara, Dion Prestia, David Swallow 2014 Season Preview The Suns were one of the biggest improvers in 2013 due to a number of their initial draftees starting to show some consistency at the top level, helped along by consistently awesome player and dual Brownlow winner Gary Ablett Junior. The football world has fostered a climate of expectation around the Suns and the next step is to ascertain if they can become a legitimate finals threat. No longer should they be given the leniency of being judged as a young team. The biggest issue for the Suns this year is solving the ruck problems, with none of their first three rucks managing to play 10 games in 2013. Charlie Dixon, preferably a key forward, was used as a last resort after injury struck. The ruck duel will come down to Tom Nicholls and Zac Smith and if they can stay healthy and find form, the Suns emerging midfield will make a good tilt at breaking into their first finals series. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Jack Martin (2012 mini-draft), Kade Kolodjashnij (d), Jack Leslie (d), Sean Lemmens (d), Louis Herbert (r), Jarred Ellis (r). Outs: Mav Weller (del), Joel Wilkinson (del), Liam Patrick (del), Jacob Gillbee (del), Kyal Horsley (del), Jared Brennan (ret). Supporters Volkerball    Founded: 2009 Premierships: 0 2013 Record: 1/21, 51%, 18th Coach: Leon Cameron (1st year) Key Players: Callan Ward, Dylan Shiel, Jeremy Cameron, Adam Treloar, Tom Scully 2014 Season Preview After a promising debut campaign, 2013 was a season of disappointment for the Giants as many players suffered from the “second year blues” and the club managed to record only one win. For all that Kevin Sheedy’s tenure at the Giant has done, on-field success has remained elusive for the fledgling club. In 2014, under new senior coach Leon Cameron, the Giants will be looking to finally get some results on the board. Historically the third year tends to be one where both players and clubs improve – the Giants will be wanting to follow the example that Gold Coast set in 2013. The AFL desperately needs the Giants to become relevant this year. There is no doubting the wealth of talent the Giants have on their list and they’ve finally added some quality mature age players to show the way. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Shane Mumford (t), Josh Hunt (t), Heath Shaw (t), Tom Boyd (d), Josh Kelly (d), Cameron McCarthy (d), Rory Lobb (d), Jake Barrett (zone), Jed Lamb (psd), Dylan Addison (dfa). Outs: Josh Bruce (t), Taylor Adams (t), Dom Tyson (t), Sam Darley (t), Kurt Aylett (t), Shaun Edwards (t), Chad Cornes (ret), Dean Brogan (ret), Setanta O'hAilpin (del), Bret Thornton (del), Gerald Ugle (del), Josh Growden (del) Joe Redfern (del). Supporters     Founded: 1902 Premierships: 11 - 1961, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2008, 2013 2013 Record: 19/3, 135.7%, 1st - Won the Grand Final against Fremantle Coach: Alistair Clarkson (10th year) Key Players: Cyril Rioli, Sam Mitchell, Jarryd Roughead, Shaun Burgoyne, Luke Hodge 2014 Season Preview The Hawks had an outstanding season, capped off by winning the 2013 premiership. While not without adversity, the team found the right mix across the ground, with Norm Smith Medallist Brian Lake proving to be the missing piece of the puzzle. If you hadn’t heard, Lance Franklin left Hawthorn for an extraordinary nine-year squillion-dollar deal. Since 2007, Franklin has had 316 more shots on goal and 146 more goals than any other player. If there was a team that could afford to lose such a player, it is the Hawks. Roughead, Rioli and Gunston are all capable of picking up the slack, the question this year is will they? The Hawks managed to recruit well to cover other departures and their stars still remain aligned on the ground. Expect the Hawks to threaten for back-to-back if the forward line holds up. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Dayle Garlett (d), Billy Hartung (d), Ben McEvoy (t), Ben Ross (r), James Sicily (d), Zac Webster (r), Dallas Willsmore (r). Outs: Max Bailey (ret), Andrew Boseley (d), Xavier Ellis (f/a), Amos Frank (del), Lance Franklin (f/a), Brent Guerra (ret), Michael Osborne (ret), Shane Savage (t). Supporters The Deadly Hume, realbez, EnterTheFoo, Testro, Yim, spamman    Founded: 1859 Premierships: 12 - 1900, 1926, 1939, 1940,1941, 1948, 1955, 1956, 1957,1959, 1960, 1964 2013 Record: 2/20, 54.1%, 17th Coach: Paul Roos (1st year) Key Players: Nathan Jones, Colin Garland, Jeremy Howe, Jack Watts, Mitch Clark 2014 Season Preview Melbourne had a year to forget, both on the field and off. Winning only two games for the season saw Jack Trengove step down as captain and the club opt for a new coach in Paul Roos. Chris Connolly, the man who copped the brunt of the punishment from the tanking investigation, was made redundant and Neil Craig also got the axe. It’s not all bad news for the Demons however, as they have made a number of great acquisitions through the trade and free agency periods. Mitch Clark will also be fit and firing come Round 1 and with young recruit Jesse Hogan by his side Melbourne could really impact the scoreboard in 2014. There was nothing positive about the Demons in the past two years. Possession is 8/10th of the law in Australian Football, win the disposal count and 80% of the time you win the game. This has been Melbourne’s biggest issue, averaging 23 fewer contested possessions than their opponents per game, the worst differential ever seen. It highlights why Melbourne has chased midfielders so hard. Of all the players in the league to have played 5 games or more last season, 115 of them averaged 20 or more disposals. Nathan Jones was the only Demon among that group. Needless to say, Paul Roos has a mountain to climb and it’s unlikely he makes significant headway before having to find a successor. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Dom Tyson (t), Viv Michie (t), Bernie Vince (t), Daniel Cross (dfa), Aidan Riley (dfa), Jesse Hogan (2012 mini-draft), Jayden Hunt (d), Christian Salem (d), Jay Kennedy-Harris (d), James Harmes (r), Alex Georgiou (r), Max King (r), Maia Westrupp (r). Outs: Aaron Davey (ret), Joel MacDonald (ret), David Rodan (ret), Colin Sylvia (f/a), Tom Couch (del), James Magner (del), Troy Davis (del), Rory Taggert (del), James Sellar (del), Josh Tynan (del), Nathan Stark (del), Tom Gillies (del). Supporters GoughSuppressant, snaeksikn, Windmill Hut, xcore, Tony Jowns    Founded: 1869 Premierships: 4 - 1975, 1977, 1996, 1999 2013 Record: 10/12, 119.5%, 10th Coach: Brad Scott (5th year) Key Players: Brent Harvey, Daniel Wells, Drew Petrie, Scott Thompson, Todd Goldstein 2014 Season Preview An emerging list bolstered by Free Agency pickup Dal Santo, new assistant coaches, the acquisition of football boss Geoff Walsh and leadership consultant Cameron Ling, and a tackling specialist coach, all point to North Melbourne continuing to ascend and having a bright future. This is despite dealing with the disappointment of missing out on finals and the final tally of wins and losses. North Melbourne supporters would have been near breaking point on more than one occasion throughout 2013. In the space of 9 days, the Roos lost two games in the dying minutes after holding significant leads against West Coast in round 8 and Adelaide in round 9. The rest of the year saw North lose 10 games by under 3 goals, a VFL/AFL season record. This also saw them have the best percentage of any team not to qualify for finals. North is stacked with young talent who excel at keeping the ball off the opponent. If at the end of the season though, people are still talking about the potential of this group, similar results won’t be accepted. The Roos need to make finals this year for there not to be significant questions raised as to the viability of the coaching staff. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Ben Brown (d), Nick Dal Santo (f/a), Trent Dumont (d), Luke McDonald (d) Robin Nahas (dfa), Joel Tippett (r), Kayne Turner (r). Outs: Luke Delaney (t, Jordan Gysberts (del), Ayden Kennedy (del), Ben Mabon (del), Cameron Richardson (del), Will Sierakowski (del), Ben Speight (del). Supporters    Founded: 1870 (AFL Debut 1997) Premierships: 1 - 2004 2013 Record: 12/10, 102.4%, 7th - Eliminated by Geelong in the 2nd Semi Final Coach: Ken Hinkley (2nd year) Key Players: Travis Boak, Chad Wingard, Brad Ebert, Justin Westhoff, Hamish Hartlett 2014 Season Preview The Power were without doubt the biggest surprise packet of 2013. They started with 5 straight wins and looked a genuine threat. They then lost the next 5, leading many to write them off as an anomaly. But the club powered home in the second half of the year to clinch a finals berth, then topple monolith Collingwood in the first round. A second-week exit at the hands of Geelong is nothing to be ashamed of, and Ken Hinkley and David Koch will feel like they have the group going places. The improvement in Port Adelaide’s list came from everywhere. Veterans Kane Cornes and Travis Boak enjoyed their best season in years, while erstwhile forward Justin Westhoff dominated his share of matches. The introduction of Ollie Wines and the sensational rise of teenager Chad Wingard gave the list a breath of fresh air, capped with an All-Australian nod for the latter. Hinkley’s Port Adelaide were a supremely fit unit, frequently running over their opposition late in games. The challenge in 2014 will be to replicate the effort, intensity and standard set in 2013. The list is young, and the next generation of Power midfielders are stacked with talent. They won’t catch sides by surprise this season though, as the opposition have had time to study their frenetic game style and developed strategies to combat them. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Matt White (f/a), Jared Polec (t), Karl Amon (d), Darcy Byrne-Jones (d), Mitchell Harvey (d), Jarman Impey (d), Daniel Flynn (r), Sam Gray (r), Brent Renouf (r), Sam Russell (r). Outs: Nathan Blee (del), Danny Butcher (del), Justin Hoskin (del), Darren Pfeiffer (del), Nick Salter (del), Daniel Stewart (del), Matt Thomas (del). Supporters Cloud the Cat    Founded: 1885 Premierships: 10 - 1920, 1921, 1932, 1934, 1943, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1980 2013 Record: 15/7, 122.8%, 5th - Eliminated by Carlton in the 1st Elimination Final Coach: Damien Hardwick (5th year) Key Players: Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio, Ivan Maric, Jack Riewoldt, Dustin Martin 2014 Season Preview The Tigers enjoyed a successful 2013 campaign, where they produced their best season in twelve years, with the club qualifying for its' first finals series since 2001 and just its third since 1982. They were also one of only two teams to defeat eventual premiers Hawthorn that same season. The season was brutally cut short by Carlton in the first week of finals where in front of a record crowd they were dramatically chased down after looking like they had the game in the bag. Thanks to some great drafting and clever trading over the years, the Tiger Army can strap themselves in for a period of sustained success, 2013 was no fluke. The Tiges have a superb midfield who is still very young and still developing. While being dominated in the ruck for most of the season, the quality of the Richmond midfield has meant that stoppages has been a strength of the team. Richmond outscored its opposition by 16 points per game on average from stoppages and the bolstering of the ruck stocks should see this increase. Richmond enter 2014 with a renewed hunger for success, and a mindset that they are now capable of delivering it. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Shaun Hampson (t), Ben Lennon (d), Nathan Gordon (d), Sam Lloyd (d), Todd Banfield (r), Anthony Miles Matt Thomas (r). Outs: Tom Derickx (del), Luke McGuane (del), Robin Nahas (del), Shane Tuck (ret), Matt White (f/a), Sam Lonergan (r), Steven Verrier (r). Supporters pkid    Founded: 1873 Premierships: 1 - 1966  2013 Record: 5/17, 82.6%, 16th Coach: Alan Richardson (1st year) Key Players: Jack Steven, Leigh Montagna, David Armitage, Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes 2014 Season Preview The end of the 2013 premiership season could not have come soon enough for St Kilda, a team which managed to polish off a forgettable year with a (surprising) victory against Fremantle. Despite the acquisition of some brand new coaching staff, and the injection of a lot of youth, they aren’t likely to turn their side around in 2014 as the Saints are just getting deep into a rebuilding cycle. New coach Alan Richardson is a seven-time assistant coming via a wide range of clubs and faces a massive challenge in rebuilding the playing list. In 2012 the Saints didn’t blood as many of their youth as possible, and as a result the jury is still out on their quality. St Kilda’s latest batch of 19-21 year olds will ultimately determine how long this rebuild takes, if it is successful at all. Basically, a long list of ‘ifs’ face Saints fans this season. In 2013, St Kilda’s average score plummeted to 80 points per game, ranked 16th and 27 points fewer than the season before. This was coupled with the Saints conceding 10 more points per game over 2012, to 96. Simply, the Saints had regressed at both ends of the ground. This season may seem like trying to polish turds for Saints fans as questions at both ends don’t see an immediate answer. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Blake Acres (d), Jack Billings (d), Josh Bruce (t), Luke Delaney (t), Luke Dunstan (d), Jason Holmes (r), Billy Longer (t), Shane Savage (t), Eli Templeton (r), Maverick Weller (r). Outs: Jason Blake (ret), Nick Dal Santo (f/a), Jackson Ferguson (del), Justin Koschitzke (ret), Tom Ledger (del), Jay Lever (del), Ben McEvoy (t), Stephen Milne (ret), Ahmed Saad (del), Jordan Staley (del). Supporters angrynaut, Nutsngum, Periphery, Stumbletron, Ewe2    Founded: 1874 (relocated 1982) Premierships: 5 - 1909, 1918, 1933, 2005, 2012 2013 Record: 15/6/1, 132.5%, 4th - Eliminated by Fremantle in 2nd Elimination Final Coach: John Longmire (4th year) Key Players: Kieren Jack, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh, Lewis Jetta, Adam Goodes 2014 Season Preview The Swans were running on fumes heading into the 2013 finals series and the eventual Grand Finalists flew past them in two telling losses. The Swans lost four of their last five matches for the year in a disappointing end to the season. The Swans have broken with the league-wide trend and do not rest or rotate their players as heavily as other clubs. This should help them with the new interchange cap but also points to their lack of depth in the midfield. It also must be said that they suffered long term injuries to 7 of their premiership era players and would have contributed to the increased workload of those who were fit. The Swans have made finals in 10 of the past 11 seasons, but now have the second oldest and most game-experienced list in the league. The Swans still possibly have a chance at the flag, but the window is closing. This group was already built for Longmire when he took the reins from Paul Roos. Coming into his 4th season though, he has only added five recruits that have been added to the Swans’ best 22. The Swans caused a huge stir by signing Lance Franklin to a 9-year, $10 million deal just a year after poaching Kurt Tippett from the Crows  . This bold move didn’t appear to fit the Swans’ historical recruiting philosophy of targeting underpriced players who were starved for opportunity. Despite this, the focus on the forward line is justified as the Swans placed 15th in converting inside 50s to scores. Ever since Barry Hall left, the Swans have had a problem with season long goal production. They will just have to hope that the injury bug doesn’t bite again this year.Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Lance Franklin (fa), Jeremy Laidler (dfa), Tom Derickx (dfa), Zak Jones (d), George Hewett (d), Toby Nankervis (d) Aliir Aliir (d) Patrick Mitchell (r), Lloyd Perris (r). Outs: Shane Mumford (t), Jed Lamb (del), Tony Armstrong (del), Andrejs Everitt (t), Jesse White (t), Jude Bolton (ret), Marty Mattner (ret), Mitch Morton (ret), Alex Brown (ret). Supporters Xarb, Corzaa, davmo1    Founded: 1986 Premierships: 3 - 1992, 1994, 2006 2013 Record: 9/13, 95.3%, 13th Coach: Adam Simpson (1st year) Key Players: Nic Naitanui, Shannon Hurn, Matt Priddis, Luke Shuey, Dean Cox 2014 Season Preview 2013 was a year to forget for the Eagles as they found themselves out of the 8 for only the fourth time in a decade. West Coast had only three victories of note and have lost a bevy of experience with several great players retiring. The Eagles struggled all season with injuries to key experienced players and none of the youth behind them stepped up, resulting in a dramatic drop off from the previous season. So, out goes ‘Woosha’ and in comes ex-Hawks assistant Adam Simpson. The Eagles are not in such dire a position as other clubs who didn’t make finals. The Eagles forward line is a strong one, LeCras, Darling, Hill and stutter-step Kennedy will continue to perform. The issue was an inability to get the footy down there often enough. West Coast turned over the ball constantly and could not retain possession for extended periods, in particular with handballs. If the team can fix the midfield issues and some talent emerges behind the departed, the Eagles will push for finals again. Nevertheless, the success of Fremantle is definitely putting some pressure on big brother to perform once again. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Elliot Yeo (t), Xavier Ellis (f/a), Dom Sheed (d), Malcolm Karpany (d), Tom Barrass (d), Dylan Main (d), Will Maginness (r), Rowen Powell (r). Outs: Daniel Kerr (ret), Mark Nicoski (ret), Adam Selwood (ret), Andrew Embley (ret), Ashton Hams (ret), Brad Dick (ret), Cale Morton (del), Bradd Dalziell (del). Supporters Diet Crack, Doctor Cave, art of spoonbending DietCrack's Best 22    Founded: 1877 Premierships: 1 - 1954 2013 Record: 8/14, 85.1%, 15th Coach: Brendan McCartney (3rd year) Key Players: Ryan Griffen, Matthew Boyd, Tom Liberatore, Will Minson, Robert Murphy 2014 Season Preview For two years now, coach Brendan McCartney has been preaching a mantra that looks like it might finally be starting to pay dividends out Footscray way. Contest, contest, contest are the three rules the Doggies live by and their supporters must be sick of hearing. Win the contested possession count and you usually win the game. Not at the Dogs. They only ended up winning 12 out of 30 of the matches where they won the contested possession count. However, by the end of 2013, the Bulldogs appeared to be getting it together by winning four of their final six games against not awful competition. The Bulldogs rate up with the best in the league at winning the centre clearances, helped by All-Australian ruckman Will Minson and a pack of young ball winners. Their key issue though was effective disposal once they had the ball. The Bulldogs had the lowest kick-to-handball ratio in the league, meaning they were trying to run and carry a whole lot, but this led to them being opened up to counter attacks a whole lot. Expect defence to be the focus of 2014. A points conceded average of 103 per game is not good enough and shows signs of a ‘one-way’ midfield, able to attack at will, but unable, or unwilling, to keep their direct opponents in check. It has been a slog for a long while for Dogs fans but this year might see them knocking on the door. Offseason Player Transactions Ins: Stewart Crameri (t), Marcus Bontempelli (d), Matt Fuller (d), Mitchell Honeychurch (d), Sam Darley (d). Outs: Daniel Cross (del), Dylan Addison (del), Lukas Markovic (del), Nick Lower (del), Patrick Veszpremi (del). Supporters Testekill   If you would like to add your name to the census, it can be found here  HELP! WHICH TEAM SHOULD I SUPPORT?Inspired by Febreeze’s Playoff Bandwagon chart, I whipped this up to provide guidance for newcomers to the sport.  INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS Though sometimes not being the star of their team, and sometimes on a glorified practice squad, the AFL is making strides to introduce the game overseas and recruit the best talent who didn’t quite make it in their original sport. The most prevalent of these are the Irish, especially those with a history in Gaelic football, due to the similarities and exchangeable skills and a desire to play professionally. Recently though, American basketballers have been targeted to help bolster the number of quality and athletic tall players available to clubs and even run international combine to try and attract interested athletes. 
Paracausal fucked around with this message at 11:51 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 01:52
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 Alright, so you’ve decided to want to watch a game in person or on a screen somewhere, how do you do that? DOMESTIC TELEVISION Television broadcasting of AFL matches within Australia is handled by both pay-tv (cable) and free to air networks. All matches in a round are aired on pay-tv station ‘Fox Footy’ or the alternate Fox Channels, with FTA Channel 7 airing four matches over a round, sometimes using 7mate. As part of the latest broadcast deal, which was signed in 2011, FTA must broadcast the local games within a state. For example, Giants and Swans games must be aired within New South Wales, and Lions and Suns games must be aired in Queensland. This is done despite the impact airing a game live may have on attendances. There are no league rules that enforce a blackout of a broadcast based on the ticket sales of a game.  Commentary is typically awful all around and people use one of these devices to get the higher quality ABC radio feed through their TV. http://www.sportsyncradio.com/. Ewe2 goes in detail here. Outside of Australia, some cable networks carry a handful of matches or a highlights package show. The AFL usually keeps a track of who their international broadcast partners are, which include ESPN, Eurosport and Fox Sports. AFANA maintain a schedule of which games are airing when for North American viewers but sometimes do more ‘complete’ international broadcasting schedules. ONLINE STREAMING Back in the modern day, you can absolutely watch the AFL on the interwebs. Within Australia Telstra (unless you use a VPN) are the main online rights holders, who are as awful at content delivery as they are at everything else. AppleTV can be used to stream games onto an ipad for $99 a season. Foxtel play and Xbox packages can be had for $50 a month as well. Everywhere else is lucky enough to have http://afltv.afl.com.au/ which is a direct emulation of the gamepass offerings available for all the major leagues in the US. Subscription in 2013 for the whole season was $120AUD. Of course if you are really frugal,  options are available through frontrow and vipbox and the like.http://www.justin.tv/afldude http://www.wiziwig.tv/competition.php?part=sports&discipline=other The AFL offers radio streaming on its website during the game, most commercial radio is full of ads (stat names being replaced by advertiser names is hilariously awful) and try to make sound bites out of every play. A good podcast is the Sunday Inquisition, via the ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/news/sport/programs/the-sunday-inquisition/ GOING TO THE GAME Australian Football is absolutely a sport that is better to watch in the stands. You get to see the players downfield execute plays, watch the game open up, and gives you a better appreciation of the distance covered and the skill of kicking the ball. I strongly urge anyone at least partially interested in the sport to attend a match in person. While "blockbusters" are usually fully ticketed and most games have good crowds, for most regular season games you'll be able to walk up and get a general-admission ticket for about $20 and experience Australians as you always suspected they would act. Exceptions would be Perth and Geelong. Both clubs in Perth have waiting lists for memberships due to Subiaco Oval not having enough room for all of them. Geelong games at Kardinia Park (Simonds Stadium) are almost impossible to get into as they're also fully subscribed by members, although Geelong also play quite a few games in Melbourne as well. But no-one from overseas visits Geelong, so that's not really an issue. Spectators in the "outer" are not segregated at all, but then we don't burn down stadiums and cast seven-generation hexes on our rivals, just the occasional bit of biffo amongst drunken fans. In fact you'll find that most of the abuse is directed at the umpires. Except Chelsea the goal umpire. She's   MEMBERSHIP Having a club membership often guarantees a fan has a seat at each game the club plays at their home ground. Memberships are treated differently to season tickets though, in that some of the more ‘complete’ memberships afford a member voting rights on issues relating to the running of the club, and favourable access to finals tickets should the club finish in a position to compete. Memberships have a variety of options, from 3-game passes, to reserved seating for every game, with social club extras and whatnot, prices vary between $100-$600 a year depending on what you put on your plate. Most clubs also offer international memberships for the foreign fan that includes an AFL.TV subscription and a goody pack. MAYBE I WANT TO PLAY  Hey, awesome! Hope you like running! There’s undoubtedly a club near you, unless you live in the Urals or Nunavut. Within Australia, you can simply use this tool to find a club near you. Many of these clubs will have multiple divisions, from serious meatheads to saturday gin-abouts, so even if you’re a perpetually injured clod like myself, there’s a spot for you. The larger regions of the world are overseen by an international AFL body such as AFL Canada, AFL Great Britain, AFL Europe, and the USAFL. Through them, local clubs can be found, and new clubs can be established. The website World Footy News is a great resource for prospective players internationally and was created to foster awareness of Australian Football around the globe and to aid communication between clubs, leagues and individuals playing and supporting Aussie Rules. They have a directory of over 50 international leagues and contact details for each. Another alternative, and a great introduction, is AFL 9s (or Metro Footy), which is a social, co-gendered, touch only version of AFL football. It is played outdoors on a rectangular field and places focus on developing the skills and awareness needed to play Australian Football. It was developed as a means to spread recreational games of Aussie Rules outside of a club setting, which could be intimidating to newcomers, or simply not available in regions that did not have a strong football infrastructure in place. International leagues have been making social leagues a focus of development, seeing it as the perfect means to introduce people of all types to the skills and tactics required to succeed at the more competitive levels. This usually leads to a transition to a more traditional club environment and was indeed the successful template for development undertaken by the Sacramento Suns of the USAFL.   FANTASY FOOTBALL The separate thread for Fantasy was pretty dead for most of the year, so it returns to the main thread for 2014. For the last couple of years fantasy football has grown to become a major part of AFL fandom. Originally borrowing concepts from US fantasy sports, fantasy football has undergone several iterations and exists in a number variations. Fantasy football gives points to players for a variety of onfield actions. Handballs, kicks, marks, tackles, and goals, nearly all actions are awarded points. How these competitions vary is how they weight the value of each disposal, or if they deduct points from players for negative actions such as giving away a free kick. Player selection varies in there either being a draft at the start of the season, where players are selected in turn by the various teams, or by there being a salary cap that allows teams to select anyone in the league they can afford. During the season, players can be traded in and out from the team. LEAGUES AVAILABLE I’ll update this part once the varying competitions open up, I’ll only be running Supercoach and UltimateFooty this year so if someone wants to run another league, put your hand up. Supercoach - Goon Cash Splash: input code 278680 upon registering Goon Golden Spoon - UltimateFooty Keeper Draft League. FANTASY WEBSITES http://fanfooty.com.au/ http://tooserious.net/ http://www.footyprophet.com/ http://dreamteamtalk.com/ TIPPING As with every year, we have an informal tipping competition, because, hey, tipping competitions are fun. At least until you get stung by a few upsets or you forget to tip for a week and lose interest for the rest of the season. Just put in who you think will win each round, and if you pick perfectly, you get a free Hamburger from Hungry Jacks!  Goon Tipping Comp The password for the comp is goons. MISCELLANEOUS poo poo Footy jumpers is an awesome resource that details the history of each teams guernsey. Footywire is a great stats website. AFL irc channel Goalsneaker does some pretty cool visualizations. Twitter Lists AFL Clubs and HQ AFL Players and Staff AFL Insiders AFL Pls So, finishing up, you don’t have to be a football devotee to post here, we go through our own cycle of food chat, beer chat, bogan chat and so on, so   TOXXES, BETS AND OTHER DUMB GOONERY FOR 2014Come on goons, put your money where your mouth is. TG-Chrono - If Collingwood have more wins that Carlton at seasons' end, I'll get an Eddie McGuire avatar. tnimark - If the Blues score more wins than the Pies I'll get an avatar of the best pic you can find of Malthouse and/or Daisy in Blues gear. I'm assuming by the end of the season there'll be plenty of good photos of them hugging, smooching, etc. hambeet - Melbourne will win at least 7 games this year or MUYB will Melbournise my name and avatar that I'll wear for 12 months. Gough Suppressant - if Melbourne finish below St Kilda I will get a Stephen Milne themed avatar/title of NutsNGums choosing Nutsngum - If St Kilda finish below Melbourne then I will get a Stephen Milne themed avatar/title of Gough Suppressant's choosing. Also either of us must keep the avatar until the grand final at a minimum. ewe2 - If St. Kilda don't make the finals I will get a Nick Riewoldt avatar of some appropriate nature (because there's going to be choice photos this season) and will take effect once it becomes mathematically impossible. hiddenmovement - If Paul Chapman plays more then 12 games (incl finals) I will get an giffed avatar relating to James Hird and Drugs. Dandy GO - If Port beat Adelaide in a final, I'll provide commentary while I watch this clip on repeat for 30 minutes straight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRImt7kzbPM (60 commentaries) PTizzle - if the Lions finish bottom 4 in 2014 I'll buy an avatar of the threads choice and wear it til round 1, 2015. A Series of Unfortunate Events If there is a particularly good post during the thread, I'll bookmark it here. Oh and if you don't get the title...  In which we get angry about names on guernseys (hurry up round 1) Dandy GO talks about the history of South Australian Football in regards to the national competition snaeksikn effort post for newbies cmndstab effort post on the sub rule SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION If you somehow want more information on anything about the league, I put together an eBook just for you!  I spent a fair while putting together all the information I could think of which related to the AFL and resulted in a document pushing 34,000 words. Everything you could want to know about the draft, combine, free agency, the league, the rules. Everything is covered, so grab it! Paracausal fucked around with this message at 10:11 on Jun 12, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 01:53
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uK6SgXN1zA Go the CATTERS! Although even numbered year, might have to wait for 2015
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Jan 14, 2014 02:07
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That is an incredible OP, awesome work! How long did it take to write?
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Jan 14, 2014 02:16
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PEN FIFTEEN posted:That is an incredible OP, awesome work! How long did it take to write? Thanks. About a fortnight of solid work but I have a fair bit laying about to piece it together with and last years OP was a great starting point. 
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Jan 14, 2014 02:21
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Awesome post! Let's go Power!! - Pretty excited for the first game against Adelaide at the new Adelaide oval this year. TG-Chrono posted:Port: Love seeing Westhoff in there , I'll admit I was fairly harsh on him a few years ago but he has really stepped it up now.
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Jan 14, 2014 02:39
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TG-Chrono posted:Thanks. About a fortnight of solid work but I have a fair bit laying about to piece it together with and last years OP was a great starting point.
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Jan 14, 2014 02:46
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Wow chrono I haven't read it all yet but congrats on an amazing op.
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Jan 14, 2014 02:50
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Goddamn awesome OP. Very nice work. I'm so ready for the AFL season now. The Ashes was fun but I just can't muster any shits to give about the ODIs.
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Jan 14, 2014 02:52
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Great OP, I like that list of Fletcher's opponents in 1993, pretty much a who's who of full / centre half forwards. On another note, has anyone actually tried the sportsync radio, some of the reviews on amazon suggst that it's kind of shoddy quality wise, and that the AM reception can also be less than great. I'm still tempted to get one to escape BT though (I don't have foxtel), especially if people have had good experiences with it. Also, fantastic choice of icon for the thread, I only just noticed it. cytoc fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 02:52
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cytoc posted:Also, fantastic choice of icon for the thread, I only just noticed it.
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Jan 14, 2014 02:58
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Top 4 Hawthorn Fremantle Geelong Sydney The utterly unpredictable shitfest that is the middle of the ladder Radelaide Port Power Collingwood Richmond Essendon West Coast Carlton North Doggies GCS Bottom 4 Saints Melbourne GWS Lions Although it would hardly surprise me to see Geelong and Sydney fall away to make room for West Coast or Adelaide
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Jan 14, 2014 02:58
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Didn't use Jeremy Howe as demonstration for a mark, voted 1 Edit:did use my favourite darren jarman picture, all is forgiven. Gough Suppressant fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 03:03
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Great job with the OP. Although there have been three VFL/AFL Grand Final replays, not two! 1948, 1977, 2010
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Jan 14, 2014 03:29
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Fantastic OP! West Coast are certainties this year 
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Jan 14, 2014 04:18
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cytoc posted:Great OP, I had one for a while and it worked pretty much as advertised until I dropped it from a tiny height and it split and never worked again.
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Jan 14, 2014 05:09
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Doctor Cave posted:Fantastic OP! Claims like this require a
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Jan 14, 2014 05:46
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Top loving OP. Chalk me up for the bombers. Should join the tipping comp, but really I'm here to watch muybs slide into depression.
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Jan 14, 2014 07:55
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hambeet posted:Top loving OP. Chalk me up for the bombers. Should join the tipping comp, but really I'm here to watch muybs slide into depression. into? I was born supporting Melbourne, moulded by it. I didn't see a premiership until I started following NFL, by then it was nothing to me but confusing. Gough Suppressant fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 08:20
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Excellent work on the OP  Bring on the new AFL season!!
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Jan 14, 2014 08:28
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Nutsngum posted:Claims like this require a Preseason optimism mate (Though if anyone has a suggestion for a toxx to do I could consider it)
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Jan 14, 2014 08:36
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Doctor Cave posted:Preseason optimism mate Something about Nic Nats shoulders?
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Jan 14, 2014 09:08
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Tried to edit the OP on my phone and some of the text went wacky. Will fix tonight as well as adding a toxx bit... Cheers for the kudos!
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Jan 14, 2014 09:39
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Great OP, I am a long-suffering Saints supporter and a part-time Lions supporter (family in Brisbane). This system has worked really well for years when the Saints weren't worth watching. I might just say to hell with both of them this year and go Tiges why not. At least they're giving it a shake. Watching Nick Riewoldt slowly melt down will not be edifying, and the Lions don't seem to know wtf they're doing. As a tiny tot I went to the 1966 grand final and I still remember my father and uncle (saints vs carlton) carrying on in the stands. Their memory is more of me carrying on 
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Jan 14, 2014 10:55
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Worth noting that Ahmed Saad was the only player charged with a doping offence in 2013, GG ASADA Unrelated but I got an Xbox for Christmas and there was a photo of Kosi in the box
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Jan 14, 2014 11:05
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Stumbletron posted:Worth noting that Ahmed Saad was the only player charged with a doping offence in 2013, GG ASADA It's going to break your Playstation 
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Jan 14, 2014 11:09
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It'll play better during the recovery, right?
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Jan 14, 2014 11:17
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quote:hambeats: we can cheer melbourne on together this season I'm holding you to this hambeet
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Jan 14, 2014 11:22
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ewe2 posted:Great OP, I am a long-suffering Saints supporter and a part-time Lions supporter (family in Brisbane). This system has worked really well for years when the Saints weren't worth watching. I might just say to hell with both of them this year and go Tiges why not. At least they're giving it a shake. Watching Nick Riewoldt slowly melt down will not be edifying, and the Lions don't seem to know wtf they're doing. You can't do that 
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Jan 14, 2014 12:00
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Gough Suppressant posted:I'm holding you to this hambeet Hahah, what was the rest of the message?
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Jan 14, 2014 12:35
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hambeet posted:Hahah, what was the rest of the message? [Inaudible]
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Jan 14, 2014 12:48
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drunkill posted:Great job with the OP. Thanks for the correction, fixed. Added a toxx and bookmark part to the OP. Time to sleep in my own sweat.
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Jan 14, 2014 13:33
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YESSSSS 2014 Season. I think i might just about be over Richmond's capitulation in the final against Carlton last year. wait....Nope, not quite. gently caress I hate Carlton.
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Jan 14, 2014 13:37
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Fantastic OP. Noticed that you missed the Giants founding year and number of premierships (which is still correct left blank, of course). Man, this offseason is going by fast.
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Jan 14, 2014 13:51
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pkid posted:YESSSSS 2014 Season. I'm angry we don't get to play Richmond in the opening game for the season, what the hell AFL, sure, cricket has the MCG but they should push back rd1. That match is a staple of AFL and also the only time of the year Carlton is ontop of the ladder.
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Jan 14, 2014 15:14
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ewe2 posted:Great OP, I am a long-suffering Saints supporter and a part-time Lions supporter (family in Brisbane). This system has worked really well for years when the Saints weren't worth watching. I might just say to hell with both of them this year and go Tiges why not. At least they're giving it a shake. Watching Nick Riewoldt slowly melt down will not be edifying, and the Lions don't seem to know wtf they're doing. If youre worried about seeing a Riewoldt melting down then switching to Richmond is probably a poor choice.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:16
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realbez posted:You can't do that People do a lot of things you may not understand or accept I'm not being serious about the Tigers, I'm just despairing of the Saints management.Nutsngum posted:If youre worried about seeing a Riewoldt melting down then switching to Richmond is probably a poor choice. I've just got a soft spot for them, and they did so much better last year. In comparison the Saints did its patented start off stupidly by getting beaten by the Suns of all teams. But trust me, Riewoldt will melt down, it's a given. Oh and I've joined the tipping this year after figuring out the real URL to the group 
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Jan 14, 2014 18:58
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ewe2 posted:People do a lot of things you may not understand or accept Oh yeah TG if you didn't see the footy tips link is truncated, probably when you edited by phone? Should be http://www.footytips.com.au/competitions/?competitionId=222622
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Jan 14, 2014 22:31
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OP is awesome, as expected TG. So ready for this season to start. Suns going to get like, 7th, and it's going to be amazing.
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Jan 14, 2014 22:36
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