Aussie rules at the Gabba

I went to my first live Australian rules football match last night with the Brisbane Lions taking on the Adelaide Crows. (Well done whichever brave Adelaidean decided to break the mold of naming the team after the usual Bears, Lions, Tigers, Bulls etc and opt instead for the mythological creature of doom).

I’d seen a few matches on television but found it nigh on impossible to understand what on earth is going on. It’s definitely a sport that needs watching live, as it’s actually tactically very interesting. People say it’s a cross between Gaelic football and Rugby league – the main aim kicking the ball between two centre posts for 6 points or just between these and another set of posts for 1 point. You can call mark (i.e. stop the play and have a free kick) it you catch it from a kick, but also pass by hand (but then obviously not call mark). So the main action is in and around the range from the goals where it's reasonably reachable.

But it certainly reminded me of a few other sports too. It’s played on cricket pitch (last night at the Gabba which hosts the cricket tests from October), and has the athleticism and pettiness of football, the length of US sports (it ran for about 3 hours over four quarters), and the scores (and scoring patterns) of basketball.

In the end Brisbane Lions won 83 to 70 after pulling off a remarkable and decisive turnaround in the final quarter. The Gabba itself is also a very impressive stadium (see Panarama shot below).