AFANA Footy BBS

I'm from Canada and new to Aussie Rules (only seen a few games) and I have yet to choose a favorite team. So I was wondering who's who in those categories...

Best team this year (Brisbane again)?
Best kicking team?
Best markers (team, not players)?
Most vicious and violent teams?

I love contact sports but always thought that american football was too slow and not nearly as brutal as Aussie Rules. And it's great to see a game that isn't just a quaterback throwing passes.

> I'm from Canada and new to Aussie Rules (only seen a few games) and I have yet to choose a favorite team.

If there is particular area of Australia that especially interests you, you might want to support its team. Of course if the answer is Melbourne, you still have a problem since over half the teams in the AFL are located in or near Melbourne.

Is there an AFL Canada team near you? You might see if they are sponsored by an AFL team, or you might want to talk to the players to see which teams they support.

Whatever team you choose, be assured of one thing. You must be prepared to receive a lot of abuse for your choice on this board.

> If there is particular area of Australia that especially interests you, you
> might want to support its team. Of course if the answer is Melbourne, you still have
> a problem since over half the teams in the AFL are located in or near Melbourne.

> Is there an AFL Canada team near you? You might see if they are sponsored by an AFL
> team, or you might want to talk to the players to see which teams they support.

> Whatever team you choose, be assured of one thing. You must be prepared to receive a
> lot of abuse for your choice on this board.

Don't mind him - especially about the abuse part - we all slag each other, but it's all in fun. Besides, I question his intelligence, putting down the Swans

The best team going around right now has got to be Brisbane with 3 consecutive premierhsips and most likely a 4th this year.
As for the other categories: you can check out all the stats at the AFL website at www.afl.com.au and decide for yourself.
I do know that Geelong is probably ranked #1 in defence right now, conceding the fewest goals per match.
Lisa
AFANA

> Besides, I question his intelligence, putting down the Swans

How can you question my intelligence when the Blues are one of my favorite teams? Are you saying I am dumb to support the Blues

You should have jumped to my defense when Swan Man was ripping the Blues earlier.

> over half the teams in the AFL are located in or near Melbourne.

Of course, only seven of them admit it anymore. But if you include the two that have chosen to represent compass points you get over the halfway point.

Even my befuddled friend Bob will agree that real footy teams represent precise identifiable locations. Stay away from teams that represent a direction, or thousands of miles of shoreline.

> Is there an AFL Canada team near you?

Pretty good advice, I would say.

> Whatever team you choose, be assured of one thing. You must be prepared to receive a
> lot of abuse for your choice on this board.

Of course, it's all in good fun. The truth is, North American footy fans are scarce enough that we're like the pilots in the early days of World War I -- we're so delighted to encounter another one, we don't care if they're with the enemy.

The favorite teams of the most active participants are:

• Sydney Swans
  
• Carlton Blues
  
• Geelong Cats
  
• West Coast Eagles

Choose one of those, and you'll have at least one guaranteed friend, and at least one accusation of being a s*ck-up. Or you could choose another team...and we'll all make fun of you.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp

> Of course, only seven of them admit it anymore...

It was especially tragic when Footscray changed its name to Western Bulldogs. A team that renounces its heritage like that deserves to be called the stinkin' Bulldogs. (I know they did it to try to appeal to l larger fan base, but it was still tragic.)

> Even my befuddled friend Bob ...

Just one example of the kind of abuse you can expect on the board.

> It was especially tragic when Footscray changed its name to Western Bulldogs.

How do you feel about North Melbourne deciding to just call themselves "North"? The effort to extend the northern suburbs all the way to Sydney didn't earn them many friends in NSW.

They certainly didn't help their cause when they claimed they would not market to Sydney members who bought tickets to their games, and then were caught red handed doing exactly that. There were too many documented cases of people receiving Kangaroo membership solicitations addressed in such a way that they could have only been generated from the ticket sales data.

I would have loved to be in the SCG as the Kangaroos played a "home" game against the Swans, with the crowd signing "there's only ONE team in Sydney."

> Just one example of the kind of abuse you can expect on the board.

ABUSE? That's wasn't abuse. The way it read the first time I typed it, now THAT was abuse.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

> How do you feel about North Melbourne deciding to just call themselves
> "North"?

It's funny you should mention the Kangas, Kangaroos, North, other Sydney, Canberra, or whatever they are calling themselves today. I just saw on the AFL website that they came from 40 down to beat Sydney Saturday night.

Actually it didn't bother me as much as the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs stayed put but just dropped the Footscray. The Roos sort-of, almost, maybe, not quite, tried to become another Sydney. Plus, just from an esthetics standpoint, "Footscray" has more ear appeal than "North Melbourne". It is unique.

I can see why the sort-of move would upset the folks in Sydney. Actually it might be nice to have a second team in Sydney to provide a local rivalry like Adelaide-Port or Fremantle-West Coast, but that was not the way to bring it about.

I have to say though, in Thursday's Game of the Week on Fox, Sydney played one of their best I have seen in dominating Brisbane. They were amazing It was nice to see the men in white coats and hats too. Especially when they are not chasing me with nets.

> I would have loved to be in the SCG as the Kangaroos played a "home" game
> against the Swans .....

From August 11th AFANA Aussie Rules Media News ..."Reports in several sources indicate that the AFL is on track to announce an exhibition match in the Los Angeles area in January, 2005 as we have previously reported. Details continue to be hard to come by but indications are that one of the clubs interested are the Kangaroos."

I wonder if the Kangaroos will consider this a home game ???

> From August 11th AFANA Aussie Rules Media News ..."Reports in several
> sources indicate that the AFL is on track to announce an exhibition match in the Los
> Angeles area in January, 2005 as we have previously reported. Details continue to be
> hard to come by but indications are that one of the clubs interested are the
> Kangaroos."

> I wonder if the Kangaroos will consider this a home game
> ???

He shoots...he scores!

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp

> How can you question my intelligence when the Blues are
> one of my favorite teams? Are you saying I am dumb to support the
> Blues

> You should have jumped to my defense when Swan Man was ripping the
> Blues earlier.

Good on ya for supporting the right team, but the Swans are a great side too.
Lisa

> Good on ya for supporting the right team, but the Swans are a great side too.
> Lisa

To the newbie,

I have been a member of Geelong since 1997, but each person has a side they barrack for and which ever side you choose (as long as it isn't Footscray or Collingwood), good on you. ESPN brought the footy to the USA and Canada in the early 1980's and ESPN is totally worthless on getting footy to be popular here, since Major League Baseball, the NBA , the NHL and the NFL (not as much compared to baseball and basketball) have priced the fan out of the market (player salaries and ownership greed). It just costs too much to attend. Yippee for television, or most of us couldn't see a game, regardless of the sport you follow.
If you haven't picked a side yet, Geelong is the greatest team of all, because the song says so.

> If you haven't picked a side yet, Geelong is the greatest team of all, because the
> song says so.

Yes, but do they play football the way it should be played?

Cheer, cheer, the red and the white...

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp