Now I understand AFL
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I have never been a fan of sport. I watch the obligatory AFL Grand Final with a party pie in hand. There is a lot of kicking, jumping, catching and running. My attitude – meh.
Everything changed when my step-daughter started playing Women’s AFL.
I became a SUPER fan.
Game by game I slowly picked up the rules. I got to know the players, the positions and the skill required to play this harsh game.
I learnt about the players strengths, the Umpires* challenges and the joy of AFL.
Sunday mornings became my favourite time of the week.
I loved listening to the winning team sing their song and hearing step-daughter’s comments on the game, divulging snippets of on-field shenanigans.
Heading into the semi finals the team were 4th on the ladder and had some strong skilled players.
Nanna and Grandad joined us and I warned Nanna that I was now a footy fan. She asked, “You’re not one of those shouty people, are you?” I nodded shamefully – I was. Her eyes rolled, she shook her head and smiled knowingly.
Being a novice, I was cautious to limit myself to a handful of generic informative coments such as:
“Ah – come on!’
‘You’re kidding me!’ and
“BALL – BALL!’ (with the appropriate hand gestures)
I can’t recall how many times I ask my husband (under my breath) ‘why did that happen’… and he patiently explained the rules to me again and again.
The game is just so quick.
We lost by two points. TWO points. No preliminary-final, no chance at the Grand Final. I was devastated.
In that moment, I understood why people are addicted to the sport, committed to the players and passionate about their teams.
AFL is a beautiful brutal game.
Next Sunday I’ll be doing something else, wishing I was at the footy.
*Umpires get a dreadful amount of abuse – if you know an Umpire buy them a beer. They go to work and get abused by hundreds of people, whilst running backwards. Don’t make it a light beer.
Are you an AFL convert?