I joined Aussie Rod and hundreds of
my closest fellow Aussie citizens for the Aussie Rules Grand Final, AKA the Australian Football Super Bowl. (BTW, I hold honorary Aussie, Canadian, Dominican, Kiwi, and Puerto Rican citizenships.) We gathered at BowlMor Lanes in the Village on Friday night on late Friday, September 26, 2008. JH unfortunately can't make it but is with
us in spirit.
I love baseball, football (soccer), basketball, hockey, and other sports but Aussie Rules is my favorite sport. It's my favorite because it basically combines the best of "hot potato" and "kill the guy with the ball". You have to bounce the ball and then pass it to another guy within three steps. Seriously, it combines the athleticism of football (soccer) with the team work of rugby without the injuries caused by American football's metal helmets.
Aussie Rules is a fast moving game with 4 quarters of 20 minutes of moving time. It's a high scoring game where six points are awarded for a goal (like a touchdown in American football), one point for a behind (like an extra point in American football), and you add them together. Therefore, if you see 13 + 15 = 93 points, it is 78 points for the goals (13 times 6) + 15 (15 one points for behinds) = 93 points. You'll often see points in the high double digits or low triple digits.
Back to tonight's action. Geelong was the defending champion after winning their first title in 44 years last year. Hawthorne was the second seeded team. The game was close in the first half but Hawthorne pulled away in the second half.
To get in the spirit of the game, I impersonated one of the umpires who signals a goal. (I just came from
the Mets loss at Shea to the Marlins so I wasn't in the best of moods.)
Hawthorne won the game 115 - 89. Congratulations to Hawthorne for winning the Grand Final!
Mega thanks to Aussie Rod for the invitation!
To learn more about the world's best sport, Aussie Rules Football, please check out the
NY Magpies Australian Football Club website for rules, schedules, and other fun information.
Posted by The Tank reporting live from BowlMor Lanes in the Village.