Aussie Rod invited me to the NYC premier of Aussie Rules Football earlier this year.  Aussie Rod is a referee in the local league and referees in games around the country.  He is pictured below. 

 

  

 

 

As I have often written on SATT and told many around the world, Aussie Rules Football is the best sport ever because it combines speed, athletism, and team work.  It's played on real grass, NOT astro turf like other types of football.  Lastly, it's “kill the guy with the ball” as the ball is tossed or kicked like a hot potato from player to player.  Injuries occur but not as often as American Football because there are no metal helmets.

Though this event took place months ago, I wanted to include it as a highlight of the year.  A May Monday was a historic night because Manhattan finally hosted an Aussie Rules game.  It was a "State of Origin" game pitting the local NY Magpies versus a Victoria club from Australia.  The NY Magpies are the real deal on and off the pitch.  When bush fires struck Australia a while back, the Magpies organized a benefit at the Australian in Midtown.  I invited SATT readers in my Slam Dunk Leukemia and Australian Bush fires on Valentine's Day post.  The Magpies raised over $100,000 for the Australian Red Cross and were commended by the Australian Consulate.

The Lady Magpies played first and then the gents were played the nightcap.  Both teams played hard and gave their Victorian opponents all they could handle.  Aussie Rod refereed the matches and kept order on the pitch.  This historic group photos are below.

 

Ladies first.

 

The gents.

 

In the best spirit of sportsmanship, all teams descended upon the Rusty Knot near Pier 40 to rehydrate and rejoice in the awesomeness of Aussie Rules Football.

First and third photos courtesy of Aussie Rod.  I took the photo of the ladies.  Posted by The Tank reporting live from Pier 40 near Houston Street on the West Side of Manhattan.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  Booo!

But tomorrow night is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.  Yeah!  Will Dwight "Superman" Howard defend his slam dunk title?

If your love life is in the tank like mine (no pun intended), turn that frown upside down and give the gift of life at the following events:

(1) Bone Marrow Drive:

Where: Italian Consulate: 690 Park Avenue at 69th Street

When: Saturday, February 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

How: Please take five minutes to give a bone marrow sample for a national database.

Why: A 31 year old DC man from Italy is being treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for leukemia.  He needs to find a bone marrow match.

Details: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=50159906249&ref=mf

I'll be there around 3:30 to 4 p.m.

 

(2) Australian Bush Fire Relief Benefit: It's then off to join my fellow New York Magpies (Aussie Rules Football Club) to raise money for victims of Australian bush fires.

Where: The Australian at 20 West 38th Street in Manhattan.

When: Saturday, February 14, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. (I'll be there sometime after 4 p.m. after the Bone Marrow Drive.)

How: $20 cover charge goes directly to the Australian Red Cross. The Australian will donate $2 from each drink goes to the fund.  There will be door prizes and hourly raffles of a case of VB, Victorian wines from Wine Australia, a Victorian wine tasting for six from The Australian, Tim Tams, Coopers, Jurlique, Crumpler bags and dinner for two at The Australian as well as a silent auction for a signed Collingwood Jumper and more.

Why: Help out Aussies suffering from wildfires.

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.