Australia is commonly known for being home to most of the exotic wild animals and spiders you won’t find anywhere else in the world. But like any other place in the world, she has her sports, and one of such is Aussie Rules.
Aussie Rules have been in existence since the middle of 19 century in one form or another, and it is very exclusive to Australia. Its game is pretty much exclusively played in Australia.
This country has the only professional league of its kind – the Australian Football League (AFL). Fans of the sport may identify it as a mix of football, footy, Australian rules, and Aussie rules. Rocketplay Australia explains what you should know about Aussie rules.
Game’s Aim
The aim of the game is to kick the football through a series of four goal posts which have different points attach to each of them. Depending on the goal post you get the football through, you score a number of points. This football can be played in series of fashions between teammates and the team that comes top at the end of the game is the team that gained the highest score.
Equipment Used and Number of Players
The game is played on oval-sized pitches with dimensions varying from 135 to 185 meters in length, and width from 110 to 115 meters. Usually, Aussie Rules pitches mix with cricket fields as they are most times similar in dimension.
On these pitches, you’d find the four different goal posts, which are about 6 meters tall, and the two in front represent the main scoring place, and the two posts behind stand as the secondary scoring place. The pitches will be marked to show what places are inbound and which are not.
The two teams on the field of play must consist of 18 players assigned to specific positions, and they’re all allowed to move on the pitch. The ball used is made from leather and oval in shape, like a rugby ball.
The teams can have a maximum of three substitutes who can enter and leave the field of play as many times as they want. This is known as “rolling” and once a player gets substituted, such [layer then becomes a rolling.
The team’s formation is made of a group of players known as the full-forward, another group as centerline group, half-forward, full-back group, and half-back. There are three main umpires in this game known as the field umpires who make the decisions on time, infringements, and ensure the rules. In addition, are two-line judges to see when the ball goes out of bounds, and lastly, two umpires are known as the goal umpires who decide if a goal has been scored.
Getting Points
Of the four goalposts, if the ball is kicked through the first two, then 6 points are awarded to the scoring team. If the ball goes through a goalpost and one of the last two, one point is awarded. Also, the attacking team gets a point for successfully carrying the ball through the scoring line, The team that gained the highest number of points wins.
Rules
There are 20 minutes in four quarters of the game, and the winning team is the team that gained the highest number of points. The game starts with what is known as ruck which is when the umpire throws the ball into the air and a player from either team tries to tap into their teams. This is redone every time a team scores a goal.
Also, the ball must be passed by punching with a clenched fist while the other holds the ball, and players are allowed to tackle other players from shoulder height downwards. In addition to these, players are allowed to mark the ball, block opposition by trying to move players away from the ball, and are forbidden from pushing their opponents in the back whilst in a tackle or when they are running.