AFL / Rugby debate

[DexterPunk]

Whats the go?? Its come up a few times of late for me... usually fans of rugby getting stuck in to AFL (but prob because im in Vic, I imagine its the opposite way around in NSW/QLD?). Does it really have to be a competition? they both have a oval-ish shaped ball, but thats about where the similarities end. I don't personally like watching rugby much, but i dont know the rules either. It seems a little silly comparing the both in a way... its like Tennis fans telling Squash fans their fav sport is shit. :S One of the recent observations was a friend who sent me a link to urban dictionary for AFL, which is pretty damn funny. Mostly consists of people making humorous observations about why AFL is a gay mans sport (most of them seemed to be written by people from NSW/QLD) lol. I decided to search Ruby League to see what funny observations may be written about a scrum and it was pretty much full of 'toughest sport on the planet, better than GayFL' etc, and things along the lines of 'League fans don't need to bag out AFL because we don't have an inferiority complex'. Also seemed to be mostly NSW/QLD guys, maybe the same ones?

Im wondering, i guess, if theres actually some true hatred forming from the Rugby camp, AFL seems to be quickly spreading across the nation, i remember when it was just a Victorian league (although im aware that Tasmanians, south aussies and West aussies played it as well). Seems theres going to be a second QLD team (Gold Coast). And i'd wonder how far off a second Sydney based team would be. Theres the Canberra league, maybe they will have a team one day? and Tasmania has played the game for a long time. Would love to see a tassie team. Does all this threaten the life of League? I would have thought that it just gives another option, another team to support and go watch on the week end if people so choose to. I always thought that us guys having a dig at each other was just to ruffle each others feathers for a bit for fun, a bit like us aussies having a go at the poms, and vice versa... But is there a more serious distaste for AFL moving in on Rugbys territory i wonder.

[Exar Kun]

Should probably make sure you call it "league" rather than rugby. Different games those hehe.

Off topic slightly but I think it's bloody amazing that we are a world force in union and league and really not all that shabby in soccer when none of those are the number one football code in the country.

[DexterPunk]

i thought league was just a variation under the rugby umbrella so to speak... after all, it is called 'rugby' league yes? Similar to saying its not Poker, its Texas Holdem. Is that accurate? or am i way off?


aussies always seem to punch above their weight in world sports... same can be said for NZ in a lot of cases.

[Bauer]

Would love to see a tassie team.

Hawthorn play 4 or so games down here per year and I would love to see it stay that way. I really dont think we can sustain a full blown team down here. The Hawks have picked up a lot of supporters over the last few years but Tassie has always been a VFL/AFL state and we already support this team or that. I know I wouldnt change my allegiance.

i like the concept though and would be happy to have Hawthorn down here full time if we could afford it.

[nutty]

i thought league was just a variation under the rugby umbrella so to speak... after all, it is called 'rugby' league yes? Similar to saying its not Poker, its Texas Holdem. Is that accurate? or am i way off?


aussies always seem to punch above their weight in world sports... same can be said for NZ in a lot of cases.

Not really, there is a lot of simularites, but a lot of diffrences
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison ... ugby_union for a really detailed explination.

Union has 15 compared to leagues 13 players, when a player is tackled in league, the play is stopped and the player "plays the ball" to keep going, union once the ball is on the ground, you form a ruck and push over. Union is considered the more complicated game, its mostly played at private schools and has a smaller fan base, but its considered a more "sophisticated" fanbase

But on the topic, its just a rivalry thing, both codes have a heartland and people are brought up on that code, they are told its the greatest sport around. Its not really a Code vs Code thing, its more States vs States thing

Me personally, I love Rugby Union, I can stand league and generally dont like AFL.. If anything lately AFL seems like the days of huge kicks have been replaced for this really fast short kick games, just seems boring.. League has become a 5 hitups then a kick game, which is getting old fast. Union was becomming a real kick orentated game, but the ELV rules are making a huge difference and soo far and I have no doubt will be made into law for all games

[David Piglos Shaw]

I was born in Vic and have lived here most of my life, and therefore grew up with Australian Rules. I knew of rugby (didn't know there were 2 distinct variations), but didn't have any real interest until I watched George Gregan in THAT Bledisloe Cup match in 1994 and have loved Union ever since.

Once I got immersed in union, I started to take an interest in League as well.

My order of preference for the 3 codes:

Rugby
Australian Rules
Rugby League

As far as I'm concerned, they're all great games to watch at the highest level.


scrum: n. One man trying to push two heads up three arses.

[Enforcer-J]

I live in Adelaide so there isn't even a debate to be had

[Rots]

NRL & AFL are completely different other than both having oval shaped balls.

AFL has a big funny shaped oval like field and the players seem to be spread all other place all the time. When they are not kicking the ball (and the stupid ref isn't blowing that FUCKEN whistle) then they struggle to hold the freaking oval ball in their hands and its like watching Hot Potato by The Wiggles. I've tried to watch AFL so many times, but, the FUCKEN REF AND HIS WHISTLE BLOWING ABUSE drives me insane

NRL I understand the rules and watch weekly. I prefer the ball control and passing movement, line breaks, big tackles and kicks in play of the NRL game .The best thing? The ref doesn't blow the FUCKEN whistle everytime someone catches the ball from a kick. Plus NRL has the awesome show case games like the State of Origin. But I find games played in the ruck without ball movement boring as batshit.

I have to agree with you nutty about the 5 tackle and then kick being boring, but at least this year there have been some nice surprises. Like the kick out of scrum by the Rabbits. The best moment so far though was the Storm player playing the ball the wrong direction out of a tackle... stupid Victorians

[DexterPunk]

hes prob not victorian... are any of the strom victorians??? i bet most of them are from NSW or QLD, and just moved here for the team. Ive never met anyone who plays or has played rugby.

[Rots]

Greg Inglis plays for Storm, plays for QLD in the State of Origin but first played footy in Bowraville NSW. It is alleged his first senoir game was in QLD which makes him a QLD player, but, before moving to QLD he apparantly played a senoir graded game in the Hunter of NSW. There have been plently of arguments over him.

Anywho, many of the State of Origin players for both sides are not from their representative state. Some players are also from other countries as well (New Zealand, Torres Strait).

[Hz-Lab]

For the Record Dex, West Sydney are planned to join the AFL in 2012 after Gold Coast F.C. Join in 2011. Much debate has been had over whether or not Sydney can sustain 2 AFL teams (well, they easily could ,but will they, it's the AFL's toughest market)

I am not a huge AFL follower, I tend to have fads on it now and then. But i'd still rather watch it than any other Footy Code (bar Grid-Iron). I do however Love to watch Union. It's just a much more graceful game and for me, is more entertaining than League. But truth be told it's normally only about World Cup time i tend to get in on it. Soccer is the same, it's only the internationals that interest me.

but, in my book. Slamball is the new Global Game.. feckyeah!

[DexterPunk]

hgahahah slamball is rad!

yeah im not massive into any footy tbh... ill watch the odd game if the swans are playing.

[r8response]

Why do the AFL insist on bringing in new teams, when some of their current teams are simply struggling to survive?

[David Piglos Shaw]

Because they need the teams where there is a population that will sustain them. ATM there are 10 teams in Victoria, 9 in Melbourne, and that will be unsustainable.

But it they won't relocate, the alternative is to set up new bases in populated areas that may sustain a team, and let natural attirition do its thing.