Collingwood Magpies vs Carlton Blues, Round 18, 2007
This Saturday, I decided to do something which was long overdue. I attended my first game of Australian Rules Football at the MCG. Now... I've been to the MCG before. I first went to watch Australia tie Brazil in a soccer match. I have also been to see the Cricket (fitting, as MCG is short for "Melbourne Cricket Ground"). I have even run on the MCG when there was an athletics track in the middle for the Commonwealth Games. I've even been to the footy before, although it was at Telstra Dome, an inferior venue. Anyway... I may not be back in Melbourne for quite some time, so I thought I owed it to myself to watch the footy at the 'G.
This is gate 2. Members reserve... all that means is that you have to wear a collar to get in. You don't, however need a leash...
The Collingwood/Carlton rivalry is meant to be very fierce. Judging by their relative positions on the ladder, this rivalry probably won't peak in fierceness today. Here we observe one of the stranger AFL traditions and that is the weird banners.
It seems strange that people would go to all the effort of putting together such a nice big banner... only to have the players run through it, ruining all your hard work.
...and the big men fly. The game begins with a "bounce" where the umpire bounces the ball in the middle of the ground to signify that the game has started and that the players from opposing teams can begin killing each other. The two guys in the middle are already getting into it with some flying knee action.
Notice that this faces *towards* the ground. I'm not sure why the players would need to know that the members stand is on this side... maybe if they want to aim a "stray" kick at some ponce.
In one of the rare moments during a game when everybody isn't trying to kill everyone else... Travis Cloke kicks the ball between the tall uprights for six points (apparently, this is the object of the game... after the killing thing)
When the ball goes out of bounds, an umpire throws it back in. Moreover, he does it backwards so as not to appear to favour any of the teams. If he wants to do that, he just gives the team he likes more free kicks.
A Collingwood player kicks the ball while a Carlton player checks him out.
The number may look big... but the MCG holds nearly 100,000 people... so it was nowhere near a full house. You'll have to wait for the finals for that.
For the record, Collingwood won by 24 points. Which is a good thing, as I am a Collingwood supporter.