moggs Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 A link to an article about a memorial to a game of football played in London in 1916. I hope the link works as the article has some fascinating information about the game, the players and the reactions of those who witnessed it. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-04-24/the-blueprint-for-anzac-day-football I know many of you at the GWF won't know much about Australian Rules other than it being supposedly a rough and ready game apparently with no rules at all (or none that make much sense to an outsider) but I grew up with the game and very happily say it could be the best team game in the world. Others' opinions may differ and that's ok. In any case, I hope the memorial of the game is able to happen. If there are any of you who live near the possible site, near the Queen's Club, West Kensington and are able to confirm the actual site of the game - there is some uncertainty as to the exact spot - I'm sure the man involved, Dan Minogue, would be very appreciative. All the best Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 Jonathan - thanks. Channel 4 used to show the game here some years ago. Loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 If I remember correctly, like ice hockey in Canada, they show highlights of the punch-ups. On a serious note, when did Aussie Rules become an organised sport? It presumably started as an offshoot of Gaelic Football; I know that Ireland and Australia play internationals with hybrid rules. I too used to enjoy seeing it on Channel 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 On a serious note, when did Aussie Rules become an organised sport? It presumably started as an offshoot of Gaelic Football? I have a very comprehensively written first edition somewhere on my extensive shelves charting the origins of the game in some detail. Ah! Here it is... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football It looks as though the codification of Aussie Rules predates Gaelic football. In the same way that American football has no real link to Rugby football, I suppose the thinking currently is that all these games all originate from a universal ancestral ball game, where as in Britain, huge crowds would chase a ball from parish to parish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootrock Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 Contemporary newspaper reports of that game in 1916 just say that it was played at Queens Club or Queens Club ground. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill24chev Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 I believe MONTY PYTHON had a copy of the Australian Rules Football Code in their "little Red Book" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aneurin Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 Queens Club was a venue for rugby matches before WW1 - the Varsity Match was played there, for instance. In March 1916, a South African Heavy Artillery XV played a New Zealand Military team at Queens Club, so the Australian Rules game probably took place there too. For an account of the origins of Australian Rules, see the blog of Tony Collins, a leading academic sports (and rugby league) historian, who has recently posted three articles on the subject: http://www.tony-collins.org/rugbyreloaded/ His recent excellent book, The Oval World, A Global History of Rugby, has a chapter on rugby in WW1. Incidentally, he also demonstrates in another chapter that American Football did have its origins in rugby. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 Incidentally, he also demonstrates in another chapter that American Football did have its origins in rugby. There are many differing views on the matter. A bit like saying that man is descended from apes, as compared to man being descended from ape- like ancestors. Lots of ball games were in existence in Britain, in schools in particular in the mid 1850s. All involved handling and kicking of the ball, with heavy physical tackling, yet almost all were called 'football' Each school or college might have its own set of rules, and it is only when these different games were codified under a standard set of rules that you could call them Rugby, or Association Football or whatever. Rugby was codified in England in 1845, Sheffield and Cambridge Football were early varieties of soccer, with their own rules in the 1850s. The Football Association formed in 1863 attempted to have a single soccer code and introduced rules for 'Association Football' that year. Even in the last 2 decades of the 19th century, some clubs played under two different codes, namely football and rugby yet called themselves 'Football' clubs. It is possible to read newspaper reports from that era, that make it totally unclear as to which code was being played- references to full-backs, offside, and the winger who scorred the winning goal from a penalty, and so on. The earliest game of American Football documented, was a non-handling game played with a round ball. My view is that these games all originated from the uncodified 'primeval football game', which would be the common ancestor. With the exception of Rugby League of course which is directly descended from Union, following the schism in 1895. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 24 April , 2016 Share Posted 24 April , 2016 The expression "Australian Rules" and "organised" .... hmmm ... I recall, in the days when it was available on Channel 4, that the Brownlow Medal for "best and fairest" (hah!) was won by this chap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_DiPierdomenico which was along the lines of giving Tyson Fury a medal for his services to sexual equality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Goode Posted 25 April , 2016 Share Posted 25 April , 2016 Obviously the skills required in the Australian game were transferable. The 5 Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company include their sporting achievements in their war diary in Jan 1918 as "45 games played 29 won 6 lost 10 drawn" They also record one Australian Rules Game against 11 Bn AIF which they lost. I am sorry to hear that AFL is no longer available to British viewers - adds a new dimension to "culturally deprived" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 25 April , 2016 Share Posted 25 April , 2016 It's probably available on Roop's Empire somewhere - Sky Sports 44+1 or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moggs Posted 25 April , 2016 Author Share Posted 25 April , 2016 Thanks for all the replies and interesting views. I'll see what I can do to pass them on - those about that game, of course. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 25 April , 2016 Share Posted 25 April , 2016 It's probably available on Roop's Empire somewhere - Sky Sports 44+1 or something. It's actually on BT Sport 1 at this very moment. Referee's a bit whistle happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 26 April , 2016 Share Posted 26 April , 2016 It's actually on BT Sport BT Sport! Damn - I have a subscription and I never realised. Must pay more attention. Brilliant - ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 26 April , 2016 Share Posted 26 April , 2016 BT Sport! Damn - I have a subscription and I never realised. Must pay more attention. Brilliant - ta. Sky 413. Ignoring repeats during the small hours of the morning, as far as I can see, it's next on Thursday night, 10:30pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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