New AFL fan from Canada

[bkozican]

welcome to big footy mate

reading these internation threads makes me realise.........Man we play a great game

 

[Ogopogo]

Thanks for that, an interesting read.

I am potentially spending some time in Canada next year and wouldn't mind joining a footy team. I stopped playing when I was 17 but can kick on the run with accuracy and can easily run and bounce. I am just very unfit, albeit quite thin.

Based on your observations I feel like I'd easily make the national team if I was eligible, despite not having played for over 20 years, plus I was only an okish player growing up.

I hope the standard improves over time.

I hope I didn't undersell the players - they are good athletes, but they are typically new to the game and many have only played it for two, three or four years.

That being said, if you have a lot of experience playing the game, I believe you could be part of the national team. The challenge, of course, you may need to be a Canadian citizen to be on the team. You could definitely play for a local club in whatever city you end up in - only the major cities have clubs.

 

[Ogopogo]

welcome to big footy mate

reading these internation threads makes me realise.........Man we play a great game

Thanks for the welcome. Yes, you do play a great game, most of the world is missing out on something special.

 

[lloydbraun]

I hope I didn't undersell the players - they are good athletes, but they are typically new to the game and many have only played it for two, three or four years.

That being said, if you have a lot of experience playing the game, I believe you could be part of the national team. The challenge, of course, you may need to be a Canadian citizen to be on the team. You could definitely play for a local club in whatever city you end up in - only the major cities have clubs.

Oh yeah I know I wouldn't be eligible to play for the national side, I was being hypothetical.

I guess they would be far fitter than myself so being able to run and kick/handball accurately would be pretty useless if I can't keep up with the opposition to actually get the ball.

Hopefully the standard of play improves over time.

In regards to the players receiving yellow cards that doesn't happen in the AFL but I think it does in many of the amateur leagues?

 

[Ogopogo]

Oh yeah I know I wouldn't be eligible to play for the national side, I was being hypothetical.

I guess they would be far fitter than myself so being able to run and kick/handball accurately would be pretty useless if I can't keep up with the opposition to actually get the ball.

Hopefully the standard of play improves over time.

In regards to the players receiving yellow cards that doesn't happen in the AFL but I think it does in many of the amateur leagues?

I believe it will but, it will never be to the standards you have in Australia. In Canada and the USA, it is not a game that kids grow up with, it is not a passion to the sports fans here. When a game is not a passion, the level of play will always be lower than in areas where it is a passion.

I suspect that Australian football in Canada will always be like ice hockey in Australia. A very small percentage of the population will play it and they will always be well below the standards of the top professional players in the world. Passion drives talent. Unfortunately, very few Canadians are passionate about Australian football.

 

[jatz14]

You shouldnt be judging the standard by comparing it to televised AFL matches. Even in Australia, there are probably only a thousand or so players at that standard. I would compare to Amateur football or country leagues. The USA or Canada could not beat a good amateur team in an A grade league. Skills and ball movement is much better from the players that have played there whole lives (obviously). However I think the best players from the USA or Canada could play in teams of that standard, it is just that the worst players are nowhere near that standard.

AS for red and yellow cards, lower leagues do use that system, as well as junior leagues. The AFL uses the threat of suspension to control player behavior, but in lower leagues that is not much of a disincentive to whack someone. Getting sent of is much more effective.

 

[Kavliaris69]

Yes, every week. Would love to get AFL on TV in Canada.

Welcome to Big Footy. Great to see a new fan of the great game from the other side of the world. I have relatives in Montreal who were in Melbourne last summer so I have a soft spot for Canadians.

Not sure if this has been sent to you but if you want to watch live games you can subscribe to the AFL stream service and never miss a game. See link below and hope to see you on the boards.

http://afltv.afl.com.au/

Ps. Make sure to enter the realm of the "Bay 13" page. Anything goes and nothing is sacred. Great for laughs and some great posters also. Just read the rules regarding posting as there are limits to what can be posted with regards to race, sex, religion, language, etc.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/forums/bay-13.138/

 

[Ogopogo]

Welcome to Big Footy. Great to see a new fan of the great game from the other side of the world. I have relatives in Montreal who were in Melbourne last summer so I have a soft spot for Canadians.

Not sure if this has been sent to you but if you want to watch live games you can subscribe to the AFL stream service and never miss a game. See link below and hope to see you on the boards.

http://afltv.afl.com.au/

Ps. Make sure to enter the realm of the "Bay 13" page. Anything goes and nothing is sacred. Great for laughs and some great posters also. Just read the rules regarding posting as there are limits to what can be posted with regards to race, sex, religion, language, etc.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/forums/bay-13.138/

Thanks for the information.

After half a season of trying many not so successful options to see the Suns play online, I finally paid for a subscription to AFL TV back in round 13 or 14 and I love it.

I will check out Bay 13 - sounds interesting.

 

[Karnezis_13]

I will check out Bay 13 - sounds interesting.

It has a certain ... flavour ... be warned.

 

[Keno]

Thanks for that, an interesting read.

I am potentially spending some time in Canada next year and wouldn't mind joining a footy team. I stopped playing when I was 17 but can kick on the run with accuracy and can easily run and bounce. I am just very unfit, albeit quite thin.

Based on your observations I feel like I'd easily make the national team if I was eligible, despite not having played for over 20 years, plus I was only an okish player growing up.

I hope the standard improves over time.

I think you would be very surprised at the standard of both international footy and club footy here in Canada. The international standard is definitely beyond that of somebody who was an Ok player but haven't played in 20 years. Like you alluded to yourself, kicking accurately in the park is far different than executing in games with pressure and gut running.

Of course the international standard is light years from the AFL, one is a professional, billion dollar industry while the others are true amateurs with careers or going to school and making time to train and play a sport that is completely new to them. Like Jatz mentioned, it's not really an apt comparison. He is pretty spot on in his analysis, there are definitely a few guys who wouldn't be out of place in the high level Amo's and country leagues but the team as a whole would have a hard time beating a C grade team let alone A grade. I don't think Ogopogo was wrong in his observations from the day (I wasn't there but am familiar with the level of play) but may just have undersold the standard because it's so different to what he's used to watching on TV.

As for club footy, in Ontario we have a limit on the number of aussies per team. 6 on the field, 8 on the team sheet in order to give more playing time to Canadians and develop the sport. There have been and there are some very good Aussie players in the league, guys that played in the SANFL,WAFL,VFL, A grade and other good country leagues. Someone that hasn't played in 20 years probably wouldn't make the firsts even if they were skilled, due to the limit on aussies. They would probably have to play in the 2's for most teams. There are also Canadian rookies of course so you have a wide disparity between the best and the worst players on the field. That being said, overall it is a pretty good level of footy and I think you'd be surprised.

Anyways Llyod, no matter where you end up in Canada playing footy here is a great way to make new mates and enjoy a taste of home. If you're gonna be in Toronto check out the Toronto Central Blues, bluesafc.ca We pride ourselves on being the most welcoming and social club out there.

 

[Brown Bottle]

What's the deadline for draft nominations Keno?

And what happens if I don't want to go to Edmonton?

 

[Ogopogo]

I ended up winning my AFL fantasy elite league this year! It was a close finish but I take pride in beating a guy from Melbourne. ;-)

And a comment on Keno's post: I probably did undersell the Canada/USA players a little. I suspect Canadian and American club team footy would be interesting to watch with some Aussies on the ground. People who grow up with the game will have some great footy instincts that Canadians haven't developed.

 

[Mingo]

With my fiance being Canadian and living in Canada for three years, we decided to go to the International Cup to see Canada play Japan in Melbourne a couple of years ago. Canada were far too strong and big for Japan and ended up winning by about 80, but it's not a bad standard of football. They're only going to get better and better too I imagine.

 

[Catfish Alley]

I am potentially spending some time in Canada next year and wouldn't mind joining a footy team.

If you go to Vancouver you could try the league here. The standard is actually fairly good with a blend of Canucks and Aussies.

 

[Ogopogo]

I just finished Gary Linnell's book on Ablett Sr. "Playing God". It was a fascinating read - Ablett's life sure was a mess. It's really amazing he could play football at such a high level despite all of his efforts to ruin his life. He was like a 13 year old in a man's body.

I often feel, it is better to not know what a sporting hero is like off the field, it taints our view of the sport itself. So sad that Great players like Carey and Ablett did everything they could to destroy their lives and the lives of those around them.

Is the legacy of these players forever tarnished or even ruined for you?

 

[The_Reaper]

I just finished Gary Linnell's book on Ablett Sr. "Playing God". It was a fascinating read - Ablett's life sure was a mess. It's really amazing he could play football at such a high level despite all of his efforts to ruin his life. He was like a 13 year old in a man's body.

I often feel, it is better to not know what a sporting hero is like off the field, it taints our view of the sport itself. So sad that Great players like Carey and Ablett did everything they could to destroy their lives and the lives of those around them.

Is the legacy of these players forever tarnished or even ruined for you?

Like most West Coast supporters of my age Ben Cousins was a childhood hero.

And his off field dramas have never tainted my memory of him as a player.

 

[Ogopogo]

Like most West Coast supporters of my age Ben Cousins was a childhood hero.

And his off field dramas have never tainted my memory of him as a player.

Yes, the distinction of supporting a player's on-field performance must be separated from their off-field lifestyles to truly enjoy sport, IMO. We barrack for how they play not how they live. Keeping those things separate as much as possible is healthy. If we knew them on a personal level, we may find we dislike a large percentage of athletes.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Ogopogo you probably have read about the 1989 Grand Final in the Garry Ablett Snr book and other stuff you have read as well as seen highlights on You Tube, but a doco on the game was released by channel 9 on Thursday night in Melbourne and around the rest of Oz this afternoon.

The 1989 GF was the last of the truly brutal old style of football. The game started being cleaned up after that. It was almost the perfect end to the 1980's decade. If the game had been a draw then at least 6 of the 20 players from Hawthorn and 6 of the 20 from Geelong wouldn't have been fit enough to play in the GF replay the next week. [In the mid 1990's the game went to 21 players then 22 in the space of 3 years].

24 years on you can see how much the game still affects the players and the Geelong coach Malcolm Blight ( who resigned from the Gold Coast board mid season to help your coach Guy McKenna this year). Hawthorn coach Allan Jeans died in 2011. He was a policeman, think he reached the rank of senior sergeant. But they have old interviews with him. I think you will enjoy this and probably have a few questions. Thanks to the wonders of You Tube and whoever taped this the other night.

 

[Footypie32]

Ogopogo you probably have read about the 1989 Grand Final in the Garry Ablett Snr book and other stuff you have read as well as seen highlights on You Tube, but a doco on the game was released by channel 9 on Thursday night in Melbourne and around the rest of Oz this afternoon.

The 1989 GF was the last of the truly brutal old style of football. The game started being cleaned up after that. It was almost the perfect end to the 1980's decade. If the game had been a draw then at least 6 of the 20 players from Hawthorn and 6 of the 20 from Geelong wouldn't have been fit enough to play in the GF replay the next week. [In the mid 1990's the game went to 21 players then 22 in the space of 3 years].

24 years on you can see how much the game still affects the players and the Geelong coach Malcolm Blight ( who resigned from the Gold Coast board mid season to help your coach Guy McKenna this year). Hawthorn coach Allan Jeans died in 2011. He was a policeman, think he reached the rank of senior sergeant. But they have old interviews with him. I think you will enjoy this and probably have a few questions. Thanks to the wonders of You Tube and whoever taped this the other night.

Cheers for posting that. That was awesome.

 

[Freomaniac]

Yes, Edmonton is really the coldest big city in the world, I believe. We are about the same latitude as Helsinki and Moscow and winter lasts close to 5 months with temps of below 0 (sometimes as low as -30) with snow on the ground for most of the 5 months. The Gold Coast sounds spectacular for weather - I envy Australians, you won the lottery on great weather!

The Power are off to a great start, this should be another tough test for the Suns. Looking forward to it.

So your From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

What are your thoughts on Calgary, Alberta, Canada?

Calgary worship 2 things over there. Ice Hockey and Pro Wrestling. Being a massive wrestling fan for many years Calgary is known for the Hart Family. Most notably Bret and Owen Hart and the Father of the Family Stu Hart.

 

[Bennett.]

I can't wait to move to Canada.

Tim Horton's FTW!!

 

[Ogopogo]

So your From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

What are your thoughts on Calgary, Alberta, Canada?

Calgary worship 2 things over there. Ice Hockey and Pro Wrestling. Being a massive wrestling fan for many years Calgary is known for the Hart Family. Most notably Bret and Owen Hart and the Father of the Family Stu Hart.

Calgary is a nice city - to be honest, it is very much like Edmonton. I know there is a sporting rivalry between the two cities and people like to consider the other city the enemy but, I don't really get too involved in that stuff. If a great opportunity came up in Calgary, I would move there. I would still be an Edmonton Oilers fan but, the city is a good place to be.

Alberta as a whole is a great place. The economy is strong, jobs pay well and we have all the amenities you could want. I recommend Alberta as a place to live for anyone on the planet. The oil companies here are constantly recruiting foreign workers because there aren't enough Albertans to fill the jobs. Winters can be cold but, outside of that, it is a wonderful place to live.

 

[Ogopogo]

I can't wait to move to Canada.

Tim Horton's FTW!!

Tim Horton's is a wonderful thing.

You will enjoy Canada. I have never been to Australia but, have been told that it is very much like Canada with warmer weather. This is a great place to live but, Australia is as well. Our nations are two of the greatest places in the world to be.

 

[Bennett.]

Tim Horton's is a wonderful thing.

You will enjoy Canada. I have never been to Australia but, have been told that it is very much like Canada with warmer weather. This is a great place to live but, Australia is as well. Our nations are two of the greatest places in the world to live.

I've been 3 times but I am married to a Newfie so that helps. I am genuinely in love with the place.

 

[Ogopogo]

I met a guy on the bus here in Edmonton wearing a Geelong Cats hat! It was nice that he tried to explain to me who the Cats are.