Australia's Game

September, in Australia, is the climax of the country's football seasons.

An exciting time for players and fans of both rugby league and Aussie Rules as the top teams battle it out to reach the Grand Final of their respective codes.

My NRL team the South Sydney Rabbitohs have had a great year. They made the Finals Series for the first time in eighteen years after a generation of being no-hopers. Despite going out on Saturday night to a strong Manly outfit, they've still provided me with some great moments since our arrival in Australia. I have still to achieve my ambition of seeing them play live, but I've watched them on the telly whenever possible since we've been over here and enjoyed it, I have.

Footy, as British people know it, is Association Football or soccer. In Australia, depending on where you are, footy can either be rugby league or Australian Rules football.

In Queensland and New South Wales rugby league dominates the headlines and the air-time, but here, in Kelly Country and in South and Western Australia, Aussie Rules is the go. In a big way. Much like home, everyone here has got a favourite team and the majority of the fans are fanatics.

I've heard and read that to understand a people you must understand their sport. Whilst in America I grew to enjoy baseball and, in turn, grew to enjoy America. So, this Sunday arvo, me and the family did the dinky-di and went to the footy. Which, roughly translated, means that the family and I did the typical Australian's thing this Sunday afternoon by going to watch an Aussie Rules game.

The code originated in Melbourne in 1858, and was devised to keep cricketers fit during the winter months. It's played on a cricket oval and there are 18 players on each team (I think!) And, given that all other sports played over here have their origins overseas, Australian Rules football can, without fear of contradiction, be regarded as Australia's Game.

To the untrained eye the game looks colourful yet chaotic. Melees break out frequently as players fight for possession. Once in possession players treat the ball like a hot potato and often get rid of it ultra-quickly by either hoofing down field as far as they can, or by punching it to a team-mate.

I didn't think I'd enjoy it and held out even less hope for the wife and kids. Playing time alone is two hours, split up into four half-hour quarters. I didn't expect us to see the full game out, but we did and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

It was the local team, Wodonga Bulldogs taking on the Yarrawonga Pigeons in a sudden-death finals match with the winner proceeding to a semi-final and the loser going out of the competition. So there was a lot at stake even at this semi-professional level and the teams got stuck straight into each other as soon as the game kicked off.

There were quite a few fights in the early stages and the girls absolutely loved it! One broke out on the boundary line near us and the girls were jumping up and down with excitement. What happened to my mild-mannered daughters who like doing cartwheels and making daisy chains?

I was surprised and impressed by the speed and physicality of the contest. The bloke standing next to me must have regretted his choice of vantage point as I questioned every aspect of play that I didn't understand. Which was almost everything. But, in what we've found to be typical of Australians, nothing was too much trouble and he answered my every question with enthusiasm and threw in plenty of additional information as well.

The teams change ends at the end of every quarter and during the break the crowd get to go on the pitch and 'have a kick'. I thought that was great and so did the kids.

Wodonga won the game 108-79 and advance to the semi-final being played this weekend.

I wouldn't be surprised if we do the dinky-di again soon.