The thing I love about the world of sports is that there’s quite literally something for everyone. Especially when it comes to a singular sport.

Take the National Football League, for example. You have the Canadian Football League with vastly different rules, an extra receiver, and a very different ball!

A couple of years ago, I got briefly introduced to the Australian Football League. Also very different from the NFL. I’ve recently gotten back into the AFL. Through my (cursory) understanding of the sport, it appears to be a hybrid of football (not soccer) and rugby.

I’m going to attempt to keep up with the season week-to-week. The AFL Women’s league starts in August so keep an eye out for a separate post following the AFLW season.

One thing to note is that, of the 18 AFL men’s teams, half are in and around the Melbourne area. And a tenth team (the Geelong Cats) is just over an hour southwest!

Opening Round - Collingwood Magpies vs. St. Kilda Saints

Collingwood narrowly won the final game of Opening Round 11.12 (78) to 9.12 (66), but what a game to watch as my first go. Here’s a guide to what the numbers outside the brackets represent.

Not all teams play Opening Round. My understanding is the purpose this week is to grow the popularity of the game in northern Australia (Northern Territory currently has zero AFL teams).

The Collingwood Magpies are apparently the “best” team in the league, but widely considered also the most disliked. A recent survey of AFL fans had 25% of fans disliking the Magpies. Their last championship was in 2023. I asked Reddit AFL fans (yes, Reddit is a great source for finding a new interest!) and I made the connection between Collingwood and the Golden State Warriors when this happened. The welcoming fans there agreed that correlation was valid. I know to steer clear and probably even actively root against Collingwood!

I’ll try to catch more than one game in Round One. Stay tuned!