What makes the game of Aussie Rules… what differentiates it from the other codes? Is it the unique blend of other sports? Is it the raw speed of the game? Is it the rich history? How does Aussie Rules stack up against the other winter codes? What defines it? If you make a second effort for the loose ball in Rugby Union or Rugby League, you risk the referee blowing the whistle for a knock on. That is if you are not pole-axed into the ground beforehand. If you make a second effort for the loose ball in Soccer, you risk the referee blowing the whistle to penalise you, or give you a yellow card or, worse still, send you off with a red card for an early shower. If you make a second effort for the loose ball in Aussie Rules, however, you risk nothing because the umpire is there to call: “play on – play on – play on.” If at first you don’t succeed, then have another go, and another go, and another; just keep going, keep at it, don’t give up. When you look at second efforts, it is not just applicable around the packs and stoppages. For example, you will see a forward give a lead to the kicker. If the kicker is not ready, then the forward will double back and lead again, and again. “Priority opportunity” also provokes a second effort. For the player with the ball it is the second effort to dispose of the ball after initially winning possession. For the opposition without the ball, it is the second effort to make a tackle. Even when you score a point in Aussie Rules, you get at least one second effort for another major scoring opportunity which is not the case in Rugby Union, Rugby League or Soccer. Everyone knows footy players cannot sing, but that doesn’t stop them from making a second effort when singing the club song each and every week. Other codes rarely sing in a first effort, let alone a second… Now here’s lies the uncanny charm of Aussie Rules, a game that proactively encourages a second effort… For that reason, I believe Aussie Rules is the quintessential Australian game; it is all part of what uniquely defines us as Australians, it is a game of second efforts. Given our heritage, second efforts are so much a fundamental part of the Australian psyche and that is what people want to see. In 2010, for example, the average crowd numbers across home and away season in the AFL was around 38,000 people. In the Super 14s it was nearly half that at just under 20,000, for Rugby League it was just over 16,500 people and for Soccer it was just over 8,500. When you look at the numbers, Australian Rules is more than the next two most popular codes put together. Globally, the AFL has the 3rd highest average attendances for a domestic outdoor professional league in any sport. It is surpassed only by the NFL and German Bundesliga. No other game has such a high percentage of second efforts and no other game has such high crowd attendances. The AFL Grand Final itself draws a larger crowd than the FA Cup Final. To truly appreciate what Aussie Rules means to us Australians, you need to look no further than the ANZAC Day match at the MCG between Collingwood and Essendon; a match that is regarded as the second most important match of the season behind the Grand Final It is a day where a crowd of around 100,000 people put aside their club allegiances because the ANZAC spirit and the spirit of Aussie Rules are interwoven, because not only are they are both about second efforts, but they are also what defines us. Consider that ANZAC Spirit at places that capture the second effort resolve: Gallipoli, the Somme, Fromelles, Tobruk, Kokoda, Long Tan or Kandahar… at Changi, on the Thai-Burma Railway, and the various Stalags across Germany. If at first you don’t succeed, then have another go, and another go, and another; just keep going, keep at it, don’t give up… Back in 2006 Kevin Sheedy spoke passionately about how Australian Rules is a microcosm of society. To him, the game of Australian Rules and life are interwoven because they are both about second efforts. To be first to the ball is not always possible just like in life, so we must make a second effort. Time and time again in Aussie Rules we applaud second efforts whether that is running down the opposition for a tackle, getting a contested hand ball out of the pack, or taking a mark on the second grab. A second effort can lift a crowd because it inspires the spectators. A second effort can lift a team because it creates a special bond between team mates; a camaraderie which can go far beyond the boundary line and far beyond the bounds of race, religion, or rank. In junior footy we see and feel a team lift after a second effort because it stands out. This is about the one-percenters where ordinary kids make an extraordinary effort that is a second effort, a third effort, a fourth effort. This is not about the end result of being first, but confidence in the process of making a second effort, a third effort, a fourth effort; to punch above your weight no matter what. Rugby may well be touted as the game played in Heaven, but you don’t need to be in Heaven to play Aussie Rules. Soccer may well be touted as the beautiful game, but you don’t need to be a prima donna to play Aussie Rules… So here’s to Aussie Rules the Antipodean game played by Antipodeans in a sunburnt country where a second effort is not in our blood but in our DNA; where a second effort is second nature. For the players of Australian Rules, there could be no better life skill to have because life itself is a game of second efforts. So fellow Antipodeans, if at first you don’t succeed, then have another go, and another go, and another; just keep going, keep at it, don’t give up… make a second effort
Last Modified on 15/10/2013 12:06