Sports, especially football, defines Australia. Everyone in Australia is aware of the AFL but some people might wonder what AFL (Australian Football League) actually is? And how does it work?
For starters, It is a premier league of Australian football competition and is deemed one of Australia’s most popular games. Some Aussies might even say it is a way of life for them. Due to its popularity, it is extremely common to see AFL odds everywhere in the media, and even friends and family tip against each other to see which team amongst their favorites will beat the opposing team.
Some of the most popular teams are Richmond, Carlton, or even Collingwood.
First documented AFL games were initially played in late 1858, with around 18 teams. Ever since, watching the game and adding their excitement by raising the win’s stake has been a prevalent pastime for many Aussies, where they hang out at a buddy’s place after work and crack open a beer to relax and unwind from a stressful day of work.
History of Australian Football League:
The Australian Football League was known to be played right from the Victorian Age (1897 – 1989), and hence it is also known as the Victorian Football league which is one of the reasons why teams from the state of Victoria have been dominating the AFL since 1990.( 19 out of 30)
The AFL is now extremely popular and has 18 teams in the league, mainly dominated by ten leading clubs based in Victoria, two of them from South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland.
Every team that is playing plays a total of 22 games every season out of the total matches being played, and out of them, the top eight qualifying teams head towards playing for the AFL finals, which goes on for four weeks. It leads to the finals, with the top 2 finalists, and the Grand Finale takes place either on the last Saturday of September or could also occur on the first Saturday of October, depending on the games. This game is held in the Cricket Ground of Melbourne.
What players and teams to keep an eye out for?
It is always good to go through the top teams’ list and follow the games closely to have a precise bet. As in 2021, the AFL is expected to be played on March 18th, with the opening taking place between the three-time grand champions in four seasons, the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues.
- Richmond Tigers, with their three wins, are trying to hit their hat-trick now this season, and a player to keep in mind is Dustin Martin, who is a three-time winner of the Norm Smith Medal.
- Geelong cats did miss out on the opportunity last year, but it was essential to decide after three losses in the preliminary round. Still, the signing of Jeremy Cameron, the star forward, to play alongside Tom Hawkins, a Coleman Medal winner, and Cameron Guthrie and Patrick Dangerfield, the two midfield guns, most definitely helped recover from Gary Ablett’s retirement.
- Brisbane Lions are next on the ladder after their two consecutive second-place wins. Members of the team such as Charlie Cameron, Dayne Zorko, Lachie Neale make the team very strong and define a talent dripping squad, and it got even better post the arrival of Joe Daniher.
