Running Aussie Rules thread

The AFL said it was shortening its season. It normally plays 22 games but cut this season to 17.

I'm guessing that the idea at the time was that if the season was interrupted, they would just take any postponed rounds and move them to the end of the season but with fewer to reschedule, they could avoid extending the season into October or November.

But it would have made more sense to me to take the games off at the *beginning* of the season and look to start it in mid-May.

 

That sounds about right.

Friends in Oz say they’re done through the end of April.

If things improve, maybe they can restart.

 

Flipping through one of the Aussie home pages before crashing last night, it appeared Rugby League would carry on.

 

I'm not sure how they can. My understanding is that most Australian states have prohibited travel between them.

 

Which will affect something like four or five NRL sides. Most of the “National” Rugby League plays in the Sydney suburbs.

 

But there are a few clubs in Queensland and one in Melbourne. They'd either have to cancel just those games or force them to play all their home games in New South Wales.

 

Was channel surfing before starting a 6 a.m. shift today and saw a little of some match. Now just comfirming, and sorry for the month-old link, but, it's back!

Australian rules football league ready to resume June 11

 

That was fun while it lasted. AFL Twitter wryly notes this isn't the first time Essendon disrupted a season with positive tests.

 

I have been working out on the home elliptical most mornings around 6:30 and AFL is certainly a better option than KBL or what I think is New Zealand rugby.

 

Which explains why there's a "Best of SportsCenter" on ESPN2 now.

 

New Zealand's rugby teams are part of a league that also includes teams in Australia, South Africa and one in Argentina. Because NZ has been able to almost eliminate COVID-19, its five teams are playing a double-round robin schedule. And they're playing in front of real crowds instead of a scattered few with pumped-in crowd noise.

 

Once again, Fox gets around to signing an Aussie Rules carriage deal, this time eight weeks into the season (though to be fair, there's still 4 1/2 months of regular season left and the finals series until the Grand Final in late September).