Aussie Rules Betting

It’s a testament to the power of Australia’s love for cricket that Aussie Rules Football exists at all. The idea of a ‘foot-ball league’ was first touted in 1858 by Tom Wills, captain of the Victoria Cricket Team “as a way for cricketers to keep fit in the winter”. The first games were played on cricket pitches, and when the Aussie Rules eventually became a sport in its own right, it kept the oval-shaped field.

When it came to formulating the rules of the game, practical ideas were introduced in 1859, together with a strong sense of individualism that stemmed from anti-colonialism. The offside rule, for example, a regular feature of English public school games, was done away with altogether. The rules as we know them now took a while to come together. At one point, there was no fixed length to the match – it ended when one team had scored two goals.

It was not until about 50 years after it was invented that the rules were codified and the game became a national pastime. Now, it has the highest spectator attendance and TV viewership of any sport in Australia, eclipsing both rugby codes and cricket, and is the fourth-highest attended sports league in the world. Every weekend during the season, fans around the world are checking the Aussie Rules odds and having fun with Aussie Rules betting.

How to Play

Watching Aussie Rules for the first time, you might be forgiven for thinking that you are witnessing anarchy. Having a clear idea of what’s going on will affect your Aussie Rules betting strategy. The oval-shaped Aussie Rules pitch is far bigger than just about any other game pitch in the world (the only one bigger is polo), with a regular football pitch fitting comfortably inside and still having plenty of room. Teams consist of 18 players on the field and 4 substitutes.

Many of the rules seem to be taken from other sports. For example, players can run with the ball, but have to bounce it every 16 yards (not necessarily an easy feat with a rugby-shaped ball). The ball can be sent forward by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other (much like as in volleyball). This is known as a ‘handball’ but is totally legal. The ball can also be kicked. If the ball is high and the catcher has to jump to retrieve it, this is known as a ‘mark’ (like in Rugby Union). Play can continue, but if the player wishes, play will stop and they can essentially take a free kick.

These marks are one of the hallmarks of Aussie rules. You can use another player to ‘climb’ higher into the air, just as long as you don’t use your arms to do it. This has led to the unusual sight of seeing an already tall player leaping into the air, aiming his knees at the opponent’s shoulders and then using that to rise even higher into the air. Of course, what goes up, must come down, and this often leads to some spectacular crashes. Tackling is also permitted, as long contact is only made between the shoulders and the knees.

To score, players need to kick the ball between the two large upright posts. This is a goal, and is worth 6 points. If the kick bounces off a post or goes between one of the large posts and one of the smaller posts to either side of the large ones, this is called a ‘behind’. The way scores and final scores are displayed in Aussie Rules is a little different to other sports because they break down the types of score as well as the main total. So, a final score will be displayed as follows: “Melbourne Football Club 5.12 (42), Sydney Swans 15.5 (95)”. This is the amount of goals, the amount of behinds and in brackets, the total of both. Definitely something to bear in mind when Aussie Rules betting.

A League of their Own

For Aussie Rules betting, you need to know the leagues. There’s only one league – the AFL. This was created in 1897 as the VFL (Victoria Football League) and comprised of eight teams. Before long another 10 teams were added to get the where we are today. There are no other leagues other than the AFL. You can find numerous sites online for Aussie Rules betting, including NetBet. Many people in Australia decide against checking the Aussie Rules odds and betting on individual games and instead choose to play a fantasy league as can be done in other sports.

One thing to bear in mind toward the end of the season is the Mark of the Year award for Aussie Rules betting. This is the award given to the best catch of a ball that has been kicked and travels 15 metres without hitting the ground. To qualify, the mark must be spectacular, which leaping onto or above the shoulders of an opposing player. These high-flying catches are amazing viewing but the landing can be a bit tricky.

Unlike many sports, no one team is dominant for long. The Hawthorn Hawks had a good run, winning the AFL championship three years in a row between 2013 to 2015. This means that there’s a better range of Aussie Rules odds to wager on.

Finding their Place

Aussie rules is traditionally not a game (like rugby or football) where players come from around the world. However, it does occasionally happen. Mason Cox was a college basketball player who played for Oklahoma. At 6ft 11, it seemed likely that that he would go on to join the NFL and have a career there. Instead, he was approached by an AFL scout who signed him to Collingwood. In his first professional AFL game, he made his first mark under two minutes into the game and scored a goal with his first kick. In 2018, during a game against Richmond, he achieved Man of the Match for kicking three consecutive goals.