We are here in Melbourne and have just watched the Richmond v Carlton game at the MCG.

Thursday night regular season game 62k - I would hate to be the subs ref each team is allowed 120 yes 120 substitutions!! Each quarter is supposed to be 20 minutes not one finished inside 30 minutes.

The game is bonkers but a spectacle all the same - fans are incredibly passionate bit like RL in the UK

Skill levels seemed very patchy compared to league but I would recommend anyone who is visiting to give it a go

Attended several Aussie Rules games and always thoroughly enjoyed them... a regular season Collingwood V Geelong fixture last year being the most recent with 76k in attendance at the 'G'. Atmosphere-wise, the sport is way ahead of anything the NRL can serve up and their fans are way more committed.

Lovely City Melbourne. Sporting capital of Australia!

Hope you enjoy St Kilda beach

Can't get into the game myself. I've seen several Lions games and I do watch on TV sometimes, but it just doesn't have a great appeal as a sport. The atmosphere is good though, and Victorians in particular are far more passionate about their sport than anything else I've seen here except possibly Origin.

Have done with it and merge with Gaelic Football....

I'm sure the Admiral will be along shortly......

I really enjoyed the Rules something happening all the time Carlton looked out of it at half time they were 30 points behind. As you said the game can change very quickly - half way through Q4 Carlton were within 6 and should have been 30 in front.

This was my first visit to the MCG what a ground we were miles away but the viewing was excellent and the atmosphere brilliant. None of this waiting around for hours to get a train as you would at a English game with that size of crowd - onto the train back in South Yarra within 20 mins of the end of the game - back in the hotel to watch the replay on their dedicated channel.

Agree re the set up near the G it is impressive the tennis development centre is huge never mind the area where they play the Aussie Open

I was more impressed with the Bay of Islands and London Bridge than the Apostles - maybe because there was only 6 of us at the first two as opposed to 600 at the apostles.

At the time of my earlier post, Hawthorn we're leading Essendon 50-something to 20 in the 2nd Quarter, yet Essendon came back to lead by 10 late on in the game, only for Hawthorn to nick it 90-86. As I indicated earlier, the scoreline can change very significantly in next to no time in that sport.

Transport is excellent to and from the MCG on any game-day though it does get rammed at Jolimont Station. They'll still shift 10k passengers back to the city and beyond inside 20 minutes with the extra trains laid on. I usually take the pleasant walk across that bridge which plays indigenous music, along the riverside and then catch a train at Flinders St.

How long are you in the Melbourne area? Any other plans elsewhere in Oz?

If you're on the lookout for decent restaurant options (particularly Italian) try Lygon Street.

We are here for another two weeks - we walked across the bridge on the way to the game.

We are getting the ferry to Mornington today, we will be here for 2 days before fling to Sydney. We are going to see St George v South Sydney on Saturday.

I see Leeds failed to turn up again when they really should have!! Sounded like Watkins had a shocker or was it the whole team?

Not been to Mornington Peninsula despite several plans to do so. Would like to check out the place where one of their PM's disappeared in the 1960's having gone for a swim.

I think St George/Souths games are traditionally played at the SCG. I attended one there about 10 years ago. Had to purchase a $5 poncho due to torrential rain throughout.

The effort was there for Leeds along with lots of territory and possession. The key issue was cluelessness in attack and that traditional, tedious, play-it-safe kicking game from Sinfield which translates as ponderous and lacking in imagination these days. The national side will be in real trouble down under in Oct/Nov with that geriatric still in charge.

St Helens were excellent given the number of key players they had missing and were thoroughly good value for their win. Three tries to one and they should have been awarded a penalty try.

Don't be so sure ...

I got in to Aussie Rules when Channel 4 started showing it as the seasonal opposite to the NFL.

It's a great sport, although far more sanitised than it was in the 80s (just like League)

Whilst I have never been to Oz myself, I have seen some of the exhibition games that were held at The Oval in London with 20 000 pi$$ed Aussies is quite an experience.

There's also the International Rules series, the hybrid game between Gaelic Football and Aussie Rules and I've been over to Ireland a few times for that series too.

IIRC didn't Meirion Jones, the Leeds physio a couple of seasons ago, leave to take up a similar role with **Ahem** Essendon ?

There's a few things that the League administration could learn from the sport.

I have in the past innocently about Rules to Aussie RL fans and got my head bitten off and although Ive not seen it at any length I wont slag it off.When ive been over to Ireland I have always enjoyed the Gaelic sports and liked listening to the fans in the bars.Since Ive lived in USA I have become a fan of Baseball it just grew on me and I am now just about getting used to NFL.I think you have to give yourself time to get used to foreign sports