Information on AFL
In 1857, Tom Wills, one of the founders of Australian Football, returned to Australia after schooling in England where he was football captain of Rugby School and a brilliant cricketer. Initially, he advocated the winter game of football as a way of keeping cricketers fit during off-season. The new game was devised by Wills, his cousin H.C.A. Harrison, W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson. The Melbourne Football Club was formed on August 7, 1858 – the year of the code's first recorded match between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School. The game quickly blossomed. The Geelong Football Club was formed in 1859 and in 1866 an updated set of rules was put in place and competition started. The Victorian Football League was established in 1896 and the following year the League’s first games were played among the foundation clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. In 1908, Richmond and University joined the competition. But after the 1914 season, University left the League. In 1925, Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs), Hawthorn and North Melbourne joined the VFL. This line-up of 12 clubs would remain unchanged until 1987 when the competition expanded to include the West Coast Eagles and the Brisbane Bears. By 1997, the competition comprised 16 clubs after Adelaide (in 1991), Fremantle (in 1995), and Port Adelaide (in 1997) joined the now Australian Football League and foundation club Fitzroy merged with the Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions (after the 1996 season). In 2011 the Gold Coast Suns joined the competition, followed by the Greater Western Sydney Giants, creating the 18-team national competition we see today. |
AFL Footy Show Cast
Tom Lonergan
Umpires
(Left to Right) Billy Brownless, Gary Lyon, James Brayshaw, Sam Newman, Shane Crawford.
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Umpires are people who run around the field in a green t-shirt and grey shorts and long green socks. Umpires use a whistle and they start the game with the whistle and use it for ball up's and also free kicks, and other umpiring decisions
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This is Tom Lonergan a AFL Geelong cats player who On 26 August 2006, Lonergan suffered serious internal injury to his kidney whilst playing in a Round 21 draw against Melbourne - which was also just his seventh AFL-level match. Lonergan's kidney was severely damaged when he backed into a marking contest against Melbourne's Brad Miller. Lonergan was immediately hospitalised, taken to the Geelong Hospital and had been in a stable condition before his blood pressure rose overnight, forcing him to undergo trauma surgery to remove his right kidney. His kidney was found to be badly lacerated and bruised, which was accentuated by the scar tissue caused by a previous footballing injury he had suffered as a 16-year-old.During the six-hour procedure, Lonergan's entire blood supply had to be replaced three times, flushing it through with up to 40 units of blood, placing him into an induced coma. Lonergan remained in a coma for four days, with it taking six hours to bring him back to consciousness. He also lost 17 kg during the ordeal.
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