As you know, Robb, I'm a very recent convert to the sport. I haven't fully emotionally committed to a particular team yet*, but I have already developed a strong antipathy to the Magpies.

Incidentally, met up with some old friends last weekend - an Anglo-Australian family that moved back down under a few years ago and settled in the Greater Brisbane area - and they're massively up for the final.

* pretty sure it's going to be Western Bulldogs but I need to watch more games before I can say that's organically real.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
As you know, Robb, I'm a very recent convert to the sport. I haven't fully emotionally committed to a particular team yet*, but I have already developed a strong antipathy to the Magpies.

Incidentally, met up with some old friends last weekend - an Anglo-Australian family that moved back down under a few years ago and settled in the Greater Brisbane area - and they're massively up for the final.

* pretty sure it's going to be Western Bulldogs but I need to watch more games before I can say that's organically real.
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I think it’s safe to say you’re a Bulldogs guy as it just seems like they’ve claimed you and you can’t break free.

And yeah, anyone from Brisbane is surely pumped this weekend because they have a team in each grand final. Both underdogs but also both good enough to upset the form book so your mate might just happen celebrating this time tomorrow for at least the AFL one.

Does Summer Bay have a team?

I would support them, home and away.

comment by Jalisco Red - Losing My Reguilón (U4195)
posted 4 minutes ago
Does Summer Bay have a team?

I would support them, home and away.
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No but Erinsborough does. It’s pretty much all derbies.

comment by Am-Robb-at (U22716)
posted 46 minutes ago

Erinsborough
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Robb: Australian soaps question. So we know that Erinsborough is a fictional suburb and I believe there's no indication of which state it's supposed to be located in. But in shows set in fictional places in the UK you'd often have an idea that the location is London-ish or a post-industrial city in the north-west or whatever, due to elements of design, accents, general vibe. Would an Aussie similarly have a notion that Erinsborough feels like it's on a particular coast / state? Do you find yourself subconsciously geo-locating it vaguely or even in the suburbs of a particular city? Or does it genuinely come across as an every-place? Same question for Summer Bay!

I haven't watched either since the early 90s and at that point I didn't have a very clear picture of Australia, but in my imagination refracted through memory, Home & Away feels like it should be more northern and more tropical (and in a less populated area) than Neighbours.

(I also remember The Flying Doctors being on the one TV in the house on weekends - less ambiguity about the setting on that one.)

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 51 minutes ago
comment by Am-Robb-at (U22716)
posted 46 minutes ago

Erinsborough
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Robb: Australian soaps question. So we know that Erinsborough is a fictional suburb and I believe there's no indication of which state it's supposed to be located in. But in shows set in fictional places in the UK you'd often have an idea that the location is London-ish or a post-industrial city in the north-west or whatever, due to elements of design, accents, general vibe. Would an Aussie similarly have a notion that Erinsborough feels like it's on a particular coast / state? Do you find yourself subconsciously geo-locating it vaguely or even in the suburbs of a particular city? Or does it genuinely come across as an every-place? Same question for Summer Bay!

I haven't watched either since the early 90s and at that point I didn't have a very clear picture of Australia, but in my imagination refracted through memory, Home & Away feels like it should be more northern and more tropical (and in a less populated area) than Neighbours.

(I also remember The Flying Doctors being on the one TV in the house on weekends - less ambiguity about the setting on that one.)
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Home and Away is filmed at Palm Beach which is pretty much far north Sydney and a breathtaking peninsula of beaches and surrounding areas and on occasions when I have a day off I drive the scenic trip up the coast and watch them filming outdoor location scenes.

Neighbours is filmed in Melbourne. As with a lot of things about Australia it’s a two city thing so if Sydney has a soap then Melbourne has one. Same with this OP. Sydney has NRL and Melbourne has AFL (although it’s all now intercity). The capital Canberra was only created as a compromise because both cities couldn’t decide what was to be the capital.

In answer to your general question - Neighbours could really be anywhere I guess as it’s not really ‘Melbourne’ as most Australians see it which to be ‘Melbourne’ is to be very multicultural and a melting pot of the old world meeting the new.

So to sum up - Neighbours is an identikit suburbs show that could be in any Australian city whereas Home and Away is slightly more what Sydney beach life is really like. Sans the weekly death drama.

Thanks Robb. Nice insights.

I've never been to Australia, but might have a work trip to Melbourne next year. May try to extend my stay if I do.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
Thanks Robb. Nice insights.

I've never been to Australia, but might have a work trip to Melbourne next year. May try to extend my stay if I do.
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Yeah try and get to both cities if you can. Melbourne is stunning in a ‘somehow we got a European capital city to exist on the other side of the world’ way and Sydney is just spectacular with the harbour and scenery.

And once again back to the OP - the AFL season is March to September so if you wanna catch a game that’s when to do it.

whereas Home and Away is slightly more what Sydney beach life is really like. Sans the weekly death drama

=====

This pretty much sums up why I loved Home and Away (beaches) and why I stopped watching it (deaths).

The programme's tagline should be 'Life's a beach, and then you die'.

comment by Am-Robb-at (U22716)
posted 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
Thanks Robb. Nice insights.

I've never been to Australia, but might have a work trip to Melbourne next year. May try to extend my stay if I do.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah try and get to both cities if you can. Melbourne is stunning in a ‘somehow we got a European capital city to exist on the other side of the world’ way and Sydney is just spectacular with the harbour and scenery.

And once again back to the OP - the AFL season is March to September so if you wanna catch a game that’s when to do it.
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Trip would be either February or March so fingers crossed

I hate this sport

And Collingwood win it 😪

Amazing game though. 90-86.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 2 seconds ago
I hate this sport
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Next year is the Dogs year Russian. Next year.

Only woke up in time for the last quarter. (AFL shouldn't be so fixated on the legacy fans - it's the global fan base that presents the real growth opportunity, right?)

I don't fully understand the rules but convinced there was an officiating error at the death in playing an advantage rather than giving Brisbane the free kick (or whatever you call it).

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 2 minutes ago
Only woke up in time for the last quarter. (AFL shouldn't be so fixated on the legacy fans - it's the global fan base that presents the real growth opportunity, right?)

I don't fully understand the rules but convinced there was an officiating error at the death in playing an advantage rather than giving Brisbane the free kick (or whatever you call it).
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Yeah the umpire gave a free kick in a really good position for Brisbane where they probably would have won the game but the players played on with an advantage that they wouldn’t have chosen had the umpire been more decisive.

The game moves so quickly that the umpire needs to use his brain and stop the play.

I trust you're flitting between here and an AFL equivalent where people are raging about The Powers That Be favouring Collingwood. Or is paranoid conspiratorial thinking not so much in the culture of Aussie Rules fandom?

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 16 seconds ago
I trust you're flitting between here and an AFL equivalent where people are raging about The Powers That Be favouring Collingwood. Or is paranoid conspiratorial thinking not so much in the culture of Aussie Rules fandom?
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Yeah I’m on JA909 and people are furious. But ultimately what really lost it was the 50 metre penalties given away (basically when a player takes a mark and has a free pass but gets unnecessarily tackled after tye play has stopped the player with the ball gets to move further up the pitch 50 metres to take the free kick).

That last one the Pies scored from and killed the game sadly.

Ah well, onto the NRL grand final tomorrow where I hope the other Brisbane side can step up. Should be on at a more normal time for England I assume.

As for conspiratorial thinking - it’s not as bad as it is in Football. But people do hate Collingwood with a passion so I’m sure some will lose their shiiiit and look for bogeymen.

comment by Am-Robb-at (U22716)
posted 55 minutes ago
As for conspiratorial thinking - it’s not as bad as it is in Football. But people do hate Collingwood with a passion so I’m sure some will lose their shiiiit and look for bogeymen.
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I'm with them all the way

(basically when a player takes a mark and has a free pass but gets unnecessarily tackled after tye play has stopped the player with the ball gets to move further up the pitch 50 metres to take the free kick).

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I think I've figured out the rules, including 50m penalties, except sometimes I can't understand the difference between tackles where the umpires release the ball to be contested vs occasions where one team is awarded possession.

When the ball goes out of play, as I understand, it's chucked in behind the umpire's back unless it was deliberately put out of bounds, right?

I acknowledge I could have just read up to answer all these basic questions rather than lazily waiting for you to explain the sport / country for me.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 16 minutes ago
(basically when a player takes a mark and has a free pass but gets unnecessarily tackled after tye play has stopped the player with the ball gets to move further up the pitch 50 metres to take the free kick).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I've figured out the rules, including 50m penalties, except sometimes I can't understand the difference between tackles where the umpires release the ball to be contested vs occasions where one team is awarded possession.

When the ball goes out of play, as I understand, it's chucked in behind the umpire's back unless it was deliberately put out of bounds, right?

I acknowledge I could have just read up to answer all these basic questions rather than lazily waiting for you to explain the sport / country for me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

If the player with the ball gets tackled and loses possession of the ball - like from a really heavy tackle then the ball gets turned over to the opposition.

If the player is tackled and still keeps the ball (sometimes they’ll sneakily lose it but drag it bag into their arms when the umpire doesn’t see) and the play goes dead the umpire does a ball up for both sides to contest.

And you’re right about the ball going out of play.

Thanks Robb! My education is complete!