Aussie Rules - OK!!

Upon leaving Melbourne much consideration was taken as to the kids routine and home based activities.  When exploring the idea of traveling, one of the overwhelming concerns (especially for Josh) was the loss of playing out the cricket season and missing the start of another year of local footy.

Even the enticement of experiencing life outside of the 'bubble' that is local sports clubs and the lure of exploration of a wide, vast land the decision to leave ones footy mates behind was close to the boy’s heart.

So...... As a softener and promise of pursuing a cameo appearance in a local town enroute a deal was struck and away we went.

Following a false start in South Australia with the potential to play a cricket match for Port Elliot, a national players database meant that if the kids did play, they could field, however would need a clearance from Victoria in order to bat or bowl!   (Typical example of stupid administration getting in the way of kids playing sport!!!!) We found ourselves with the opportunity to join the Exmouth Juniors for a match of football.

Not an easy process to arrange, however following a phone call to the point of contact from the seniors, (good old google helps again).... A referral to a women's clothing store called Idaho and discussion with Lorella the coordinator, we were up and running.

Unable to make training before the first match (camping in Cape Range National Park) due to the 70km each way drive into town, we cautiously made it into the beautiful town oval on Friay night in order to line up with a team.

The ice was broken with the littler kids Zach and Abbey and Ned (Backson) joining in with Auskick, (Abbey subsequently pulled out before the first drill) preferring to watch from the comfort of the picnic rug!  

 

With the little league done and dusted....Matt hesitantly approached a man hanging jumpers over the fence (bit of a give a away - yes he was the coach) of one of teams, and with his mate Oliver (Backson) in toe and some quick talking from me about the 'need' to get a footy fix...was offered a gersy for his first match for the Exmouth Dockers.  Oli suited up for the opposition team.... Yep, you guessed it..... The Exmouth Eagles!!!! 

Fortunately for both families, Oli and Matt were the eighteenth player for each team..... (relief... No kids bumped for the outtatowners)....

In readiness for the siren to sound it was noted how nice it was for a match of footy to be played with the backdrop of a crimson sunset stretching across the horizon and mighty gums casting a watchful shadow across the ground....the temperature a comfortable 25 degrees....

And what a cracker of a match too! Matt and Oli matched up on each other, with bragging rights with Matt for his first quarter tackle on Ol!  (think Oli had the more consistent game though)...

The local kids took to our kids really well and shared the ball, high fives and accolades.... It is amazing what happens when you only have two teams in a competition (Exmouth only has 2000 permanent residents)... The kids play the game in a way that brings a tear to this seasoned sports coach eye. 

The footy kids of Exmouth clearly love their footy, and also their mates.  Compared to the Diamond Creek version of the game (where it's more about the parents, the social group the parents mix in and the players ego's), the Exmouth teams played with a spirit not seen in the ‘big smoke’.

With the exception of board shorts, odd socks, older kids doing the umpiring (and you wouldn't believe there was NO backchat at all) and ongoing encouragement of all players from the coaches who walked the ground following the play.... The kids still chased the ball in packs and played a hard hitting, fun loving brand of footy! 

At the end of the game... A draw would you believe, both teams left the ground and footy behind and continued their lives living in a small town with a bunch of mates who they would no doubt sit and laugh with at school come Monday morning.

For us, a long stay in this location enabled a second round berth and two training sessions.... (Albeit at over 300km's in total to make it happens).  The second match was almost a carbon copy of round one with, yes another draw! Not that the local kids seemed to even notice or care about the score (no scoreboard used either)...

Matt kicked a ripper of a goal in game two and with me on Goal Umpire duties, for a moment at least we felt like a local and not quite so nomadic.

 Later on Josh played for the Exmouth Falcons, again one of two teams in the competition (other team the Sharks) with kids ranging between twelve and seventeen.  Like the younger kids, these older boys played hard and made it fun. 

Setting their own rules working together with the coach and with an emphasis of involving the younger kids ran out winners in both matches. Josh kicked a goal in both games and was very well accepted by the team as a whole. 

Exmouth will remain a very special place for us to have visited, not only for the Whale Sharks, daily snorkeling and search of amazing wildlife, but also for the way in which us outtatowners where welcomed with open arms to participate in a game of Aussie Rules, the way it was supposed to be played.