Aussie Rules Football

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The title of this entry refers to the AFL not that I think the Soccerroos are going to win the World Cup.

We were staying with Nathan & Tracy in Melbourne & we headed out to the Yarra Valley to Domain Chandon where Nathan works. A freaky downpour the day before had blocked drains, shifted loads of gravel & hit the flowers pretty hard, Nathan wasn't pleased. We looked around inside following the life of a bottle of bubbly up until the Riddling Room where the bottles are left for the yeast to settle out.
We carried on through the valley to Healsville Sanctuary, the entry price was a bit steep but we were pleasantly suprised by a new wildlife hospital that had been setup in the grounds. A kookaburra who had been hit by a car was taken into the hospital while we were queuing up for tickets. When we got to the hospital they had sedated it & taken some x-rays. The vet came out to explain what he thought was wrong while waiting for the x-rays to develop, he thought there may be some damage to the bones as the bird could get no lift when trying to fly. When the x-rays were ready he came out & put them on the light box. He couldn't see any damage to the bones so suspected there may be some head trauma & was going to keep it in for a couple of days to see how it coped. It was really interesting to see this & great that the vet was explaining everything he was doing without being prompted by Rolf Harris.
We then went to a koala talk, but it was a bit cold & the koalas were huddled up high in the gum trees. We dashed round trying to see the other animals before the Birds of Prey show. Here we got to see falcons swooping low over the audience, buzzards picking up stones to smash emu eggs & ospreys grabbing fish out of a pool.
When a bloke came out to play the didgeridoo it was time to see some real Australian culture, so we left & went to the football. We caught train into town knowing we were going to be a little late. The game was Collingwood Vs St. Kilda in the preseason NAB Cup at the Telstra Dome, normally it would have been played at the MCG but that was closed for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
We got into ground & sat down just as the hooter went for quarter time. We then decided to move seats as we were sitting in front of someone who seemed to have Turettes & was randomly shouting out 'Football'.
When the second quarter started it was time to find out the rules. However, as this was a preseason game they try out new rules & Nathan was left explaining each decision but adding the proviso that in the normal season it doesn't happen.
There weren't any punchups during the game only a few minor scuffles & only one player was taken off with a blood injury. url=http://collingwoodfc.com.au/]Collingwood were way out in the lead for the first half but St. Kilda came back in the second & at the end it was tied 66 each. Nobody in the ground was sure what would happen next being a preseason game with a clear winner needed at the end. The game went into extra time, St. Kilda came close to winning denied by a new rule where no points are awarded if the ball bounces off the post & url=http://collingwoodfc.com.au/]Collingwood were the victors scoring with an overhead kick in front of the goal. The final score 74-73.

Drink of the Day: Carlton Draught

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