Aussie Rules

This year's Grand Final in the Australian Football League ended in a tie for the first time in decades. Apparently, under league rules, if the final ends in a tie they replay the game a week later. This year, that meant some Australians in our building ordered the Internet feed of the replay, so I got to watch the second go-round. (Apparently, if the second game ended in a tie, they would have gone to overtime). I remember seeing Aussie Rules on TSN when I was young, but all I really remember is the six-shooter signal the official makes when a goal is scored. So I think this was the first game I've watched all the way through.
It was quite enjoyable, too, even though it wasn't a classic game. It was between Collingwood and St. Kilda's. Apparently, Collingwood is something like the Yankees of the AFL, except they hadn't won the title since 1990. (Maybe the Maple Leafs are a better example? Big market team that hasn't won in years but nobody likes them anyways?) I was watching with two people from Adelaide. There are two teams from Adelaide, and each of my fellow viewers supports a different Adelaide team, presumably making them rivals. Nevertheless, they were in agreement we should cheer for St. Kilda's.
Unfortunately, Collingwood ran away with it. The tone was set earlier by a hilarious gaffe from the St. Kilda's captain. For NFL fans, it was like Leon Lett's brain cramp in the Super Bowl, if only Lett's play had been the turning point of a tightly-contested game instead of comic relief in his team's blowout win. So anyways, the big team went on to win comfortably and the small team lost the final for the second year in a row.
Before coming here, I would always have described Aussie Rules as "like rugby", a comparison the Australians in the building always disagree with strongly. After watching the game, I see why. While there are superficial similarities to rugby (they use a similar ball, there's tackling and no pads), in strategy the game is much more like hockey or soccer. Players move, unconstrained, all around the field of play, as does the ball, while the point of the game is to propel the ball through a goal - not to maintain possession across a line, as in rugby or American and Canadian football.
Nevertheless, I had fun watching the game. It was also good to watch it with some people who could explain things to me. That part may have been a good learning experience; what if I have a Grey Cup party and have to explain this play?