Here's my thoughts on the Aussie debate, should we allow 28 year old grown men to compete against 18 year old kids? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 👇👇👇👇
The thing is, they could use the education too. Many either skipped uni or studied part time when they got drafted. If they got delisted (waived), they either had to contend with state-level football (barely pro/semipro) or just quit the sport entirely. Punting is a good way for them to get an education on someone else's dime. If not, they need places where they can learn football without taking spots from US college kids. This is where minor league gridiron should be, but I'm not sure if they could earn enough to justify moving countries entirely.
unreal comment, i never even thought of that aspect. alot of footy players would probably go straight to the US and do that knowing the benifits. Scholarships in Australia do exists but are far from what is provided like in the US. That alone would have me packing my bags.
honestly it depends on the contracting club, years ago (2000s) my sisters boyfriend at the time was drafted into the AFL at age 19 (not giving the name, but he played for one of the biggest clubs). it was one of his contractual obligations that he commit to Uni studies outside of football. He told us that some of his teammates who where drafted before him also had this as part of their contracts. Yes some are dumb, but not all and if they are academically successful, some clubs will encourage uni.
FYI - In Aussie rules, 18 years and 29 years olds do compete with each other. so its not a huge stretch. having an experienced player should be a huge development bonus to other players, and assistive to their development.
Great take. Some of Michael Dickson's plays for the Seahawks have been quite remarkable. As an Aussie we can actually tell he's an Australian without even knowing beforehand, simply because of his mannerisms and the balls he has to try things most punters wouldn't even dream of.
Aussies coming here is quite unique. I went down the rabbit hole a couple of weeks ago to understand the differences between the 2 styles of punts to see if one would be better than the other. The big difference I noticed with the punting came from the NFL. There has only been maybe 3 Aussie style punters that have had success in the NFL so I thought the Aussie style punt was stupid for many many years. What I didn't realize was that most of those punters didn't even get to the NFL until they were around 27 years old or older which is past their prime. Then add in the fact that the NFL is very reluctant on changing the style of punting minus a couple of teams. It then dawned on me.......what would happen when the NFL started getting these guys when they were 21-23 years of age where they can stay in the NFL for 10+ years when they normally would have only lasted 4-5 years. I also never realized how violent/physical AFL is compared to American football, and never understood that former AFL players have a natural instinct to take off running for a 1st down if the return team doesn't respect their running ability. I always thought when they took off running it was a designed fake punt instead of something they could decide to do on their own. This is when I had a lightbulb moment after realizing all of the possibilities of making punting exciting.
The main challenge will be, like NFL, AFL is a national treasure here. It’s a brilliant game, and the best talent in the country dreams of making it to the AFL in the draft at the age of 17-18. Compare that to the life of a punter, which despite the incredible salary, is a pretty limited way to make a living. You just punt a ball a few times a game. There have been a few Aussies who have made it to the NFL but most likely many more who are playing Aussies Rules football at the highest level, who can punt the ball 70-80 metres (search Trent McKenzie and Dustin Fletcher) who really don’t have an interest in playing NFL. It would be like the AFL running a talent drive to poach 21-23 NFL players, by and large they’re not going to take the risk of switching codes and moving their life to the other side of the world for a much lower pay packet.
AFL athletes in their prime are honestly a force of nature. I remember a summary saying theyare basketball sized with the hands and foot skills of an NFL wide reciever and stamina greater than a soccer player. Absolute units.
@@aussiescotsman4145 And yet a subpar college basketball player has been in the AFL for 8 years and just won a Grand Final. AFL players are fantastic athletes, but then so are all professional athletes.
I say no. It's true that they have relevant experience but I love what they have done to expand the strategic element of the punt game. I also support the ambitious drive that pushes someone to go anywhere in the world to compete at the highest level in their chosen sport.
I think the problem is that it messes with the entire purpose of college sports. As a college football player, before I ever put on pads or got to hitting or anything, the very first thing we had to do as a team and sit down and have an eligibility meeting. Literally the first thing that they talk about is “amateurism“, you must be an amateur to play college football. Or any college sport for that matter. If you have ever accepted money specifically to play football (not for your name image or likeness), you’re automatically ineligible. Australian rules football players are not amateurs in my opinion. I don’t see how you can have a 15+ year Australian rules football career then come over and play college football as if you’re not an amateur.
@@XxJERICHOHOLICxX13 Very thought provoking point. Some of the Australians have indeed played at the professional level of Australian Rules Football, particularly those over 25, but some are washouts who were never drafted and had been playing club football prior to getting into a college program in the U.S. But my main question to you, (just a question not a judgment) is : Does the amateur requirement apply when the sport (in which the "freshman" was formerly a professional) is not American football (or a variant thereof, e.g. Canadian football)? For example if the rookie punter was formerly a pro golfer or had played a couple of years on the tennis ATP tour?
@@XxJERICHOHOLICxX13 you only have to be amateur in the sport you're wanting to compete in (from my understanding) so the australians are all amateurs when going to america. you spoke about eligibility like americans can't be 28 year old freshman (they can btw)... it's all about the 5 years from when you first enroll in a university, not from the age of 18.
@@XxJERICHOHOLICxX13 "Australian rules football players are not amateurs in my opinion." What makes them professionals? Most people who play Aussie Rules Football don't get paid and/or aren't considered professional AFL players. "I don’t see how you can have a 15+ year Australian rules football career then come over and play college football as if you’re not an amateur." How does the length of time someone plays a sport make them a professional?
you gotta remember, in Australia (yes I am Aussie), we start booting the shit out of the ball from a young age especially at school playing forcebacks where we smash the ball as hard as possible and even harder when the chicks on are the oval.
Do some of you understand that most of us have no chance of education. We haven't got the money to go to university or have anything going for us. We grow up playing rugby or aussie rules and we take a risk to try and be something more than what we are. It's not our fault that american kids don't want to work hard for it anymore because they got comfortable with it. Or workout and risk actually being one of the guys. We have NOTHING TO LOSE putting it all in because back home there's nothing for us. Also its not just the Aussies. The British Kickers are starting to take the place kicking spots. Evolution is key for the game !.
Wow, haven't even considered this aspect before, now there's a good heart wrenching story that goes with it along side the pure prowess they bring to the game!
I'm not disagreeing with you but this could be said for the majority of kids in the US too. Kids join the damn military to get an education after highschool where I grew up. The majority of the US is not milk and honey.
As an Australian, you'd qualify for HECS meaning you literally have free access to any Australian university. Yes, you do have to pay it back, but only when you make above 47k a year. Best of all, you tend to pay about 1-10% of your HECs back a year, and there's no interest. My whole course is costing me about $15k (3 year course, and through HECS/interest free loan) and the same would cost me $160k (either upfront or via a private loan provider with interest) in the US at a worse ranked university. Furthermore, age doesn't matter - you could be 50 and get HECs if you really wanted to. Although I agree with you, that the best and hardest working punter should get the spot, regardless of nationality. There might be reasonable grounds to impose an upper age limit however.
@@IsaacPunts For sure! But I was looking at a similar size university with similar rankings. I was offered a full scholarship to UMass last year, but declined as they didn't take international students for my specific course. I could have accepted the offer and done some course I wasn't interested in, and essentially moved to the US to play football. But I'm going to utilise the opportunity to progress my education as well. Hoping to hear from Boston College, as they offer the program for international students :) .
To be fair, all those Australian kids, whether they live in a rugby/rugby league state or an Aussie rules state, have been kicking the ball around since they were three. If the 18 year olds were to come over they'd still win a bunch of punting gigs because it's just not a skill that's emphasized at a young age in the USA. I grew up in Australia, and I'm unathletic as hell, and I can do all of those tricky banana kicks and spiral punts and drop punts and the rest, no problem. That's nothing special, it's just what we all did all the time growing up while you all were learning to throw the ball in the most incredible ways. Just wait till someone realizes that rugby/rugby league players could revolutionize American football with their ability to lateral the ball accurately and catch it every time.
One day, an NFL coach is going to win a Superbowl with designed rugby plays and 2-3 quick lateral passes. Maybe not from the back field. More like the "hook and ladder" play with a forward pass to an open receiver who underarms the ball to a teammate sprinting past. You see it as a last-ditch desperation play when there's 0:00 on the clock, but the defence always has everyone back to make the tackle. I'm amazed teams don't try it in general play. Easy way to turn a 10 yard gain into a 75 yard touchdown.
Oh goodness me Rugby lateral passes! You need to go back to the 40s-50s when NFL did that all the time it was a standard play. I love it when other codes think there the only ones who can pass or kick a ball. @@Charles-qn1bt
Leave the kicking and catching to Australian rules players.... Rugby league and union copied the drop punt to kick for touch! Good move....And AFL players teach league players to catch! Will Warbrick obviously didn't need teaching as he played Aussie rules football in New Zealand!
Our game is actually Australian Rules Football and NOT AFL. The AFL is the premier Australian Rules Football competition in the country but it is not the name of the game. I've played 300 games of Aussie Rules but not one in the AFL as I was nowhere near good enough. Hence I never played AFL.
For me it's just cool to see my countrymen making a bit of a splash in the US, and possibly also making people in the US a bit more aware of our sport.
The problem is that’s not a fair fight. They should be college students, not grown up adults. If they want to come, join the international player program or free agency.
I'm fine with it personally, but I think they should have to show their true colors and dress out in those short-shorts vs US football pads... Bring the skills, Bring the shorts. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Great video, I'm proud of our guys that have gone over and made a go of it. It is a specialist position and I agree competition helps the US punters push to new levels too.
Other than Sav Rocca, who who a beast of a player in the professional level, none of the other guys played professional footy. We just kick the ball every day, at school, on weekends, to ourselves. Aussies just know how to kick a footy.
@@smythie27 Pull your head out of your ass, champ. Just because you don't know about Ben Graham and Darren Bennet doesn't mean that others don't. And maybe read about what Bennet did in the NFL and the way he changed punting.
Australians are becoming more connected with NFL thanks to internet and live streaming. The season starts just as our AFL and NRL seasons come to a close so it just works out perfectly. The game has elements from league and aus footy and having ex afl players head over and become punters just grows the audience even more. It’s a good partnership.
@@the_real_bin_chickenTackling, catching, running with the ball and trying to put space between yourself and your opponent to receive the ball don't count ???
@@the_real_bin_chicken wrong think about it! The hits. The catches/ marks. The running jumping. Tackles. Kicking yes. Wayne Bennett had Justin Leppitch from the Brisbane lions 20 years ago at the Broncos training. Craig Davis from the Swans in the nineties used to help Cronulla... many more Joel Selwood Geelong's premiership captain just finished at the Storm.. Carlton Blue's used to train with the Melbourne Storm! Michael Maguire the new NSW blue's coach was always going to AFL matches to pick up something that could be useful to the Storm! No coincidence that NRL players are leaping AFL style catching the ball and scoring tries .. Will Warbrick... although he played Aussie rules in NZ... And the ex Bronco now playing with the Storm ! Can't think of his name?
Jason Holmes is an American who played for the St Kilda Saints few years back, who turns out to be the brother of former NFL wide receiver Andre Holmes
Love your fun spin on the world of punting. Like someone else mentioned here you can tell an Aussie punter by the style. I'm constantly checking to see the nationality of college punters when I see that particular kicking method...... or when the punter actually knows how to lay a tackle. College football needs more Aussies!
I was about to have a go at you early in the video, but then I saw you were getting to a very good point. We also have a few Gaelic Footballers play in the AFL, and even one American currently playing. Jim Stynes(RIP) would have to have been the most famous Irishman here, playing more consecutive games than any other player in the league. AFL players going to the NFL to become punters seems logical to me. Our high school football is much smaller than the US equivalent. Players might have 15 years experience, but only have ever played in front of dozens at a time. The local leagues attract hundreds, or several thousand, but that hasn’t always beeen the case. The biggest crowd at a footy match here in Hobart was 29,000 in 1979, when we had a population of something like 160,000.
💯 💯 💯 Competition breed's better Competition! Ntm Aussies have redefined the expectations of what a punter can do both physically and skilfully in term's of introducing different styles of kicks & stepping way outta what you're regular punter's comfort zone...Yes Aussies aren't afraid of hitting or being hit.
As an Aussie I have grown to love the nfl. Darren Bennett was a trailblazer, and we’ve produced some awesome punters in that time. Ben graham, Dickson, sav rocca. All great punters.
The only correction that needs to be added is that most australians (girls included) have been kicking a footy since they were 3. Even as a children, and I can only speak for being an aussie, we are highly competitive yet we are still friendly. For example, amongst our friendship groups it would be highly unlikely that everyone would follow the same team. I live in South Australia and follow THE ONLY SA football club the crows (i have been told that there is another team and if they were any good I am sure I would have heard of them) yet my late partner followed a victorian team (south of the border and perhaps he should move there 😜🤣) following anther states team is akin to blasphemy and very un-South Australian. The reason is because the VFL became the AFL but every state has their own code and I believe the best code is SANFL but I digress. Peace and love to all ❤
It’s something foreigners won’t really understand that Aussies will go to a park and just kick a footy to each other for hours. I’m 41 and me and a mate were kicking on the weekend.
If we banned Aussies from College football... do people really think no one would swoop in and just place them in the NFL directly? Teams wouldn't prop up things like the USFL or XFL or some other spring football to try out their Aussie punters?
Would an NFL team take a chance on a guy who's never played football before? Would an Aussie leave his home, family and job to play in the USFL/XFL with no guarantee of ever making it in the NFL? Some would, but a lot less than do to get at best an NFL career and at worst a free education.
Yes they would. What’s funny is it’s usually failed AFL players that go to the US to play college. If actual good AFL players went to play almost every punter would be an Aussie.
Garbage you have never watched NFL there best punters are American as well . why do D/headed Aussies think there the only people in the world that can kick a F**king ball They have a bloke from Scotland in the NFL he is also a great punter Also name 5 AFL players that can kick a Torp constantly with accuracy over 60 meters ? Its all short kicks & round the corner sissy kicks and yeah I'm Aussie @@tomoliver2961
And some say, on a chilly autumn night -- not unlike tonight -- when the fire crackles and you gather 'round to warm, you can hear it as if from the flames themselves...throckmorton...throckmorton...mcthundercock...mcthundercock...
I was shocked to learn how brutal AFL is compared to American rules football. Pat McAfee interviewed a former basketball player that went down under to play AFL after giving up D1 college bball. They were going over highlights, and I never knew that an AFL field is much larger than a football field, that players are allowed to blindside hit other players, that players are allowed to use opposing players to jump off of them to get a ball, and that the game doesn't stop. If you pull a hamstring or tear and ACL, you have to walk off the field on your own. Apparently the only time they stop the game to remove a player is if you break your leg or you get knocked out. Then you see Aussie punters in college or the NFL and it makes perfect sense why they're not afraid of anything.
it will be very hard for us punters to catch up to the Aussies in training. unless the USA punters start playing AFL. the volume of kicking under pressure in the sport of afl is just way higher. their maybe 3-5 punts in a game of NFL and you may not even be chosen an AFL player punts anywhere from 10 to 25 times a game. it would be hard to simulate that kind of volume under pressure in training.
There should be an age limit of when these guys can come over and start their freshman year. 23/24 should be the latest they can start their 4 years of eligibility. Its been 2 years now since my last D1 snap as a punter and im only 25... If I knew all the things then as i do now...
Isn't that on you? Nobody pointed a gun at your head and told you that you had to start college at 18. You could have used that time to work on your kicking skills. A lot of folks spend years in the workforce and then start getting a college education in their mid 20s or even later.
@Posys Dogovych I don't know how old you are or what environment you grew up in, but while there wasn't an actual gun to anyone's head, there was a ridiculous amount of pressure in the early 2000s to go to college and that you were throwing your life away if you didn't.
Is there an age limit on going to college to study? So why should there be an age limit on being able to play college sports? "If I knew all the things then as i do now" You'd what?
College should be a learning experience for all who participate. I learned a lot from students and faculty from all over the world. US football has benefited from soccer playing European place kickers for decades. Better punters from Down Under also improves the game.
Fucken legend! Was watching this whating to get put shit on, then you making a point why we should, I don't even like AFL but appreciate ya and I subbed btw NRL IS THE GO
Yeah about that, some Aussies have invested their hard earned to get there so as to realise their NFL dream only to fail miserably due to local competition and very costly college fees sending them packing and returning home to Australia very broke and disillusioned.
I have thought it is strange that these older guys can play college sports. I feel like there should be an age restriction at some point but the fact that they have been punting things a lot because they played a different sport is good for competition for sure
The college rules are a bit weird when it comes to eligibility. Several years ago there was a story about a guy that went and played 1 year of D1 college football and he was in his 50's. He never used up his college eligibility, and he never went pro, so therefore he could play college football despite him being about 30 years past his prime.
I don’t see the issue with it that’s probably because here in Australia players are recruited into the AFL at 17-18 years of age and are from that point on playing against grown men already
Glad to hear you attitude towards your self posed question. However, I'd like to take the argument a step deeper. I'm Australian, & I kinda agree with the whole late 20's vs early 20's physical development argument. HOWEVER, I think you'd be shocked at some of the kickers we have still playing at the high school football level. Everyone seems to focus on the whole "AFL 50m kick" metric when trying to sensationalize things. What you don't see entering the mix are all the Rugby Union backs who are more than capable of performing a +50m kicks without even trying . One of the prerequisites and a specific drill for the wingers (at least for the school I played for) was long touch kicks (kicking for the sideline deep into the opponents territory). Being able to kick from your own try line, as far as possible for a sideline, as well as then being able to chase down your kick to as many of your own team members "on side" to then be able to defend should you not actually quite make it into touch, was a solid game strategy to get breathing space for your team. Perhaps you should look into "school boy" kickers, because if you're worried about the pool of ex-AFL players, cinder blocks will be shat when you find out just how many young players could also be pulled from Australia as age appropriate punters for the US college football system. I kid you not! ;-)
Dude you seriously aren’t comparing the foot skills of any fucker playing either rugby code with afl, and you can’t compare distance, you do know the balls are nothing alike and have different capabilities, even AFL and WAFL use different balls, when they used to play state of origin (well VFL & WAFL still do) they alternate 2 quarters each, the wa ball is a lot more like rugby ball, it floats, sherrin is more accurate but harder for distance but will torp better
These aussie punters are masive, they can breake any returner with a tackle since Australian Rules Football ishighly physical, they have no fear, they kick like Gods of kicking and they are grown ups, US punters now have a very high standard to fill, that will eventually make them better
When you grow up playing Aussie rules football from about the age of 5 or 6 years old by the time you are 17 or 18 you can already kick a ball at leased 35 to 55 yards then by the time you are 23 or 24 you can kick it 70 or 80 yards so you only get better at it because we are taught to kick the ball thousands of time it is a lot easier for an Aussie to play N.F.L there is only 1 American playing A.F.L and that is Mason Cox from Texas have a look at a game of A.F.L then you will see why
Something similar could be argued regarding Irish kickers and punters at US colleges experienced with Soccer, Gaelic football and Rugby kicking skills from an early age. Daniel Whelan of the Green Bay Packers is a prime example. It can only be a good thing for the sport overall in my opinion.
To be fair it isn't uncommon for 16 and 17 year olds to play AFL against adults, and if your 18 and not that good you will probably end up playing ressies which is against other adults. Hell, we even had David Mundy play for one of our local clubs earlier in the year, he is 38, retired from playing as a professional athlete last year with 371 games under his belt, he took someones spot in the team for a game. Point is theres no restrictions of age or skill, if ur in the top 22 you get to play, should be the same over there.
Australian rules football not AFL that is the same as NFL a particular league not the game... Dickinson did not play in the AFL he did play Australian rules football!
I’m Australian, I don’t see this as specific to Australians. There could be an argument for an age cap in the league you mention. After all what is stopping an older American doing the same thing?
I’m surprised that there aren’t any nrl halfbacks, as they also kick, run, get tackled. In fact, most nrl players would probably be good at wide receiver, as they are both fast and strong.
First off, as always, I love the audacity of your commentary. Don't ever change. Second, I love your advocacy of the position (punting) and wish that I had found a punting mentor like you who might have gotten me to try out for the team...if you could have convinced my mom that at 6'2" 145 lbs I would survive a single tackle. Or even a hard block. Ironically I do full-contact medieval armored combat now. Thirs, it's actually kind of a tricky subject, grownen against teenagers in high school. Any reason for banning them should absolutely not be based on their Australian nationality, that is simply the kind of discrimination that in un-American IMHO. But size, weight, age... It actually starts to sound a bit like the argument against transgender athletes. It sounds all good and women-supportive when they talk about bone density and muscle mass, but then you hear them simply denying that transgender is an actual thing and that these women are cheating by going through a two-year procedure os surgery and hormone treatments so they can beat up on women in mma and swimming, and you see woman-supporting trans-hate on the Facebook that is so full of irony you could outfit a Norman army to invade England in 1066. Get it? Irony? Iron armor in 1066? But with the concern of both supporting American youth football and competition = growth, do, or can, high school football teams have two punting, a starter and backup, so the Aussie can teach the kids what he knows? I am also reminded ofvthe rule in the WLAF that on certain downs a European (or Mexican) player had to be on the field for both teams. Would that work, forcing the non-American or over-18 players (however you want to segregate it) off the field on certain downs, or is that as skeevy as I kind of feel suggesting it? So wha
Great commentary and good points, it’s definitely not a cut and dry situation and I think there’s great arguments on both sides, ultimately I think it comes down to whether you think what they provide is good or bad for the sport and ultimately I’m in favor of it
Im an Aussie and i say no thats not fair. When one of our top kickers in AFL retires and then goes over there at 33 doing just that little bit each game he would destroy all other punters and thats not fair. Thats like taking a top NFL running back thats just retired and putting them in a uni game for 5 minutes he would kill them. Although itd be fun to watch
I just think that if it can improve the game why the hell not at least for a little while. However, it's normal for 18 year olds here in Australia to be playing with and against guys in their late 20s/early 30s in our nation so we don't really blink an eye at it. As long as it's enjoyed by all and us Aussies aren't standing on anyone's toes then it's a good thing right?????
Then why don't those guys stay home and play it?, instead of sending 30 yr old men to compete against 18 year olds coming out of HS....I can see 18 year old Aussies coming over but those older guys should stay home. Either that, or quit being cowardly and take their skills(?) directly to compete against NFL punters and kickers instead of boys...THEY'RE GAMING THE SYSTEM!
As an Aussie, this evolution has been interesting to watch, particularly as a Sydneysider where rugby union/league is a lot more popular than Australian Rules Football. One thing these Aussie Rules players do, which Americans generally don't seem to do, is practice their kicking for hours and hours (get this) FOR FUN! Aussie Rules players will play what's called "kick-to-kick" where they literally just kick back and forth. The repetition enables perfection. Whereas I don't feel like Americans do that; rather they throw the football to each other. I'm very curious to see if NCAA colleges start recruiting place kickers from rugby league/union, as I'm confident the impact would be the same. I can guarantee there are hundreds of normal guys in Australia who could place kick much much better than most NCAA, or even NFL guys. For context, when I played rugby I could consistently make place kicks from the 50m (metres, not yards) line. I could also make conversions from all angles, sometimes from the sideline 30-40 m out from goal. This would be considered impressive in the NCAA or NFL but in Australia, NZ or England, no big deal. I know if I was a 14 year old playing rugby in Australia now I'd be sending game tapes to every big NCAA school to get a scholarship. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before this starts to happen.
There are also many younger Aussies breaking into US football college teams, like 18-20 years old via dedicated punting talent recruiting systems running in Australia. Almost every Australian kid is kicking a football from the age 3 or 4 with their dad or their brothers. They watch AFL all their young lives and learn not just how to kick accurately and consistently, but how to kick from a standing position and how to kick on the run. So when they arrive in the US, it's like asking an F1 driver to park a car.
The problem with NFL punters is they want hang time where as college want position. Position is what Aussie punters will give you with the drop punt. The NFL rules don’t make position as vital as hang time and that is why many Aussie are great in college but don’t make it to the NFL their kicks are not as important in the pros.
I will give you some insight as well, many Australian 18 year old's would be able to punt just as well as the older guys you are seeing. The older guys are at the end of their career in Australia. The younger guys would not come over because they can earn more playing AFL while they can.
As a Aussie I think it’s ok besides the point that u made also unlike the Aussie football u guys only pick collage players for the nfl it’s hard to get a start otherwise
The BEST thing americans can do, particularly any prospects is send them to australia to play AFL in their off season, keep them active and kicking in a range of high pressure and different scenarios
What amazes me is that the reverse isn't happening. Why aren't top College footballers who don't make it in the NFL coming Down Under. Australian Rules Football may not be the game but your running backs, wide receivers, etc. could easily transition to two of our biggest professional sports - Rugby League (particularly) and Rugby Union. Many many top college players could easily pick up Rugby League very quickly. Sure they won't earn $10ms a year but $500k to a $1m. Its NFL money but its better than missing the NFL cut and earning nothing.
@@laurencebyron9183 Tell that to Micael Cheika former Wallabies Coach, trying to coach a Lebanese Rugby League side. Alan Jones who coached the Wallabies but floundered coaching South Sydney Rugby League. Also the current English Rugby Unioin Coach would like to an Australian Rugby League team. Rugby League has it's intricacies and is in some senses more difficult to coach than Rugby Union.
@@laurencebyron9183 Unfortunately it is a more complex game that people from Rugby Union find hard to adjust too. Anyway they are looking at AF cuts being some source of potential new blood for a 18th team in Australia. Personally I cannot see this being practical as Rugby League had similar try outs for quite a few AF " cuts" in the 1980's. Absolutely nothing came of it.
Possibly can happen.. and the US Rugby Sevens team has a lot of ex- American Footballers. But pretty much everyone in Rugby Union/ Sevens and Rugby League needs to know how to pass (laterally) and that's a dead skill these days
as an australian, i really don't get college sports in america at all. it seems like most athletes who want to go pro just go to college for a couple years as a formality and don't even try to finish a degree. why is sports so tied to educational institutions? it's sort of similar in australia, where private schools with a lot of money will give scholarships to rugby players, but high school rugby games don't attract nearly the same fanfair as college football or basketball in america, and it's not like a high schooler is gonna go pro at 15, so most of these players actually make an attempt to graduate.
Australia has so many second string US basketballers over here... lifting the standard... good to exchange the favour...a lot of those AFL retirees don't has qualifications so if they pick up a degree in the US all good... Meanwhile lost of Aussie girls are playing soccer in the USA...The great Sam Kerr did... Maybe you Americans can start some new AFL leagues over there.... but be prepared to push the fitness levels given that is is a fast running game with few stops.
I played for North Melbourne under 19s I was not good enough for the seniors! But I could kick as good as Blight . Or any of them...if I was nineteen now I would be a rich punter! In the NFL. Dang!
Seems really hypocritical to say it’s unfair in favor of the man leaving his home, country, family, behind to go take a SHOT. VS the HS senior getting multiple offers
If you're ready to learn and if you're good enough then you should get a game. If there are 28 year old Americans that want to go back to school and try and get a kick, good luck to them as well
I was an 18 year old snapper and got the shit juked out of me by someone over a decade older than me playing punt returner as a 29 year old. Can we talk about banning that next. Thank you.
What does age have to do with it? Are you saying a massive, built, developed 19-20 year old couldn't have done the same thing? Do rookies in the NFL bitch and moan getting hit by a guy with10+ years experience?
IT is different from Darren Bennett. Sav Rocker. Ben Graham! They played in the AFL the elite 18 team league... Most of the new wave hitting the college football scene have not played in the AFL.... Mostly minor leagues.. THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT IS No one in the world of football codes can kick an oval ball like Australian rules football players! They can make that ball sing! At any level !
I do think that there should be an age limit. Having players that are like 28 years old is ridiculous. There should be an age limit to compete in college sports.
We allow Americans to come here and play basketball and our Aussies Rules Football or AFL and anyway we know how to kick a ball, especially those tiny pointy balls you fellas use. We can sand those into space. I gotta admit that I'm amazed basketball is even played here now, it was never played when I was a young lad, you'd never see a basket ball ring anywhere, we just thought it was a boring game and not tough enough for men to play
![[Full Episode] MasterChef Junior Thailand มาสเตอร์เชฟ จูเนียร์ ประเทศไทย Season 3 Episode 4](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/e7Oqqo90x_w/mqdefault.jpg)
The thing is, they could use the education too.
Many either skipped uni or studied part time when they got drafted. If they got delisted (waived), they either had to contend with state-level football (barely pro/semipro) or just quit the sport entirely. Punting is a good way for them to get an education on someone else's dime.
If not, they need places where they can learn football without taking spots from US college kids. This is where minor league gridiron should be, but I'm not sure if they could earn enough to justify moving countries entirely.
unreal comment, i never even thought of that aspect. alot of footy players would probably go straight to the US and do that knowing the benifits. Scholarships in Australia do exists but are far from what is provided like in the US. That alone would have me packing my bags.
honestly it depends on the contracting club, years ago (2000s) my sisters boyfriend at the time was drafted into the AFL at age 19 (not giving the name, but he played for one of the biggest clubs). it was one of his contractual obligations that he commit to Uni studies outside of football. He told us that some of his teammates who where drafted before him also had this as part of their contracts.
Yes some are dumb, but not all and if they are academically successful, some clubs will encourage uni.
FYI - In Aussie rules, 18 years and 29 years olds do compete with each other. so its not a huge stretch. having an experienced player should be a huge development bonus to other players, and assistive to their development.
Great take. Some of Michael Dickson's plays for the Seahawks have been quite remarkable. As an Aussie we can actually tell he's an Australian without even knowing beforehand, simply because of his mannerisms and the balls he has to try things most punters wouldn't even dream of.
The Aussie style is truly unique and some Aussie/American combination will bring out the best of both styles
the Punter position has been so underrated....since Darren Bennett made the switch, Aussie punters are not scared of tackling returners
Aussies coming here is quite unique. I went down the rabbit hole a couple of weeks ago to understand the differences between the 2 styles of punts to see if one would be better than the other. The big difference I noticed with the punting came from the NFL. There has only been maybe 3 Aussie style punters that have had success in the NFL so I thought the Aussie style punt was stupid for many many years. What I didn't realize was that most of those punters didn't even get to the NFL until they were around 27 years old or older which is past their prime. Then add in the fact that the NFL is very reluctant on changing the style of punting minus a couple of teams. It then dawned on me.......what would happen when the NFL started getting these guys when they were 21-23 years of age where they can stay in the NFL for 10+ years when they normally would have only lasted 4-5 years. I also never realized how violent/physical AFL is compared to American football, and never understood that former AFL players have a natural instinct to take off running for a 1st down if the return team doesn't respect their running ability. I always thought when they took off running it was a designed fake punt instead of something they could decide to do on their own. This is when I had a lightbulb moment after realizing all of the possibilities of making punting exciting.
The main challenge will be, like NFL, AFL is a national treasure here. It’s a brilliant game, and the best talent in the country dreams of making it to the AFL in the draft at the age of 17-18. Compare that to the life of a punter, which despite the incredible salary, is a pretty limited way to make a living. You just punt a ball a few times a game. There have been a few Aussies who have made it to the NFL but most likely many more who are playing Aussies Rules football at the highest level, who can punt the ball 70-80 metres (search Trent McKenzie and Dustin Fletcher) who really don’t have an interest in playing NFL. It would be like the AFL running a talent drive to poach 21-23 NFL players, by and large they’re not going to take the risk of switching codes and moving their life to the other side of the world for a much lower pay packet.
Honestly, there's no reason a seasoned punter can't play well into his 30s, so I don't think "prime age" is really a factor.
@@Kelnx they don't last that long in the AFL, only the exceptional ones go that long. The games to hard on their bodies. A real mans game.
AFL athletes in their prime are honestly a force of nature. I remember a summary saying theyare basketball sized with the hands and foot skills of an NFL wide reciever and stamina greater than a soccer player. Absolute units.
@@aussiescotsman4145 And yet a subpar college basketball player has been in the AFL for 8 years and just won a Grand Final. AFL players are fantastic athletes, but then so are all professional athletes.
I say no. It's true that they have relevant experience but I love what they have done to expand the strategic element of the punt game. I also support the ambitious drive that pushes someone to go anywhere in the world to compete at the highest level in their chosen sport.
I think the problem is that it messes with the entire purpose of college sports. As a college football player, before I ever put on pads or got to hitting or anything, the very first thing we had to do as a team and sit down and have an eligibility meeting. Literally the first thing that they talk about is “amateurism“, you must be an amateur to play college football. Or any college sport for that matter. If you have ever accepted money specifically to play football (not for your name image or likeness), you’re automatically ineligible. Australian rules football players are not amateurs in my opinion. I don’t see how you can have a 15+ year Australian rules football career then come over and play college football as if you’re not an amateur.
Hell yeah
@@XxJERICHOHOLICxX13 Very thought provoking point. Some of the Australians have indeed played at the professional level of Australian Rules Football, particularly those over 25, but some are washouts who were never drafted and had been playing club football prior to getting into a college program in the U.S. But my main question to you, (just a question not a judgment) is : Does the amateur requirement apply when the sport (in which the "freshman" was formerly a professional) is not American football (or a variant thereof, e.g. Canadian football)? For example if the rookie punter was formerly a pro golfer or had played a couple of years on the tennis ATP tour?
@@XxJERICHOHOLICxX13 you only have to be amateur in the sport you're wanting to compete in (from my understanding)
so the australians are all amateurs when going to america.
you spoke about eligibility like americans can't be 28 year old freshman (they can btw)... it's all about the 5 years from when you first enroll in a university, not from the age of 18.
@@XxJERICHOHOLICxX13 "Australian rules football players are not amateurs in my opinion."
What makes them professionals?
Most people who play Aussie Rules Football don't get paid and/or aren't considered professional AFL players.
"I don’t see how you can have a 15+ year Australian rules football career then come over and play college football as if you’re not an amateur."
How does the length of time someone plays a sport make them a professional?
you gotta remember, in Australia (yes I am Aussie), we start booting the shit out of the ball from a young age especially at school playing forcebacks where we smash the ball as hard as possible and even harder when the chicks on are the oval.
Do some of you understand that most of us have no chance of education. We haven't got the money to go to university or have anything going for us. We grow up playing rugby or aussie rules and we take a risk to try and be something more than what we are. It's not our fault that american kids don't want to work hard for it anymore because they got comfortable with it. Or workout and risk actually being one of the guys. We have NOTHING TO LOSE putting it all in because back home there's nothing for us. Also its not just the Aussies. The British Kickers are starting to take the place kicking spots. Evolution is key for the game !.
Wow, haven't even considered this aspect before, now there's a good heart wrenching story that goes with it along side the pure prowess they bring to the game!
I'm not disagreeing with you but this could be said for the majority of kids in the US too. Kids join the damn military to get an education after highschool where I grew up. The majority of the US is not milk and honey.
As an Australian, you'd qualify for HECS meaning you literally have free access to any Australian university. Yes, you do have to pay it back, but only when you make above 47k a year. Best of all, you tend to pay about 1-10% of your HECs back a year, and there's no interest. My whole course is costing me about $15k (3 year course, and through HECS/interest free loan) and the same would cost me $160k (either upfront or via a private loan provider with interest) in the US at a worse ranked university. Furthermore, age doesn't matter - you could be 50 and get HECs if you really wanted to. Although I agree with you, that the best and hardest working punter should get the spot, regardless of nationality. There might be reasonable grounds to impose an upper age limit however.
@@nidhishp3800 for what it’s worth, there are plenty of affordable universities that are good. I got my degree for $500 a semester
@@IsaacPunts For sure! But I was looking at a similar size university with similar rankings. I was offered a full scholarship to UMass last year, but declined as they didn't take international students for my specific course. I could have accepted the offer and done some course I wasn't interested in, and essentially moved to the US to play football. But I'm going to utilise the opportunity to progress my education as well. Hoping to hear from Boston College, as they offer the program for international students :) .
To be fair, all those Australian kids, whether they live in a rugby/rugby league state or an Aussie rules state, have been kicking the ball around since they were three. If the 18 year olds were to come over they'd still win a bunch of punting gigs because it's just not a skill that's emphasized at a young age in the USA. I grew up in Australia, and I'm unathletic as hell, and I can do all of those tricky banana kicks and spiral punts and drop punts and the rest, no problem. That's nothing special, it's just what we all did all the time growing up while you all were learning to throw the ball in the most incredible ways.
Just wait till someone realizes that rugby/rugby league players could revolutionize American football with their ability to lateral the ball accurately and catch it every time.
One day, an NFL coach is going to win a Superbowl with designed rugby plays and 2-3 quick lateral passes. Maybe not from the back field. More like the "hook and ladder" play with a forward pass to an open receiver who underarms the ball to a teammate sprinting past. You see it as a last-ditch desperation play when there's 0:00 on the clock, but the defence always has everyone back to make the tackle. I'm amazed teams don't try it in general play. Easy way to turn a 10 yard gain into a 75 yard touchdown.
Oh goodness me Rugby lateral passes! You need to go back to the 40s-50s when NFL did that all the time it was a standard play. I love it when other codes think there the only ones who can pass or kick a ball. @@Charles-qn1bt
Leave the kicking and catching to Australian rules players.... Rugby league and union copied the drop punt to kick for touch! Good move....And AFL players teach league players to catch! Will Warbrick obviously didn't need teaching as he played Aussie rules football in New Zealand!
Also if you haven’t watched a game of AFL you’re missing out man it’s amazing. Go eagles
I’ve watched some it’s sensory overload for me
It’s shit
You had me until go eagles 😉
So is the first time you get laid, but you give it another go don't you?@@IsaacPunts
Our game is actually Australian Rules Football and NOT AFL. The AFL is the premier Australian Rules Football competition in the country but it is not the name of the game. I've played 300 games of Aussie Rules but not one in the AFL as I was nowhere near good enough. Hence I never played AFL.
Bloody great post. Great to see so many Aussies making it in the NFL. Siposs also showed today that he had wheels and can still lay a tackle
It ain't our fault Australians are simply better than Americans 😂
had us in the first half
Hit you with the old switcheroo 😉
Oh boy I went on a rollercoaster there. Cheers mate
@@isaacpearson3118 Yeah, I'm on the side of Punters everywhere! Not abandoning my Brothers from down under because of some mad guys 😎😎
@@IsaacPunts is that fair that guys that old are playing in college football ?
For me it's just cool to see my countrymen making a bit of a splash in the US, and possibly also making people in the US a bit more aware of our sport.
I don't think banning them is the answer, but there definitely needs to be an age limit on college sports if there's somehow not already wtf
The problem is that’s not a fair fight. They should be college students, not grown up adults. If they want to come, join the international player program or free agency.
I'm fine with it personally, but I think they should have to show their true colors and dress out in those short-shorts vs US football pads... Bring the skills, Bring the shorts. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
LOL...I'm with ya
You should have a look at Warwick Capper mate 😆 back in the day he was known for his tight shorty shorts😂
Amen! Hell of a grand final today which showcased our game. (And we had an American playing)
Great video, I'm proud of our guys that have gone over and made a go of it. It is a specialist position and I agree competition helps the US punters push to new levels too.
Other than Sav Rocca, who who a beast of a player in the professional level, none of the other guys played professional footy. We just kick the ball every day, at school, on weekends, to ourselves. Aussies just know how to kick a footy.
Ben Graham, Aaron Siposs, Darren Bennet
@@samueladams9237 you are right, but they were bit players that were not even close to influence on the game that big Sav had
Ben Graham, 200+ games, Geelong B&F, captain, Geelong hall of famer
@@smythie27 Darren Bennett averaged 3 goals a game
@@smythie27 Pull your head out of your ass, champ.
Just because you don't know about Ben Graham and Darren Bennet doesn't mean that others don't.
And maybe read about what Bennet did in the NFL and the way he changed punting.
Australians are becoming more connected with NFL thanks to internet and live streaming. The season starts just as our AFL and NRL seasons come to a close so it just works out perfectly. The game has elements from league and aus footy and having ex afl players head over and become punters just grows the audience even more. It’s a good partnership.
the only element of aussie rules in grid iron is the punting
@@the_real_bin_chicken and tackling
running , receiving, tackling just to name a few @@the_real_bin_chicken
@@the_real_bin_chickenTackling, catching, running with the ball and trying to put space between yourself and your opponent to receive the ball don't count ???
@@the_real_bin_chicken wrong think about it! The hits. The catches/ marks. The running jumping. Tackles. Kicking yes. Wayne Bennett had Justin Leppitch from the Brisbane lions 20 years ago at the Broncos training. Craig Davis from the Swans in the nineties used to help Cronulla... many more Joel Selwood Geelong's premiership captain just finished at the Storm.. Carlton Blue's used to train with the Melbourne Storm! Michael Maguire the new NSW blue's coach was always going to AFL matches to pick up something that could be useful to the Storm!
No coincidence that NRL players are leaping AFL style catching the ball and scoring tries .. Will Warbrick... although he played Aussie rules in NZ... And the ex Bronco now playing with the Storm ! Can't think of his name?
Some of these American kids should try out for the AFL. If they’re successful they get to play the best game in a great country.
We do have Americans and Canadians try out and there have been some who actually played professionally
Mason Cox plays for Collingwood in the AFL and he’s American.
Jason Holmes is an American who played for the St Kilda Saints few years back, who turns out to be the brother of former NFL wide receiver Andre Holmes
Love your fun spin on the world of punting. Like someone else mentioned here you can tell an Aussie punter by the style. I'm constantly checking to see the nationality of college punters when I see that particular kicking method...... or when the punter actually knows how to lay a tackle. College football needs more Aussies!
There is A LOT of room left for innovation.
I thought this video was awesome. Your attitude is perfect for someone who wants to be a champion mate. Good on you. 😊👍
To be fair, anyone can enroll in a college and try to get a walk on for a college football team.
Yup. Look at Chad Powers at Penn State! 😂😂😂
I was about to have a go at you early in the video, but then I saw you were getting to a very good point.
We also have a few Gaelic Footballers play in the AFL, and even one American currently playing. Jim Stynes(RIP) would have to have been the most famous Irishman here, playing more consecutive games than any other player in the league. AFL players going to the NFL to become punters seems logical to me.
Our high school football is much smaller than the US equivalent. Players might have 15 years experience, but only have ever played in front of dozens at a time. The local leagues attract hundreds, or several thousand, but that hasn’t always beeen the case. The biggest crowd at a footy match here in Hobart was 29,000 in 1979, when we had a population of something like 160,000.
💯 💯 💯
Competition breed's better Competition!
Ntm Aussies have redefined the expectations of what a punter can do both physically and skilfully in term's of introducing different styles of kicks & stepping way outta what you're regular punter's comfort zone...Yes Aussies aren't afraid of hitting or being hit.
As an Aussie I have grown to love the nfl. Darren Bennett was a trailblazer, and we’ve produced some awesome punters in that time. Ben graham, Dickson, sav rocca. All great punters.
The only correction that needs to be added is that most australians (girls included) have been kicking a footy since they were 3. Even as a children, and I can only speak for being an aussie, we are highly competitive yet we are still friendly. For example, amongst our friendship groups it would be highly unlikely that everyone would follow the same team. I live in South Australia and follow THE ONLY SA football club the crows (i have been told that there is another team and if they were any good I am sure I would have heard of them) yet my late partner followed a victorian team (south of the border and perhaps he should move there 😜🤣) following anther states team is akin to blasphemy and very un-South Australian. The reason is because the VFL became the AFL but every state has their own code and I believe the best code is SANFL but I digress.
Peace and love to all ❤
We start kicking a ball not long after we learn to walk in many homes.
It’s something foreigners won’t really understand that Aussies will go to a park and just kick a footy to each other for hours. I’m 41 and me and a mate were kicking on the weekend.
Just wait till we start doing banana kicks and floaters. So far you’ve got the barest of essential kicks in Australia.
Probably couldn’t do a torpedo punt. The ball would go into the car park.
@@georgezissis9244torpedo is the stock punt in America. They call it a spiral punt.
If we banned Aussies from College football... do people really think no one would swoop in and just place them in the NFL directly? Teams wouldn't prop up things like the USFL or XFL or some other spring football to try out their Aussie punters?
I think they may die out all together which would be even worse
Would an NFL team take a chance on a guy who's never played football before? Would an Aussie leave his home, family and job to play in the USFL/XFL with no guarantee of ever making it in the NFL? Some would, but a lot less than do to get at best an NFL career and at worst a free education.
Yes they would. What’s funny is it’s usually failed AFL players that go to the US to play college. If actual good AFL players went to play almost every punter would be an Aussie.
Garbage you have never watched NFL there best punters are American as well . why do D/headed Aussies think there the only people in the world that can kick a F**king ball They have a bloke from Scotland in the NFL he is also a great punter Also name 5 AFL players that can kick a Torp constantly with accuracy over 60 meters ? Its all short kicks & round the corner sissy kicks and yeah I'm Aussie @@tomoliver2961
Most of us Aussies start kicking a football shortly after we can walk 🙂
Or a rugby ball, either way, it’s the same result.
I see your point.
Aussie rules football means that kicking an NFL ball a long way is an easy party trick for Aussie kids though.
Its also great for marketing internationally it means viewership goes up & more jersey sales etc.
In any competitive field having to participate against people who are much better than you can only be good for you.
Wow, great analysis
And some say, on a chilly autumn night -- not unlike tonight -- when the fire crackles and you gather 'round to warm, you can hear it as if from the flames themselves...throckmorton...throckmorton...mcthundercock...mcthundercock...
We need to put effort into developing athletes here to catch up to the Aussies.
Frrrr 💪💪💪
I was shocked to learn how brutal AFL is compared to American rules football. Pat McAfee interviewed a former basketball player that went down under to play AFL after giving up D1 college bball. They were going over highlights, and I never knew that an AFL field is much larger than a football field, that players are allowed to blindside hit other players, that players are allowed to use opposing players to jump off of them to get a ball, and that the game doesn't stop. If you pull a hamstring or tear and ACL, you have to walk off the field on your own. Apparently the only time they stop the game to remove a player is if you break your leg or you get knocked out. Then you see Aussie punters in college or the NFL and it makes perfect sense why they're not afraid of anything.
it will be very hard for us punters to catch up to the Aussies in training. unless the USA punters start playing AFL. the volume of kicking under pressure in the sport of afl is just way higher. their maybe 3-5 punts in a game of NFL and you may not even be chosen an AFL player punts anywhere from 10 to 25 times a game. it would be hard to simulate that kind of volume under pressure in training.
@@erics607You are not allowed blindside hits if you don’t have the ball. Also trainers will assist in taking you off.
There should be an age limit of when these guys can come over and start their freshman year. 23/24 should be the latest they can start their 4 years of eligibility. Its been 2 years now since my last D1 snap as a punter and im only 25... If I knew all the things then as i do now...
Isn't that on you? Nobody pointed a gun at your head and told you that you had to start college at 18. You could have used that time to work on your kicking skills. A lot of folks spend years in the workforce and then start getting a college education in their mid 20s or even later.
@Posys Dogovych I don't know how old you are or what environment you grew up in, but while there wasn't an actual gun to anyone's head, there was a ridiculous amount of pressure in the early 2000s to go to college and that you were throwing your life away if you didn't.
Is there an age limit on going to college to study?
So why should there be an age limit on being able to play college sports?
"If I knew all the things then as i do now"
You'd what?
Did you publish the template somewhere? Could I please get a copy? It would make the perfect Christmas present for my nephew who loves dinosaurs.
College should be a learning experience for all who participate. I learned a lot from students and faculty from all over the world. US football has benefited from soccer playing European place kickers for decades. Better punters from Down Under also improves the game.
Fucken legend! Was watching this whating to get put shit on, then you making a point why we should, I don't even like AFL but appreciate ya and I subbed btw NRL IS THE GO
Darren Bennett.
All 90's Punter and only played five years of the decade. Enough said.
Yeah about that, some Aussies have invested their hard earned to get there so as to realise their NFL dream only to fail miserably due to local competition and very costly college fees sending them packing and returning home to Australia very broke and disillusioned.
you had me in the first half, I was about to write a whole essay, then you turned it around and i was like, phew, I don't have to lose my shit today
I love our Aussie punters. We've had 2. Both were very good and one got several first downs on uncalled fake punts.
That’s life kiddo, be better 🎉
That’s when I started punting in college, 28 years old. Extra years to develop do make a difference.
They really do, but it pushes us for the best
I have thought it is strange that these older guys can play college sports. I feel like there should be an age restriction at some point but the fact that they have been punting things a lot because they played a different sport is good for competition for sure
The college rules are a bit weird when it comes to eligibility. Several years ago there was a story about a guy that went and played 1 year of D1 college football and he was in his 50's. He never used up his college eligibility, and he never went pro, so therefore he could play college football despite him being about 30 years past his prime.
I don’t see the issue with it that’s probably because here in Australia players are recruited into the AFL at 17-18 years of age and are from that point on playing against grown men already
Glad to hear you attitude towards your self posed question. However, I'd like to take the argument a step deeper. I'm Australian, & I kinda agree with the whole late 20's vs early 20's physical development argument. HOWEVER, I think you'd be shocked at some of the kickers we have still playing at the high school football level.
Everyone seems to focus on the whole "AFL 50m kick" metric when trying to sensationalize things. What you don't see entering the mix are all the Rugby Union backs who are more than capable of performing a +50m kicks without even trying . One of the prerequisites and a specific drill for the wingers (at least for the school I played for) was long touch kicks (kicking for the sideline deep into the opponents territory). Being able to kick from your own try line, as far as possible for a sideline, as well as then being able to chase down your kick to as many of your own team members "on side" to then be able to defend should you not actually quite make it into touch, was a solid game strategy to get breathing space for your team.
Perhaps you should look into "school boy" kickers, because if you're worried about the pool of ex-AFL players, cinder blocks will be shat when you find out just how many young players could also be pulled from Australia as age appropriate punters for the US college football system. I kid you not! ;-)
Dude you seriously aren’t comparing the foot skills of any fucker playing either rugby code with afl, and you can’t compare distance, you do know the balls are nothing alike and have different capabilities, even AFL and WAFL use different balls, when they used to play state of origin (well VFL & WAFL still do) they alternate 2 quarters each, the wa ball is a lot more like rugby ball, it floats, sherrin is more accurate but harder for distance but will torp better
Hahaha Good vid. Great plot twist!
These aussie punters are masive, they can breake any returner with a tackle since Australian Rules Football ishighly physical, they have no fear, they kick like Gods of kicking and they are grown ups, US punters now have a very high standard to fill, that will eventually make them better
When you grow up playing Aussie rules football from about the age of 5 or 6 years old by the time you are 17 or 18 you can already kick a ball at leased 35 to 55 yards then by the time you are 23 or 24 you can kick it 70 or 80 yards so you only get better at it because we are taught to kick the ball thousands of time it is a lot easier for an Aussie to play N.F.L there is only 1 American playing A.F.L and that is Mason Cox from Texas have a look at a game of A.F.L then you will see why
Aussie here. Id love to come over an play some NFL, how do i sign up?
Something similar could be argued regarding Irish kickers and punters at US colleges experienced with Soccer, Gaelic football and Rugby kicking skills from an early age. Daniel Whelan of the Green Bay Packers is a prime example.
It can only be a good thing for the sport overall in my opinion.
To be fair it isn't uncommon for 16 and 17 year olds to play AFL against adults, and if your 18 and not that good you will probably end up playing ressies which is against other adults. Hell, we even had David Mundy play for one of our local clubs earlier in the year, he is 38, retired from playing as a professional athlete last year with 371 games under his belt, he took someones spot in the team for a game. Point is theres no restrictions of age or skill, if ur in the top 22 you get to play, should be the same over there.
Australian rules football not AFL that is the same as NFL a particular league not the game... Dickinson did not play in the AFL he did play Australian rules football!
I’m Australian, I don’t see this as specific to Australians. There could be an argument for an age cap in the league you mention. After all what is stopping an older American doing the same thing?
I’m surprised that there aren’t any nrl halfbacks, as they also kick, run, get tackled. In fact, most nrl players would probably be good at wide receiver, as they are both fast and strong.
Great vid
First off, as always, I love the audacity of your commentary. Don't ever change.
Second, I love your advocacy of the position (punting) and wish that I had found a punting mentor like you who might have gotten me to try out for the team...if you could have convinced my mom that at 6'2" 145 lbs I would survive a single tackle. Or even a hard block. Ironically I do full-contact medieval armored combat now.
Thirs, it's actually kind of a tricky subject, grownen against teenagers in high school. Any reason for banning them should absolutely not be based on their Australian nationality, that is simply the kind of discrimination that in un-American IMHO. But size, weight, age...
It actually starts to sound a bit like the argument against transgender athletes. It sounds all good and women-supportive when they talk about bone density and muscle mass, but then you hear them simply denying that transgender is an actual thing and that these women are cheating by going through a two-year procedure os surgery and hormone treatments so they can beat up on women in mma and swimming, and you see woman-supporting trans-hate on the Facebook that is so full of irony you could outfit a Norman army to invade England in 1066.
Get it? Irony? Iron armor in 1066?
But with the concern of both supporting American youth football and competition = growth, do, or can, high school football teams have two punting, a starter and backup, so the Aussie can teach the kids what he knows?
I am also reminded ofvthe rule in the WLAF that on certain downs a European (or Mexican) player had to be on the field for both teams. Would that work, forcing the non-American or over-18 players (however you want to segregate it) off the field on certain downs, or is that as skeevy as I kind of feel suggesting it?
So wha
Great commentary and good points, it’s definitely not a cut and dry situation and I think there’s great arguments on both sides, ultimately I think it comes down to whether you think what they provide is good or bad for the sport and ultimately I’m in favor of it
I was about to declare war on you, but after listening to the end, now l’d buy you a beer! (That’s high praise indeed from an Aussie)
Im an Aussie and i say no thats not fair. When one of our top kickers in AFL retires and then goes over there at 33 doing just that little bit each game he would destroy all other punters and thats not fair. Thats like taking a top NFL running back thats just retired and putting them in a uni game for 5 minutes he would kill them. Although itd be fun to watch
I just think that if it can improve the game why the hell not at least for a little while. However, it's normal for 18 year olds here in Australia to be playing with and against guys in their late 20s/early 30s in our nation so we don't really blink an eye at it. As long as it's enjoyed by all and us Aussies aren't standing on anyone's toes then it's a good thing right?????
Neat . Aussie rules best game on the planet
Then why don't those guys stay home and play it?, instead of sending 30 yr old men to compete against 18 year olds coming out of HS....I can see 18 year old Aussies coming over but those older guys should stay home. Either that, or quit being cowardly and take their skills(?) directly to compete against NFL punters and kickers instead of boys...THEY'RE GAMING THE SYSTEM!
As an Aussie, this evolution has been interesting to watch, particularly as a Sydneysider where rugby union/league is a lot more popular than Australian Rules Football. One thing these Aussie Rules players do, which Americans generally don't seem to do, is practice their kicking for hours and hours (get this) FOR FUN! Aussie Rules players will play what's called "kick-to-kick" where they literally just kick back and forth. The repetition enables perfection. Whereas I don't feel like Americans do that; rather they throw the football to each other. I'm very curious to see if NCAA colleges start recruiting place kickers from rugby league/union, as I'm confident the impact would be the same. I can guarantee there are hundreds of normal guys in Australia who could place kick much much better than most NCAA, or even NFL guys. For context, when I played rugby I could consistently make place kicks from the 50m (metres, not yards) line. I could also make conversions from all angles, sometimes from the sideline 30-40 m out from goal. This would be considered impressive in the NCAA or NFL but in Australia, NZ or England, no big deal. I know if I was a 14 year old playing rugby in Australia now I'd be sending game tapes to every big NCAA school to get a scholarship. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before this starts to happen.
That's the big attraction the ability of AFL and Rugby players to kick long and deep.
There are also many younger Aussies breaking into US football college teams, like 18-20 years old via dedicated punting talent recruiting systems running in Australia. Almost every Australian kid is kicking a football from the age 3 or 4 with their dad or their brothers. They watch AFL all their young lives and learn not just how to kick accurately and consistently, but how to kick from a standing position and how to kick on the run. So when they arrive in the US, it's like asking an F1 driver to park a car.
The whole system of using college as a minor league for the NFL (and the NBA) is outdated. Let's go from one and done to none and done.
The problem with NFL punters is they want hang time where as college want position. Position is what Aussie punters will give you with the drop punt. The NFL rules don’t make position as vital as hang time and that is why many Aussie are great in college but don’t make it to the NFL their kicks are not as important in the pros.
I will give you some insight as well, many Australian 18 year old's would be able to punt just as well as the older guys you are seeing. The older guys are at the end of their career in Australia. The younger guys would not come over because they can earn more playing AFL while they can.
As a Aussie I think it’s ok besides the point that u made also unlike the Aussie football u guys only pick collage players for the nfl it’s hard to get a start otherwise
To be fair any person could go play over there for a few years and then come back and play in college if they so chose
Lmao I was about to write up a massive comment.
You had me in the first half...
Thank for saying not Aussie college football. Because as an An Aussie late 40s in will help you😊
Hell no have the ncaa take everyone
what if the banned punts and field goals from football, both college and pro.
The BEST thing americans can do, particularly any prospects is send them to australia to play AFL in their off season, keep them active and kicking in a range of high pressure and different scenarios
What amazes me is that the reverse isn't happening. Why aren't top College footballers who don't make it in the NFL coming Down Under.
Australian Rules Football may not be the game but your running backs, wide receivers, etc. could easily transition to two of our biggest professional sports - Rugby League (particularly) and Rugby Union.
Many many top college players could easily pick up Rugby League very quickly.
Sure they won't earn $10ms a year but $500k to a $1m. Its NFL money but its better than missing the NFL cut and earning nothing.
No sounds great, but in reality rhere is a very wide gap between Rugby League and rhe NFL
@@robertryan7204 No disrespect to Rugby League but compared to Rugby Union or American Football it is a relatively easy game to learn.
@@laurencebyron9183 Tell that to Micael Cheika former Wallabies Coach, trying to coach a Lebanese Rugby League side. Alan Jones who coached the Wallabies but floundered coaching South Sydney Rugby League. Also the current English Rugby Unioin Coach would like to an Australian Rugby League team. Rugby League has it's intricacies and is in some senses more difficult to coach than Rugby Union.
@@laurencebyron9183 Unfortunately it is a more complex game that people from Rugby Union find hard to adjust too. Anyway they are looking at AF cuts being some source of potential new blood for a 18th team in Australia. Personally I cannot see this being practical as Rugby League had similar try outs for quite a few AF " cuts" in the 1980's. Absolutely nothing came of it.
Possibly can happen.. and the US Rugby Sevens team has a lot of ex- American Footballers.
But pretty much everyone in Rugby Union/ Sevens and Rugby League needs to know how to pass (laterally) and that's a dead skill these days
as an australian, i really don't get college sports in america at all. it seems like most athletes who want to go pro just go to college for a couple years as a formality and don't even try to finish a degree. why is sports so tied to educational institutions? it's sort of similar in australia, where private schools with a lot of money will give scholarships to rugby players, but high school rugby games don't attract nearly the same fanfair as college football or basketball in america, and it's not like a high schooler is gonna go pro at 15, so most of these players actually make an attempt to graduate.
Haha, gotta say I was listening along for the first half thinking, yeah he has point here, fair enough. Then the second half 😂 well played
Yes, age is definitely an advantage in contact sports...
Australia has so many second string US basketballers over here... lifting the standard... good to exchange the favour...a lot of those AFL retirees don't has qualifications so if they pick up a degree in the US all good... Meanwhile lost of Aussie girls are playing soccer in the USA...The great Sam Kerr did... Maybe you Americans can start some new AFL leagues over there.... but be prepared to push the fitness levels given that is is a fast running game with few stops.
There are a lot universities in Australia.
You could take an AFL u18 and they would still be better than an American student
There are some very talented American punters
I played for North Melbourne under 19s
I was not good enough for the seniors!
But I could kick as good as Blight . Or any of them...if I was nineteen now I would be a rich punter! In the NFL. Dang!
Agree
I'm an Aussie NRL fan and I reckon the only reason any of our sons of thunder play Gridiron is because they COULDN'T CUT IT, back home.
So they should just give up, right? You must be a teenager.
@@fredrickm4436
🤣😂
Competition breeds more competition! Market economy America.
Seems really hypocritical to say it’s unfair in favor of the man leaving his home, country, family, behind to go take a SHOT. VS the HS senior getting multiple offers
If you're ready to learn and if you're good enough then you should get a game. If there are 28 year old Americans that want to go back to school and try and get a kick, good luck to them as well
When our ounters start working their way into other positions you will see more improvement again.
I was an 18 year old snapper and got the shit juked out of me by someone over a decade older than me playing punt returner as a 29 year old. Can we talk about banning that next. Thank you.
What does age have to do with it?
Are you saying a massive, built, developed 19-20 year old couldn't have done the same thing?
Do rookies in the NFL bitch and moan getting hit by a guy with10+ years experience?
IT is different from Darren Bennett. Sav Rocker. Ben Graham!
They played in the AFL the elite 18 team league... Most of the new wave hitting the college football scene have not played in the AFL.... Mostly minor leagues.. THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT IS
No one in the world of football codes can kick an oval ball like Australian rules football players! They can make that ball sing! At any level !
The highschool kids in America can go work a construction job and come back too lol.
I do think that there should be an age limit. Having players that are like 28 years old is ridiculous. There should be an age limit to compete in college sports.
This video it the apitomy of "get better not bitter" lol
We allow Americans to come here and play basketball and our Aussies Rules Football or AFL and anyway we know how to kick a ball, especially those tiny pointy balls you fellas use. We can sand those into space. I gotta admit that I'm amazed basketball is even played here now, it was never played when I was a young lad, you'd never see a basket ball ring anywhere, we just thought it was a boring game and not tough enough for men to play
Think of Jordan Maliata in terms of transitioning Rugby Talent
W vid
W comment