Comments on: Tom Wills: charmer and scoundrel http://gorey.com.au/tom-wills Random thoughts and observations Wed, 23 May 2012 17:46:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Retarius http://gorey.com.au/tom-wills/comment-page-1#comment-45820 Retarius Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:44:47 +0000 http://gorey.com.au/?p=3088#comment-45820 The more you learn about these things the more complex they are revealed to be. i think Ill read that book "A game of our own". Thanks for the link. The more you learn about these things the more complex they are revealed to be. i think Ill read that book “A game of our own”. Thanks for the link.

]]> By: Michael http://gorey.com.au/tom-wills/comment-page-1#comment-45592 Michael Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:25:21 +0000 http://gorey.com.au/?p=3088#comment-45592 Here's an interesting link: http://www.colonialrugby.com.au/AFL-2008.htm Here’s an interesting link:
http://www.colonialrugby.com.au/AFL-2008.htm

]]> By: Retarius http://gorey.com.au/tom-wills/comment-page-1#comment-45591 Retarius Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:35:58 +0000 http://gorey.com.au/?p=3088#comment-45591 Well, you've got me there. I'll have to read up on it. Ha! "The History of Australian Football". That would make a good topic for you-know-who. But it'll be out of season when she visits. Well, you’ve got me there. I’ll have to read up on it. Ha! “The History of Australian Football”. That would make a good topic for you-know-who. But it’ll be out of season when she visits.

]]> By: Michael http://gorey.com.au/tom-wills/comment-page-1#comment-45555 Michael Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:11:05 +0000 http://gorey.com.au/?p=3088#comment-45555 I can't say I knew much of Wills the cricketer before reading the biography, but I knew he was credited with writing the first rules of Australian football. You can't easily compare modern rugby with modern AFL. However, as recently as 50 years ago the place kick and drop kick were still used in AFL and the term "mark" was derived from rugby. The football Wills played at Rugby School was nothing like rugby today. The elite public schools in England each had their own code of football. Teams comprised dozens of players. The story goes that the first football played in Melbourne was an amalgamation of rules from several English schools, with some modifications added in to allow for the harder grounds. Teams in the first Melbourne games also comprised dozens of players, games went for hours and goals were hard to score. There were no behinds at that time. Wills apparently lost a close vote to introduce a crossbar. AFL obviously has evolved considerably from that time and may have adopted elements from Gaelic football and Aboriginal games, but I accept de Moore's conclusion that these influences did not exist in 1856. I can’t say I knew much of Wills the cricketer before reading the biography, but I knew he was credited with writing the first rules of Australian football.

You can’t easily compare modern rugby with modern AFL. However, as recently as 50 years ago the place kick and drop kick were still used in AFL and the term “mark” was derived from rugby.

The football Wills played at Rugby School was nothing like rugby today. The elite public schools in England each had their own code of football. Teams comprised dozens of players.

The story goes that the first football played in Melbourne was an amalgamation of rules from several English schools, with some modifications added in to allow for the harder grounds.

Teams in the first Melbourne games also comprised dozens of players, games went for hours and goals were hard to score. There were no behinds at that time. Wills apparently lost a close vote to introduce a crossbar.

AFL obviously has evolved considerably from that time and may have adopted elements from Gaelic football and Aboriginal games, but I accept de Moore’s conclusion that these influences did not exist in 1856.

]]> By: Retarius http://gorey.com.au/tom-wills/comment-page-1#comment-45551 Retarius Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:18:09 +0000 http://gorey.com.au/?p=3088#comment-45551 I'll have a go at that. I can't say of ever heard of the guy before. There's a lot of those stories about Aborigines inventing Australian football. They have some plausibility, but I don't see how anyone could derive Aussie Rules from Rugby. Isn't it more likely to derive from gaelic football? I’ll have a go at that. I can’t say of ever heard of the guy before. There’s a lot of those stories about Aborigines inventing Australian football. They have some plausibility, but I don’t see how anyone could derive Aussie Rules from Rugby. Isn’t it more likely to derive from gaelic football?

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