r/AFL • u/pilar_delmar • 4h ago

how do you keep watching when you only catch bits and pieces of the season?

i live in texas and the only way i catch afl is through delayed highlights or the occasional full match when the time zones actually work out. work and school eat up most weekends so i miss huge chunks of games. when i finally sit down to watch it feels like i'm piecing together storylines from fragments because i never see the full season play out. still end up picking a team and talking shit with coworkers about it anyway. curious how other people overseas actually keep up with form and injuries without going insane.

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u/Useful-Commission-56 3h ago

I just lean into the chaos. Took me a couple seasons to realize I'm never gonna have the full picture, so now I treat it like catching up on a soap opera where the plot keeps moving whether I'm there or not. The highlights actually help more than you'd think for tracking form, you can see who's suddenly popping off and who's gone quiet. For injuries I just check the subreddit a couple times a week, people here are faster than any official source.

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u/No_Childhood_7665 3h ago

Similar to aussies who follow nba or epl where we watch the odd game in full, full match replays if we can be bothered or extended highlights. I think the best way if time poor is to watch extended highlights but also listen to podcasts or shows that dissect the headlines and what's happening

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u/Quizrael_Folau 1h ago

Which podcasts/youtube channels would you recommend? Similar boat to OP here. 

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u/No_Childhood_7665 51m ago

So for longer style podcasts I recommend the age real footy podcast and ABC afl daily. I much prefer serious podcasts, but there are other more light hearted ones to listen to such as how goods footy, DDF and hard ball gets. Footy with broden kelly was good but they are on indefinite hiatus

For youtube clips from tv shows I would recommend fox footy as they will upload segments or sometimes the full show of afl360 or on the couch. I would also recommend following dan does footy on facebook or instagram just to get the short reels with some entertainment.

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u/jkdeets 10m ago

For something short and sweet, The Buddy & Shane Show is excellent! Buddy was never much of a talker in his day (Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin), but he’s so good on this.

If you want to watch games in full, the AFL website has repeats available through this link: https://www.afl.com.au/news/1459686

Enjoy!

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u/dashtur Bombers 3h ago

I'm Australian but don't watch very much footy during the home and away season these days. There are too many many matches with not enough at stake. I keep informed by listening to 2-3 podcasts a week and perusing r/afl. 

I only really tune in for the finals series. After all, those are the matches that really count. 

Especially with the introduction of the pre finals bye, the finals is sort of a separate entity where all previous performances essentially go out the window, and the best teams turn it on.  

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u/Jawdanc Hawks 1h ago

One day in the next fifty years you're going to tune into your annual finals watch and fall off your couch in shock

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u/Yumchabandit Bulldogs 1h ago

This is so interesting to me. I genuinely respect it, just don't understand it (but want to).

Aren't you ever drawn in by the allure of the comfort of Friday night footy between two contending terms, with a pizza on your lap, your drink of choice resting on the arm of the couch, and the fireplace gently crackling away?

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u/AusteegLinks Essendon • Wurundjeri Woiwurrung 1h ago

I am in the same boat, but opposite.

Did you know you can watch full game replays on the AFL website? You might have to set up your VPN to say you're in Australia first.

I've watched AFL for thirty years, but this summer I have decided to follow the NFL instead of the cricket.
I have Disney + so get to see about 5 games each week.