Nth Carolina to Nth Melbourne...1st US athlete joins the AFL....

[Tikki]

http://www.nmfc.com.au/video/2012-12-20/eric-wallace-at-aegis-park
Former U.S. Basketballer Eric Wallace has joined the North Melbourne
Team as an International rookie.

Australian Rules Football ( footy) is one of my favorite sports
and to see an athlete from the US out on the oval will just blow my mind.


Tikki

[SwissTony]

1. Already happened, mate.

Shae McNamara is from Wisconsin and plays for Collingwood.

Here's a link to AFL recruitment in the US, including comments from Shae.

http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=739&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=850&cHash=b88b46ba3d

[SwissTony]

2. Might have to correct myself.

"But Shae McNamara never got a game at Collingwood, and has since been cut from their list. The American simply found learning the game too much of a challenge – it was too new and too different".

In the video, Shae states he plays AFL and shows him playing footy. Presumably, he was playing in the VFL (one league lower). Probably a little dishonesty from the AFL.

Sorry about that.


http://www.bigpondsport.com/are-foreign-afl-recruits-a-folly/tabid/91/newsid/96199/default.aspx

[Tikki]

3. No, you are correct...Shae, if I remember correctly had played footy a bit but....

wasn't up to AFL Level and was cut...

This could happen to Eric Wallace...but I hope not. He seems so motivated.

It's not that I even want a US born, non footy trained athlete so much to
make it someday in the AFL..it's just as a (never Australian) American who has hunted
and pecked my way through 25 years of grabbing a game at midnight here or 1:00am
or 2:00am on TV or radio wherever I could find one here, it's grand to know someone else
from the US has caught the love for footy.

My favorite team, like forever, is the Hawthorn Hawks.

March 22nd 2013..new season...YAY


Tikki

[SwissTony]

4. I hope Eric succeeds

We've had a few basketball guys succeed in AFL. Dean Brogan (mentioned and pictured in the video) was a star for Port Adelaide (my team).

There are a few Americans who play footy. There's a team in KC called KC Power and one of their guys occasionally communicates with one of the boards I frequent (powerfromport).

If you ever get to Melbourne, go to a game at the MCG with two popular Melbourne teams (e.g. Collingwood-Carlton). It's a magnificent stadium, 90,000+ people).

I'm glad you love the game.