I find that I am watching more Australian Rules Football Women’s than just about any other sport these days. Yes, I have seen every XFL game this season but there are only four a week. There are quite a few more AFLW games each week and this is officially my favorite Summer sport.

Let me say that I have been a fan (not rabid, but a fan) of footy since I was in high school. We were the only family I knew at the time with a satellite dish (the huge one) and that made me one of the few American kids able to watch this strange Aussie game.

I was so impressed with the game back then that shortly after I got into these new things called computers, one of the first games I made was a text based AFL game. I loved that game! Back then the women’s game was still decades away. Fast forward to 2017 when the AFLW launched and now with their games showing on FOXSports I am in sports heaven. So why the women’s game instead of the men’s?

Like women’s college basketball vs men’s b-ball, I think it is just a better game. The men are much more about showboating and out muscling their opponents. The women’s version is much more about speed and teamwork. And hey, I will admit it… they are a lot easier to look at.

My favorite team is the Carlton Blues and my favorite player is Tayla Harris. Not only is she an absolute fiery competitor but she is also a professional boxer with a current record of 7-0-1 with 3 KOs. At just 22, she is a standout on the team as well as the league – as much for her play as her very public defiance against online sexism and bullying.

Her teammate Vapmua Laloifi is another one that is a blast to watch. She is much shorter but every bit as fierce a competitor and always in the thick of the action.

That said, I have favorites on just about every team and find myself cheering on a great play regardless of the team. I just wish I could find a Carlton tshirt to show off my eclectic sports taste.

by Chris Doelle