The AFL Grand Final (Part 1)

Ah yes, it's that time again. Grand Final time. There are a few events down here in Australia that everyone knows by name, and knows them well. There is the Melbourne Cup, the biggest horse race event in Australia, where the entire country stands still. There is, of course, Australia Day. And then there is Grand Final day.

Despite what you may have heard, not all of Australia is in love with Aussie Rules Football. In truth, the sport's main draw is in Victoria and only recently has it drawn much interest from the rest of Australia, who favour Rugby League, or Rugby Union if you're a fancy boy who went to private school. Cricket and soccer are largely ignored, as they should be. But the AFL Grand Final is always held in the Victorian capital, Melbourne, at the famous, 100,000 person capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, or MCG for short.

This year the game featured two strong Victorian teams, maybe not a big surprise, but Brisbane was host to a bit of a dynasty a few years ago and won 3 premierships in a row, so nuts to you, Melbourne! But the glorious Brisbane Lions took a few too many pages from the Edmonton Oilers this year and had an abysmal, injury filled season...sound familiar?

Grand Final Day starts off at around 8am, with fans from all over the country in attendance. For the AFL, each team sells 'memberships' at the start of the season, and these memberships grant you certain priviledges, one of which is preference for Grand Final Tickets. As Andrea and I were not members, we could not attend. Frowny Face. But the day is full of festivities and fans dressing up and parading their teams flags around the stadium, singing songs and enjoying some friendly rivalries with the opposition's fans. One attendee was asked to describe what the Grand Final is like, to which he replied, "Ah I reckon its a lot like Mardi Gras, just a lot more bogan.

For those needing translation, this is a bogan.


What's great about AFL is that it's probably the second fastest game on the planet next to ice hockey. There are no penalties, high scoring games, fights, hitting, tackles, and stoppages only when the ball is out of play or the ball's progress is stopped by a tackle. Players typically run 18km a game, most of which is spent sprinting, jumping, kicking, hitting, and punching. I've never seen a game where players hit and punch each other as a matter of course just for the heck of it. No penalty, no stoppage, just play on. Although it's a violent game, it's much more about finesse than rugby, which is very stop and start. As there are no natural breaks, runners come onto the field to relay instructions and provide water to the players. Obviously height is important to an AFL player, so most players are nearly 2m tall, which is probably about 1m taller than your typical no-neck rugby brute.

The game was great and very fast in the beginning, with Collingwood taking off to a typical early lead, which they held for nearly the entire game. Slowly but surely, St. Kilda clawed their way back to get within a few points near the end of the game, and then they finally took the lead with a goal. The last minutes proved to be like trench warfare, and after the final second ticked off the clock, both teams scores were tied, an occurrence seen only 3 times in football history, and never since the AFL's inception in the 1970s.

A tie, sure, no problem. Let's just to go overtime and finish thi-wait, kicks? Kicks would be all righ-wait, not kicks? They play an entire new game next Saturday? For reals? Yes, they play an entirely new game the following week. While the players were obviously exhausted after regulation play, many of whom fell to the ground after the final horn, I just can't imagine playing two Superbowls in a single season.


Many fans, and players, consider this rule to be a joke, and it is a bit of a throwback to the old league, but nonetheless we will have the AFL Grand Final Part 2 this weekend, again at the MCG, with beers and sausage rolls with Uncle Errik, as we did last weekend. The question is...what if they tie again?

Rain, rain, and more rain

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

I thought Brisbane in spring would be sunny, warm, and overall just lovely. But, this past week has been nothing but rain and clouds. Though, I guess when you are inside all day at work, it's not too bad. But still, where's the sun? Maybe we jinxed it by buying fans this past weekend...

Apparently it's supposed to be sunny and warm at this time of year, but for some reason, this spring has been wetter and a bit cooler than usual. It's not that big of a deal since we know the heat and sun are coming soon, and really, it's still quite warm out. But the fair dinkum Aussies just can't handle this 'horrid' weather. It's been cloudy for a week and they're complaining about the lack of sun and how miserable it is outside. Someone asked Chris the other day how we can stand it during winter in Canada. Haha..that's why we came here!

Either way, the forecast for this weekend is for clear skies and sunshine. Which will be lovely because the Jacarnada trees are starting to bloom and I'd love to spend part of the weekend walking around and taking pictures of these beautiful, huge trees that produce these stunning purple flowers in the spring. Apparently when the petals fall, it looks like a blanket of purple on the ground! I'll definitely be taking some pictures in the next few weeks of these trees in bloom. For now, you'll just have to make do with a pic I found on the internet.

Happy weekend to everyone!

Fans

My uncle took us to Bunnings (the Home Depot of Australia) today so we could buy some fans before it gets too hot and they're all snatched up. We bought two. One for the bedroom and one for the living room. I'm putting a lot of faith in these fans that they will at least keep us somewhat comfortable when the inevitable sticky, hot, still, sultry (am I missing anymore adjectives?) nights come along. Bring it on, summer! We're ready!

Pass It On - Prawn and Pineapple Curry

I first saw this recipe on the internet when I was searching for another curry recipe to make. I was instantly drawn to the title, because I love prawns and I love pineapple. Once I read through the entire recipe, I knew it was something we had to make. For a few weeks, the recipe was in the back of my mind, and then finally, the other day, I decided it was time to get organized and make this delicious dinner.

We definitely weren't disappointed. I love that you make your own curry paste in this recipe. The smells that come from the paste as it's cooking in the oil are mouth watering, and I knew instantly that this dinner would be a success. The 'hardest' part about this recipe is making the curry paste. But since you just combine everything in a food processor, it's really quite simple.

I really hope you give this recipe a try because it's so delicious and I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Happy cooking!

Prawn and Pineapple Curry (from taste.com.au)

Serves 6    Prep: 40min   Cook: 10min

¾ tsp. fennel seeds

¾ tsp. cumin seeds

¾ tsp. coriander seeds

4 french shallots, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped

2-4 small fresh red chillies, finely chopped

4 macadamia nuts, chopped

1 tsp. ground turmeric

¼ cup veg oil

1.2kg green king prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined

1-440mL can light coconut cream

2.5 tbsp. fish sauce

1 small pineapple, peeled, hard core removed, cut into 2.5cm pieces

1.       Place the fennel seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a mortar and pound with a pestle until finely ground. (Alternatively, use a coffee or spice grinder).

2.       Transfer the fennel mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, chili, macadamia and turmeric, and process until a coarse paste forms.

3.       Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the spice paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until aromatic.

4.       Add the prawns and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until the prawns just start to change colour. Add the coconut cream. Reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through.

5.       Stir in the fish sauce and pineapple. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the pineapple is heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Brisbane Festival

Chris and I have had a very busy weekend, including an event filled Sunday. We've signed up at a gym just down the street, so we got up around 8 to get in a workout before we got on with our day. I guess with all the cooking we've been doing, we need to try to stay in shape so we don't roll back into Canada. After our workout, we headed into Chinatown in Fortitude Valley for Yum Cha (Dim Sum) at a lovely Chinese restaurant called King of King's. We arrived around noon and there was a line-up down the stairs, but luckily we only waited for about 10 minutes before we were seated in the massive dining room. By the time we sat down, we were both really hungry! We had lovely bbq pork dumplings, seafood dumplings, spring rolls, prawn dumplings, plus plenty of green tea. By the time we were done, we were both ready for a nap, but we headed to the outdoor market to have a peek around.

After the market, we took the train back home to relax a little bit before we headed to the Brisbane Festival. Tonight was Symphony at Sunset, a free outdoor concert at Eagle Farm Racecourse. Luckily for us, the racecourse is just a quick walk (or super quick bus ride) from our apartment. The event encouraged people to pack a picnic dinner (minus alcohol), so Chris and I brought some rosemary baguette that Chris made last night, some brie, apples, and a couple Tim Tams (chocolate biscuits) for desert. It was a beautiful night for an outdoor concert, and we had a great spot on the grass. We spread out our beach towel and sat down to eat our delicious bread and cheese and enjoy some lovely music from the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra.

The concert was just under 2 hours and really enjoyable! After that, we decided to walk home to get in a bit more exercise and because the bus was going to be a 20 minute wait. Now we are home and Chris is making us a light dinner. We'll probably spend the rest of the evening relaxing and getting ready for the new week.

I hope you had as good of a weekend as we did!