The men and boys joyfully assemble when this game is to be played. One makes a ball of possum skin, somewhat elastic, but firm and strong. The players of this game do not throw the ball as a white man might do, but drop it and at the same time kicks it with his foot. The tallest men have the best chances in this game. Some of them will leap as high as five feet from the ground to catch the ball. The person who secures the ball kicks it. This continues for hours and the natives never seem to tire of the exercise.
Does this sound familiar? In 1841 William Thomas witnessed the Wurundjeri tribe of
The ball is dropped and kicked high into the air using the instep of the foot. Players then attempt to secure the ball. The player who takes possession of the ball kicks it in the air and again a scramble for the ball ensues. Players may not dive on the ball on the ground to secure it and must try to avoid physical contact as much as possible. It is usual for the players to attempt to catch the ball, but if it is knocked or dropped to the ground by players it is still in play.
The game was a favourite of the Wurundjeri-william clan and the two teams were sometimes based on the traditional totemic moeties of Bunjil (eagle) and Waang (crow). Some people believe that the game of marn-grook influenced the development of Australian rules football, but the evidence is not conclusive.
Well I have a theory (and yes, I am full of them): it is established that this game, uncannily similar to football, was played by the Wunrundjeri… (It might be worth considering that this is why football is so big in
So - instead of arguing about exactly who invented football - why can't we just suspend our need to know everything and entertain the thought that wadjelas and the Indigenous folk created Aussie Rules together?
Now that’s a nice thought.
When I shared this possibility with my Noongar students they were delighted. And I had to go and photocopy the information for one of them, which of course I was delighted to do.
