marn grook

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brentonb

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Nov 23, 2003
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does anyone know anything about the history of marn Grook, I beleive it was the foundation of our modern game and I am glad it is, this Knowlege serves to enhance Australian culture and also gives our game street cred and the possibility of broader apeal,a game that has no direct links to the empire and is not derivative of soccer is hard to find
so again I ask does any one know more about it I need to know
 
Originally posted by brentonb
does anyone know anything about the history of marn Grook, I beleive it was the foundation of our modern game and I am glad it is, this Knowlege serves to enhance Australian culture and also gives our game street cred and the possibility of broader apeal,a game that has no direct links to the empire and is not derivative of soccer is hard to find
so again I ask does any one know more about it I need to know
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"Street cred"??

Anyway, our game is most definitely a derivative of Rugby Union, and from recent findings, Tom Wills was also inspired by Marn Grook.

Nothing to do with soccer or Gaelic football.
 
Originally posted by brentonb
does anyone know anything about the history of marn Grook, I beleive it was the foundation of our modern game and I am glad it is, this Knowlege serves to enhance Australian culture and also gives our game street cred and the possibility of broader apeal,a game that has no direct links to the empire and is not derivative of soccer is hard to find
so again I ask does any one know more about it I need to know
Click to expand...

There are all sorts of opinions on this mate and it is a very politicised issue as Marn Grook is an Aboriginal game.

Geoffery Blainey's book on the origins of AFL, I think it's called: "A Game of Our Own", says it's not influenced by Marn Grookat all. My opinion on that is that Blainey is very right wing - he is one of Howard's favorite historians - and Blainey would never attribute anything Australian to Aboriginal people. History often expresses the views of those who write it - as they say, history is written by winners. So I wouldn't pay any attention to Blainey. There are other books on the subject, some written by really good authors, I think there's one by Martin Flanagan, but may have him confused for someone else.

From my scanty knowledge of Marn Grook, it was a game that's highlights were fast running and high jumping for the ball (marking) and with very few rules.

IMHO, I think there may be some elements of Marn grook that made their way into AFL, but it's clear that many of the rules, tactics, etc come from Rugby Union.

Interesting topic to pursue further though. Hope that helps.
 

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The game Marn Grook orginates from early aboriginal culture and was first played by an aboriginal woman named Margaret Rose Koon. Her friends called her Marg. After a game where she was voted B.O.G she signed a football, Marg. R. Koon, for one of her many young supporters (name not known). The boy was so excited he ran home to show his dad. His father, who had trouble reading and suffered from Dyslexia, said thats wonderful son, but who is Marn Grook?

Thus the legend of Marn Grook began.
 
Originally posted by Hit And Rum
Supposedly in Marn Grook you did not score a goal as such but your were given kudos on athleticism, jumping for the ball etc. A game not based on scoring is very different to anything Western.
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Yeah, but if you were having kick to kick with your mates down at the park and one mate took a screamer, or kicked a big torp, you'd give him some kudos.

Similar thing to Marn Grook. Just a bit of kick to kick, although without the distance in between packs.

The concept of competition is foreign to no culture!
 
Originally posted by FIGJAM
Yeah, but if you were having kick to kick with your mates down at the park and one mate took a screamer, or kicked a big torp, you'd give him some kudos.

Similar thing to Marn Grook. Just a bit of kick to kick, although without the distance in between packs.

The concept of competition is foreign to no culture!
Click to expand...

no doubt competition is in all cultures however there a no ball sports that are just done for the fun of it and not to have a winner or loser defined by points.
 
"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."
Mr. Thomas, Aboriginal Protector, 1841.


Marn Grook is an Aboriginal term for "Game Ball". A young Tom Wills - founding father of Australian rules football - played a game with a stuffed possum skin with his Djab wurrung playmates on his family's property in Lexington, Victoria.
 

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