Great Britain
Team Profile: Great Britain Bulldogs
Country Snapshot
GREAT Britain is the largest island of the British Isles, comprising of England, Scotland and Wales.
The 60 million people of Britain love their soccer, rugby, cricket and horse racing. They love their music (the Beatles, Rolling Stones, David Bowie), and they love a laugh (Billy Connolly, Lenny Henry, Stephen K Amos).
But it seems there’s nothing more the people of Britain enjoy more than a cup of tea, downing 163 million cups every day – that’s more than five times the number of pints of beer consumed.
Famous for: The Queen, Posh and Becks, William Shakespeare, Big Ben, red double-decker buses, black cabs, whinging, stilton cheese, the trusty sanga (care of the Earl of Sandwich), Robin Hood, Edinburgh Castle, Wimbledon.
Australian football history
Footy has been played informally for many years in Britain, but a league wasn’t formed until 1989, with eight teams playing in the competition’s inaugural season the following year. Two leagues were established in 2001, when clubs fielded seniors and reserves sides.
Today, AFL Great Britain governs leagues in London, regional Britain and Scotland, two women’s teams, and helps co-ordinate junior development through schools.
National guernsey
Red, white and blue. The team mascot is a bulldog wearing a Union Jack shirt.
The squad has a few characters whose exploits have earned nicknames that are sure to stick long after the International Cup. Warning: Fathers of Melbourne and Warrnambool are encouraged to lock up their daughters before the side hits Australian soil.
‘The whippet’ was coined following a squad member’s narrow victory in a footrace around a greyhound track between him and volunteers from the stands.
‘Dad’ is the responsible one who carries a clipboard and organises logistics while on tour, while teammate Julian Ford describes ‘Crazy’ as the one rocking back and forth with a slightly disturbing smile.
Another teammate is occasionally referred to as ‘The Mule’. Enough said.
No-one could accuse the Bulldogs of lacking energy or imagination. Highlights from the 2005 International Cup tour include rugby lineout ‘lifting’ of small Australian girls in bars, the entire squad getting lost at Melbourne’s Victoria Market, and making a home-video in the two hour wait for the train back from Wangaratta before charging other countries’ teams to view the footage.
The Superman award
Awarded to a player who produces an inspirational moment during a match. The recipient is forced to don a Superman cape, tights and red Speedos over his trousers – all in return for a free drink from the team at the after-match venue.
Secret weapon
Coach Kielty ensures there are no individuals in the Great Britain side. Team cohesion is rated as one of the side’s strengths (easy to believe if the aforementioned bonding activities are anything to go by).
But Kielty is known for being a strict disciplinarian. His hardline approach incorporates Indian file running drills and dishing out laps as punishment to those who don’t comply with instructions.
The hardest thing about playing football in Britain
Geography is one of the greatest obstacle to Great Britain’s Australian football squad – with players coming from all over England and beyond to Scotland and Wales. But like any serious team, the whole squad is expected at training sessions held regularly in London and, on occasion in regional centres – no exceptions.
If a club ground is not available, public parks become training facilities, which obviously presents major problems for goal-kicking practice.
That’s the spirit
The Brits like to think they’re above the act of sledging. But with respect to the Australian tradition, some mild banter has been known to occur from time to time, with Aussie players in the British leagues copping the odd, “Isn’t this your sport mate?”, or “I’ve only been playing two years and I’m killing you!” They pale into insignificance compared to the jaw-droppers cast by an Adam Selwood or a Brett Montgomery … but they at least uphold the spirit of the game.- Forward to India
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