The Carlton vs Collingwood AFL blockbuster last Sunday was one of the greatest advertisements for footy you’ll see, and fortunately for US man Jason Quist it was the first match of Australian Rules he’d ever watched.
The Chicago-based American shared his bizarre thoughts on the game – and after some initial confusion, it was safe to say he was enjoying what he was seeing during Collingwood’s heart-stopping one-point win.
‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but Aussie Rules football is one of the most incomprehensible games I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m determined to figure it out in this twitter thread,’ Quist posted.
After a few of his questions were answered by eager Aussie fans, Quist was hooked: ‘I THINK WE’RE ONTO SOMETHING FRIENDS.’
Magpies superstar Jeremy Howe (far right) takes a screamer in Collingwood’s thrilling victory over the Blues on Sunday
The eager American was gobsmacked over the ‘huge’ field, wondered whether players had to dribble (read: bounce) in open play and described scoring a major as having to ‘Bend It Like Beckham to get it in a relatively narrow goal’.
It led to scores of Aussie fans – and the AFL themselves – expressing their hilarity.
Collingwood players celebrated their incredible come from behind victory over Carlton on Sunday
Carlton, who were ahead for much of the game, did what they do best and managed to pull defeat from the jaws of victory, and one particular moment caught Quist’s eye.
Pies superstar Jamie Elliot took a screamer with just minutes left to give Collingwood a hope of reining Carlton in.
Quist couldn’t believe what he’d seen.
‘Oh man this little tiny dude (Elliott) just climbed up the back of one of the Blues and now the Pies are right back into this,’ he wrote.
Perhaps his best analysis of the AFL was brutally describing it as a ‘marathon during a fistfight’.
‘I will say, I know a lot of meatheads see sports for the first time and go ‘I would be the LeBron (James) of this.’ I would NOT. These guys are angry all the time, probably because they’re running a marathon during a fistfight,’ Quist wrote.
Collingwood rising star Nick Daicos (right) squares up to Matthew Cottrell (centre) during the heated game
St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt, whose wife Cath is American, was stoked with Quist’s reaction to the instant classic.
‘This is everything. We take it for granted!’ Riewoldt commented on the AFL’s official Instagram account.
It begs the cynical question; is Quist a super-secret marketing agent of the AFL?
Zac Fisher (in blue) and Isaac Quaynor compete for the ball in Sunday’s game
His last tweet, in response to an Aussie who wasn’t interested in his ramblings, simply said: ‘Tough toenails … because in two weeks I’m BACK for the @AFL Finals!’
The official AFL social media channels featured Quist all over them – so no doubt we haven’t heard the last from this hilarious Yank.
Either way, when first bounce goes up next Thursday for the Lions vs Tigers blockbuster, fans will only be interested in just which team can manage to snare the elusive Holy Grail.