The Australian Bringing Former NFLers to Aussie Rules

Australian Rules Football brings in thousands of fans for each match, millions in revenue and virtually zero attention from the US. Miro Gladovic is trying to change that by bringing former NCAA and NFL football stars to Australia to play the game. We followed the journey of former New York Giant Ramses Barden as he tried to break through into the AFL and create a new overlap between the two sports.

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[SwayJJ]

Ok, soo this Miro guy seems like a bit of a fraud. The thing is when this was filmed there was already American afl players on actual AFL lists (e.g. Mason Cox, Jason Holmes, Eric Wallace) and the AFL had already set up offical AFL International Draft Combines that created a direct line between club recruiters and potential prospects in places like America. They would conduct training camps in America to gauge talent then clubs would ask a select group to come to Australia to participate in the offical draft combine. The AFL also implemented an International rookie system that allowed clubs to recruit International talent without their pay being included in the teams salary cap or impacting on the maximum amount of players you can have on a list to encourage clubs to pick up international players. These are things that all occured before Miro brought these Americans to Australia.

Why he thought it would be a good idea to send a couple of them to play AFL in a country town in New South Wales (a state in Australia) I have no idea. For one, New South Wales is one of the few states that is not big on AFL, that state is really into Rugby and Rugby League. If you were serious about giving these guys a real shot at AFL then you sign them up at a club in Victoria (AFL is the main sport played in South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, and Northern Territory as well, but Victoria is the capital of AFL). And to send them to the country side to play was a crazy decsion. You could of easily of signed them up to lower division clubs in and around Melbourne, Victoria with ease where this is a greater chance of getting noticed. There is literally zero chance they will ever get noticed or elevate to a higher division playing for a country town that small in New South Wales. I just hope to god these Americans arn't paying this Miro guy large amounts of money for this because he seems to be leading them down a ridiculous path.

A message for all Americans. If you are getting asked to come to Australia to play afl, make sure it is via an official organisation that directly deals with the AFL. It is what players like Mason Cox and Jason Holmes and others did. They were contacted by the AFL International Combine and directly linked to a professional AFL club. It is being linked to these clubs that allows for the greatest chance of developing your skills for the AFL game, and being around such a professional organisation will increase your chances of actually playing matches in the big league. The thing is these Americans I have mentioned have could not kick a AFL good at all but they were super athletic, and being around great training staff allowed them to develop their skills real fast. Following people like Miro who will get you to play country football in NSW is totally not the way to go.

[coachanonymous]

Rugby league would be an easier transition for these guys instead of AFL.

[AdamShaiken]

Impressive and passionate clearly all of these athletes are. These men deserve to be pursuing legitimate opportunies not pipe dreams.

[lachieeet]

The AFL literally has combines over in the US and Canada for international prospects to come through.

[MegaCaptainfun]

This is a great international story. Its great to see sports transcend borders and cultures and see guys make their dreams come true (even though they probably never saw it coming).

[maddenastro]

The fact that they're physically superior is fantastic for their success rate, but I think their lack of knowledge about the game and inability to kick the ball well is going to prohibit their chances of being stars.

[Jordan-oybg]

Miro seems really dodgy. Go on his twitter and he literally tweeted Obama asking him for help.. other odd stuff too.

In regards to the players though. Aussie Rules footy is a endurance sport, not necessarily a strength one. Turn the former NFLers bodies into an AFLers and the majority of their strength disappears and all they got left is speed with zero skill.

These guys will have more chance at success at either code of Rugby. Aussie Rules is a sport you learn over the years. There's a reason why the furtherest they got was playing in a bush league.

[AcousticJuice]

athleticism is one thing but stuff like handballing and kicking, positional awareness are all things you learn in AFL at a very young age. I find it hard to believe anyone picking up AFL after 18 is going to ever be as good as your average AFL player. Maybe a specialist play like a ruckman or a tall forward, but not a dominant midfielder. I'd like to be proved wrong though.

[ubergiant]

The kicking skills at 9:18 explain why your tryout lasted 10 mins bro.

[shamimarman]

The authenticity of love and passion in their eyes to make it to AFL or NFL or whatever FL is just amazing to see! More importantly, it is beautiful to see that people are sharing their experiences all over the world. The fact that they are aware of what AFL is a big step!

[leegul]

Rarely works out, American Eric Wallace was released from his Australian football club without making a first team appearance in 3 years

[supLIPS]

as a former high level Australian Rules footballer, & now actually playing American Football in Australia I love to see the sport i was once obsessed with growing up being discovered by new talent. I have always believed for how little exposure Aussie Rules has globally it still has to be one of the best sports in world.. And it makes perfect sense that former skill position players from American Football are the perfect athletes to transition and try become AFL players..

That said, athleticism is one thing, but what i could see from this video is the hopefuls fundamental skills were not at a high enough level to come even close to competing for a spot on a professional team. Much like a QB, most people can throw a decent spiral, or even bomb it 60 yds. But the difference between a backyard QB and an NFL/NCAA QB is huge when it comes to mechanics, footwork, progression reads, accuracy just to name a few... Now all the parts are there for guys like this to succeed, because frankly when it comes to pure athleticism these guys would make a lot of these AFL guys look sub par. But these guys need someone to help them with the mechanics and fundamentals of kicking/handballing/bouncing etc if they are to have a real shot at this... i firmly believe that guys like this can make it if their skills and fundamentals are worked on and drilled correctly

[Epimpin]

There is a former college basketball player named Jason Holmes, who already plays in the top league in AFL.

[snowman]

These NFL players aren't necessarily _superior_ athletes.
Rather, they are superior in areas that they've trained for. Specifically, power (at the expense of endurance). Look at rugby to AFL converts Israel Falou and Karmichael Hunt. Both players had to lose a lot of weight (and power) in order to increase their capacity to run long distances.

[dominickmaez]

Im not gonna lie, I've never heard of this sport, but I'd love to see a series on this. I'd be cool to see their journey (kinda like Hard Knocks for the NFL). Keep up the good work

[tomvaughan]

The skills in AFL are so wide and varied, it doesn't come down simply to who is quickest or strongest. Marking one on one is different to a pack mark, bouncing the ball at full pace, hand balling long distance, hitting kicking targets both 15 and 50 metres away, shepparding, tackling. Knowing how to judge the ball and the game. It takes a long time to pick up and perfect these skills, not to mention nearly all AFL players are as good a kick and hand pass on their opposite as they are on their preferred.

[ljfrocksursocks]

I hope they put out update videos I'm interested now lol

[leegul]

Would love to see this made into a series

[scanspeak]

Aussie Rules has a very high skill set which takes 5 years or more to develop. The American guys are super athletes but just don't have the experience in the game yet. I look forward to the day when an American AFL superstar arrives on the scene.

[dwaters]

Not surprised Essendon sent Ramses home after 12 minuets... Miro doesn't have a clue! has clearly nerve watched a game of AFL in his life. i think its a bit of a shot if he thinks he can just bring a couple of guys who have never played the game before and expect them to crack the into the league..