Australia is a weird place

While we all know Australia is a developed country, what some of us don’t realize is the place is a bit backwards. Sure, they have a booming economy, a great minimum wage and a fantastic quality of life, but some of the stuff they do is plain weird. While I've thoroughly enjoyed my time down under, one thing is for sure: Their sports are much different than ours.

During a recent Australian Football League match up, I saw some things that were, well, bizarre. Sure my grasp on the rules is a bit shaky and just the game itself is a bit odd to the untrained eye, but some things I just need to share. Below are three things you see in AFL that you wouldn't see in American sports.

Couriers: Much like it sounds, in Aussie Rules, there is actually a member of a team’s staff whose only job is to relay messages from coach to player. “How is this done?” you may ask. Simple. The courier runs from the coach on to the field, directly to the player the coach needs to talk to. He does this during the game, and even if the ball is near, he can still be on the field. His workout plan, as well as what happens if he impedes the play, is still unknown to me.

On field medical attention: Much like it sounds, if a player sustains a minor injury during play, he receives medical attention on the field. The kicker? This can be done while a play is still occurring. Unless a player needs to be taken of the field by stretcher, medicalaff just runs on the field, does a quick patch-up job, and sends him back out to play.

Home court for both teams: While Australia is huge, most of the teams in footy come from the Victorian state. On top of that, they are mostly from suburbs of Melbourne. With that being said, most teams have the same home field. This, unless you are a Clippers or Lakers fan, is totally mind-blowing. Week after week, these teams play and supporters are courteous to each other because they all play at the same place, and come from the same town. Crazy!

Photo courtesy of Townsville Bulletin