World Footy News

Readers may have seen a British TV show called Man's Work, in which the somewhat weedy Englishman Ashley Hames travels the world trying his hand at various pursuits seen as suiting persons with unusually high levels of testosterone. After experiencing Alaskan king crab fishing and lumberjacking in British Columbia, in one episode Hames spent a week trying to learn Australian rules with the Sydney Swans.

Nick Davis gave him his initial training sessions, with a practice match against a local primary school side and a training run with a Sydney women's team called the Sharks. Eventually he takes part in a full-blown match of senior men's footy, and does relatively well all things considered, although he requires numerous x-rays afterwards.

While the episode plays up the violent image of the game held by most non-Australians, overall it paints a fairly positive picture of the skills and fitness level required by AFL footballers.

The episode aired in Australia late last Thursday night, British viewers may have seen it earlier this year. It can be viewed online here.