01 November 1897
Paulo Dybala and Hernanes took the opportunity to try their hand at a different sport this afternoon when they visited Richmond Football Club, a Melbourne-based Australian Rules Football side that ply their trade in the Australian Football League.
On hand to show the Bianconeri duo a few tricks of the trade were club captain Trent Cotchin and ruckman Ivan Maric, who wasted no time in running Dybala and Hernanes through a number of scenarios that are common to Aussie rules.
Watching from the sidelines at the club’s Punt Road Oval base were mascots Jay and Tiger "Stripes" Dyer, who cheered on their respective sides as they each got to grips with different sports.
Speaking to Jtv afterwards, Dybala said: “It’s been great to learn about a sport that we don’t see a great deal of in Argentina and Italy. I’ve enjoyed discovering the rules, players and the way the game is played. Juggling the ball was a little difficult as it’s different to the one we’re used to, but I think we just about got by!”
Skipper Cotchin added: “It’s been fantastic to have Juventus, one of the world's elite football clubs, down with us today. We explained a little bit about our sport and the differences between Aussie rules and soccer. We then taught them a few basic skills: handballing, kicking and marking. It was good fun and I think they picked it up pretty quickly.”
