MELBOURNE – Saturday afternoon in Melbourne, the Saint Mary's men's basketball team was able to enjoy a full day off from hoops, taking in an Australian Football League game, touring the city and then taking a short flight to Hobart, Tasmania on the seventh day of their foreign tour down under.
 
The Gaels were able to watch an exciting AFL game, or Footy as the locals call it, between the Hawthorn Hawks and Geelong Cats in a crucial game for positioning on the ladder.
 
The game was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a 100,000-seat stadium, filled with about 60,000 fans for Saturday's game. The Hawks pulled out a 71-60 victory.
 
"It was good timing to show the team an AFL game and a game with a team I love. I've converted some of the guys over to Cats fan," Melbourne native and Geelong fan Jock Perry said. "I had to explain the rules a lot of the time. And it wasn't the result I would have liked either."
 
Following the game, the Gaels had a team dinner in Melbourne and then headed to the airport for their flight to Hobart.
 
"I loved being back here, playing in front of some family members that would have never been able to see me play in person in a Saint Mary's uniform like my grandma and grandpa," Perry said. "I had a lot of support and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to see so many familiar faces who coached me and watched me growing up."
 
Saint Mary's returns to the court for their fifth game of the trip on Sunday afternoon against the Hobart Chargers of the SEABL. Tasmanian natives Kyle Clark and Tanner Krebs will be playing in front of their home crowd wearing a Saint Mary's uniform for the first time in Hobart.
 
Saint Mary's Foreign Tour Game Schedule
Date           Team                            Site                                              Result 
Aug. 6        Mainland Eagles            Christchurch, New Zealand       W, 95-66
Aug. 7        Mainland Eagles            Christchurch, New Zealand       W, 88-61
Aug. 9        Melbourne United           Melbourne, Australia                 L, 81-80
Aug. 10      Dandenong Rangers      Melbourne, Australia                 W, 92-78
Aug. 12      Hobart Chargers             Hobart, Tasmania
Aug. 14      Illawarra Hawks              Sydney, Australia
Aug. 15      Sydney Kings                 Sydney, Australia

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