Flying the flag for gridiron game

A BALLIANG-BASED athlete spent last weekend in Australia’s capital representing Victoria in the 2025 American Football Australia Youth Flag National Championship.

Sixteen-year-old Oscar Denny took part in the inaugural two-day event on Saturday and Sunday where his state team placed third, narrowly missing the finals by a single point.

Playing on defence as part of the 12-person under-17 boys team, the competition marked Denny’s first time competing in the sport and his first time representing his state.

With a background in Australian Rules football, he said transitioning to an unfamiliar sport offered some interesting challenges.

“The rules were the hardest part for me,” he said.

Denny, second from right in the front row, was one of a dozen Victorians to represent the state in the under-17 boys team in the inaugural American Football Australia Youth Flag National Championships.

“I didn’t have to run as much but it’s faster increments and you’ve got to be switched on at all times. I loved the atmosphere, the way the boys get around you; it’s loud and just a fun sport for how small it is.”

Denny was offered the chance to participate after taking part in an Australian Institute of Sport combined athletics trial towards the beginning of the year.

He preceded the event with six weeks of team training at the Ron Barassi Senior Park in Docklands.

Denny’s mother Amanda said her son’s background in Aussie Rules brought an advantage when it came to playing against established flag footy players from Queensland.

“The Queensland head coach said they couldn’t work him out [during the competition] because they didn’t understand his AFL brain,” she said.

“He was a standout in that they didn’t know how to play on him. He kept their best receiver to basically no scores. It’s impressive since they already play flag footy up there whereas it’s quite new here.”

Oscar Denny is also involved in Australian Rules football and basketball.

Flag football is a form of gridiron football that originated in the US in the 1940s, where players are deflagged instead of tackled in order to retrieve the ball.

The sport will be introduced to the Olympics in 2028.

“If I get the opportunity to play more, I will,” Denny said. “There’s a camp in Los Angeles this year for flag footy and they’re going to bring an Australian team over for training and a few games against American teams.

“There were scouts over the weekend watching. That’d be pretty cool to be a part of.”

Outside his newfound interest in flag football, Denny has been involved in Australian Rules football and basketball for about six years, playing the former as part of SEDA College in Geelong. He has refereed Bacchus Marsh basketball games for three years.