What started as a B-grade Australian post-apocalyptic film which received little acclaim when it was released in 1989, inspired a sport that has reached nations around the globe.  

Salute of the Jugger, or Blood of Heroes as it was released in the United States (with a more optimistic ending), is set in a barren wasteland, and follows a band of ‘Juggers’ who travel around challenging other teams to ‘The Game’. An aggressive battle-type sport where people hit each other with enormous earbud-looking weapons and metal chains as they race to be the first to place a dog skull on a spike. The film found a cult following its VHS release and then, 21 years ago in Brisbane, a small group of die-hard fans decided they wanted to re-enact the sport without the actual dog skull or risk of death. At the same time, the sport was kicking off in Germany and Europe with the first international event happening in 2008.

“We took the barbed wire off of the baseball bats and put some pool noodles on sticks, slightly safer,” laughed Samantha Quilliam, former ACT club administrator.                     

She explained the sport has teams in Austria, Ireland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Mexico, Canada and more. Before worldwide lockdowns, there were 100 teams playing in the world tournament every four years; they are hoping to see it return next year.

The ACT had previously been Australia’s largest club, however, the 2019-20 summer bushfires, the pandemic and life has seen the group drop from around 55 to as few as 10 players. They are currently working on rebuilding their numbers. 

“I think that’s the biggest struggle facing the club at the moment; how to rebuild to that 40-55 of our regular attendance,” Jeremy Arbaut-Zaalen, former ACT club president said.

Jeremy has been playing the game off and on for the last 10 years; the friends who invited him to try it out were members of the original team here in Canberra but have since moved on. Samantha was also introduced to the game through a friend when she was a stressed-out Year 12 student four years ago. They both play on the Buzz Killers, one of the region’s three registered teams.

‘Three, two, one, Jugger!’ and the game starts. At each end of the field there is a mount for the ‘skull’ (a foam can-like form) to be placed on. Only one person on each team, the ‘quick’, is allowed to handle the skull.

The players who aren’t handling the skull get to choose their equipment: a long sword, a short sword and a shield, a staff, the one they have nicknamed the Q-tip, and lastly, the chain, which is a tether and a foam ball.

Being tagged or hit by a piece of equipment will see the player ‘take a knee’ for a certain number of counts (eight for the chain and five for most others). Like in the film, the game is played to a beat; unlike the film, this is now played on a speaker, not by someone on the sidelines beating a drum. 

However, the rule set varies slightly depending on which country you are playing in; here in Australia they play what is known as Wasteland Jugger, which is most like the game in the film. What makes Wasteland Jugger different is ‘The Circle’; at the beginning of the game the two quicks stand at the edge of a 6-metre diameter circle in the middle of the field, the two then wrestle for the skull while the other players wait to start until one of the quicks has exited the circle. The extra tussle at the start often confuses and excites overseas players.

All the equipment is padded, with standardisation requirements needed for each item, pool noodles and foam padding are a constant appearance on the field. No-one is allowed to be tagged in the head and the quicks must wear a mouthguard.

“We don’t want anyone getting knocked out, that’s partly why everything is padded too. Accidents do happen, thankfully not too frequently,” Samantha said. 

“When it first started out, it was a bit piecemeal. It was whatever people could get; it was honestly a bit ghetto but that was the charm for a lot of people,” Jeremy laughed.

Although the film uses the term weapons, the group wants to move away from the terminology. “We try to avoid saying the name of a weapon, even though that’s what they’re representing, to make it more sports orientated not combat,” Jeremy said.

Over the past few years, there’s been a push from the community to formalise the game, with the goal for it to be a recognised sport.

Unlike like the majority of recognised sports, the pair stressed that you do not have to be in prime fitness to enjoy the game. People who are not as fit are not disadvantaged like they may have been in more traditional sports; something which has been a drawcard for many of their members who they say are a community of people who enjoy staying up late playing board games.

“It’s a little bit different and people who didn’t follow the mainstream could feel safe, that’s really what started it; welcoming people that maybe don’t follow the societal norms,” Jeremy said. 

It doesn’t matter your age as long as you are over 14, with players of any gender, race and build. As long as you come with a willingness to give it a go, everyone is welcome.

“I really love the community. It’s inclusive, they’re just really lovely people and I’m not going to complain about whacking my friends every now and then,” Samantha said.

They recommend bringing along shoes you are comfortable running in, a water bottle and ideally a friend. They will get you set up with some gear, teach you some basics and get you sparring with your chosen piece of equipment.

If you’re interested in trying Jugger, head to facebook.com/groups/juggercanberra

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