When Lords moves into Norm's house, Dougie refers to him as "Jardine". This is a reference to Douglas Jardine, an English cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He was captain of the English team that toured Australia in 1932-3 and is responsible for the introduction of the Bodyline tactic, which targeted batsmen's bodies. He was reviled by the Australian public and in the media, and became a much hated figure in Australia.
The movie was filmed in director Mark Grentell's own grandmother's backyard in his own hometown in Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia.
When Spock rolls the can of beer to Shep, this is a reference to an incident where, under the instructions of his captain (Greg Chappell), an Australian bowler (Trevor Chappell) bowled underarm to a New Zealand batsman to win a game. This action, though within the laws of the game, created uproar and created ill-feeling between the nations.
Mac's comment, "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum", echoes the comment by the then Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, when Australia won the America's Cup in 1983 - "I tell you what, any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum".
Merv's name is a reference to the cricketer, Merv Hughes. This is reinforced when Merv and the crowd do exercises prior to his bowling stint. Merv Hughes was noted for doing the same thing in Test matches.