No, the players don't run around with padding on, but if theres one rule I hate, it's that if you get tackled you have to get rid of the ball, theres no going on until your legs are broken or your eyes are gouged out, I can't see any other reason for it other than to stop people getting hurt... or to keep the game going, but we'll just shush about that.
If you want a real "football" it's all about rugby, and rugby union for that matter.
I really don't like AFL, however I must admit that some of the marks and then the falls they take as a consequence are pretty spectacular...
