World Footy News

After another hard fought season by all concerned, the Bristol Dockers have taken out the WARFL (AFL Wales) premiership downing the Cardiff Panthers by 51 points. It was a fitting end to a season where the Dockers were always a step ahead of their rivals. It sees the Dockers defending their title from 2017, going back to back.

The result was comprehensive, and a far bigger margin that their last meeting, which saw the Dockers down the Panthers by just a couple of kicks. This time around, the Dockers broke the shackles early and killed of any chance of a Panthers’ fightback with a five goals to nil third quarter. The Panthers certainly had their share of the ball with 22 scoring shots to 29, but inaccurate kicking meant the Dockers were able to keep them at arm’s length.

The following is a small press release from the Dockers giving a brief overview of the match.

“Bristol Dockers retained the Welsh Australian Rules Football League (WARFL) title against long-time rivals, the Cardiff Panthers, with a 98-47 point victory at Dings Crusaders RFC .”

“The Dockers led from the start, but it was a 34 points to 2 point third quarter which put them out of sight. Cardiff Panthers won the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to recover.”

Result: Bristol Dockers 14 14 98 d Cardiff Panthers 5 17 47

“Daniel Hooper, player/coach, made a cameo appearance back from injury to score a goal in the final for the Dockers while Liam Payne (a Welsh International) was the victorious captain.”

“Victory means we have now qualified for the AFL Europe Champions League tournament in Amsterdam next year.”

The season has one final instalment for the Bristol Dockers on 11th August in Southampton. They will travel south to compete in the grand-final of the combined SEWARFL tournament. Finishing as Welsh champions, they will play the top ranked SEAFL (Southern England) team, the Southampton Titans. The second placed final will see the Cardiff Panthers drawn to play the Portsmouth Pirates and the third placed Chippenham Redbacks will play the Sussex Swans.

The Dockers would love to win two titles in two weeks to complete a huge 2018 season, but their Welsh title will sit most proudly in their trophy cabinet.