World Footy News

The New Zealand AFL, reigning International Cup champions, have announced their squad to contest the 2006 Australian Country Championships in Queensland in late July. This historic occasion will see the Kiwi's league up against some of Australia's finest country talent in a huge challenge for the New Zealand team.

Unlike the majority of internationals, in which countries field sides made up entirely of their own nationals, this competition will be slightly different. As it is a country Australia regional event, not state of origin, there is no reason for NZ to limit its team to purely New Zealanders. This will give the NZAFL the opportunity to present the full strength of their footy leagues, regarded as some of the best outside of Australia. Nevertheless, the Falcons will be up against stiff competition, and all the international footy community will be watching to see how they go.

Rob Vanstam will coach the side, which has an average age of 23 years, an encouraging sign for future NZ teams. 14 players come from the dominant Auckland league, with 5 from Wellington, 4 Canterbury and 3 from the relatively new Waikato AFL.

2005 International Cup captain Andrew Congalton was off to the UK on a rugby contract after the Cup, and has been replaced as leader by Louis McLennan, with Morgan Jones and Mick Coultard as deputies.

We'll run through the team compared with the 2005 International Cup and the Kiwi/Aussie breakdown in a later story.