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No mercy as Queensland Country crush Kiwis

  • Monday, July 31 2006 @ 11:31 pm ACST
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  • Views: 2,935
Oceania

Queensland Country showed New Zealand no mercy as they vented their disappointment at missing the Division 2 final of the Australian Country Championships. Played over a full time match length in good conditions, the reigning International Cup champions were sadly no match for their strong opponents.

Whilst we're strong supporters of international football development it is important to realise there is still a gulf between higher Aussie clubs and the national teams of other countries. Over time, with support, clearly that will change. But this result shows that when the Australian sides are seriously looking to turn it on, then the current gap is large - in this case 230 points. Unlike many other sports, it isn't really possible for an out-gunned team to simply go completely defensive in Aussie Rules, so a difference in levels is made very clear - part of the beauty of the game. As we said earlier, this is one of the first steps towards greater involvement between internationals and Australian football leagues. Hopefully this will only grow over time. There is a risk that such an early step up in opposition will damage the image of international football, but weighed against the benefits of greater awareness and what NZ may have gained from it, it is difficult to know.

Division 2 - Queensland v New Zealand
Qld - 11.4, 20.7, 31.13, 37.18 (240)
NZ - 0.2, 0.2, 1.2, 1.4 (10)

Goals: Qld: T Moncur 13 M Walsh 7 B Turton 5 M Lynch 4 A Morrison 3 D Lynch J Coatsworth 2 N Tomlinson 1
NZ: R Bradley 1

Best: Qld: M Walsh T Moncur J Smith B Turton N Tomlinson
NZ: R Bradley R Hart L McLennan L Hurst J Hendry

In other results NSW upset WA to claim 3rd spot in Division 1, and Victoria won the Grand Finals of both divisions (against ACT and the Aboriginal All-Stars) to claim the double. The Div 1 final reportedly had an extraordinary conclusion with a 50 metre penalty then a 70 metre torpedo from Victoria's Joe McLaren (a former AFL player) resulting in the scores being tied with seconds remaining. The Vics then cruised home in extra time.