Independent News and Views from the International Aussie Rules Community

Welcome to World Footy News Tuesday, December 24 2024 @ 11:53 am ACDT

Eagles Swoop into Raleigh on Saturday

North America

The Baltimore Washington Eagles (8) and the North Carolina Tigers (9) kick off their seasons on Saturday (5/5) in Raleigh, NC - our first top-10 clash of the season. The game is officially a "pre-season" game as it doesn't count for Eastern Australian Football League (EAFL) points, although it is not clear that the teams are taking it that way. According to first year Tiger's Coach, Jason Heathcote "At the end of the day, if we are going to bleed on the field, it might as well be for something!"

The two clubs have had quite different lead ups to their first game. BWE has been experimenting with the more social "Ausball" games. According to Eagles Head Coach Matt Bishop, "The challenge has been incorporating Ausball - the non-contact, co-ed version of the game designed for beginners - into our schedule while maintaining the interest of our regular players." On the other hand the Tigers have had a very successful Metro league season with a strong rivalry developing between UNC and NC State.

Bishop is very excited about the Eagles' 2007 season. 2006 ended with the Eagles winning the USAFL 2nd Division National Title. "We pulled together a very good team at the end of 2006. This was based on the injection of about 8 young and enthusiastic American guys that learnt very quickly during the year. We have managed to retain the majority of this team in 2007 and have been fortunate to also pick up several experienced players from other USAFL teams." Heathcote is a little more circumspect. "The only expectation for the season we have is to have fun playing the game we love." The NC Tigers are a very young team (average age of 21) and have 8 players making their debut on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Kansas City Power heads across state to take on long time rivals the St Louis Blues. KC and St Louis recently traveled to Louisville, KY to compete in pre-season tourney in memorial of USFooty founder John Harrell. For more information on the USFooty league season so far and for the latest scores and stats go to USFooty News.