World Footy News

The New Zealand Hawks team to play the visiting AIS AFL Academy side at Westpac Stadium on Saturday the 26th of January has been announced with a major shock being the inclusion of 44 year old AFL legend Wayne Schwass joining Frankston’s VFL powerhouse forward Khan Haretuku on-field. Schwass (pictured left), who was born in NZ, will fulfill a lifelong ambition to wear the Silver Fern and his involvement is sure to not just be good for him but great for football.  He played 282 games across his career with North Melbourne and the Sydney Swans.

Of interest to football followers concerned with the international growth of the game, NZ will field 8 teenagers in their squad of 25 spearheaded by Shem Tatupu, who Hawthorn have committed to listing as an International Rookie alongside Kurt Heatherley in 2014 and Ben Miller, who is one of five young Kiwis to be awarded an International Scholarship so far.
 

The program states that there are 22 currently listed AFL players who are eligible to represent NZ. This correspondent feels that this may be the case if we use the Rugby Union ruling where only one grandparent need be born in a country for an athlete to then represent that country. International Cup requirements are far tighter than that. The NZ teams that have played the AIS over the past two years have in the main been filled by players who are eligible for NZ at the International Cup but players of higher profile with NZ heritage have supplemented the squad to add experience.

The AIS team arrived  in Wellington on January 19th from Australia. They stayed in Wellington briefly before heading to Taupo for a few days. They are now back in Wellington as NZ holds their first National Combine testing involving 40 athletes on January 24th and then supporting AFL team St Kilda on January 26th to celebrate Australia Day still further with a footy clinic at Frank Kitts Park in central Wellington.

The AIS team will be the draftees of the 2014 with a couple 17 years old already and the rest due to turn 17 this year. Under three time Brisbane Lions Premiership player Chris Johnson they are sure to be a very slick outfit representative of all Australian states.

This year's match, against New Zealand on January 26 at Wellington Stadium, is just one aspect of a trip with bigger goals. "We're going across to promote the game, to have a high performance training camp, and to proudly represent Australia in these boys' chosen sport," AIS Tour Manager Kevin Sheehan said.

For more please see:-

www.afl.com.au/news/2013-01-17/ling-inspires-ais-squad
www.aflnz.co.nz/new-zealand-hawks-team-to-play-ais-afl-academy-announced/