World Footy News

In the absence of Papua New Guinea (withdrew due to immigration and flight problems), New Zealand and the Kingdom of Tonga have emerged as the leaders after day one of the two day youth Oceania Cup in Suva, Fiji.

Day 1

NZ 5-3 (33) defeated Samoa 4-3 (27)
Tonga 2-9 (21) defeated Fiji 1-4 (10)
Nauru 4-1 (25) defeated Samoa 3-4 (22)
NZ 8-2 (50) defeated Fiji 2-7 (19)
Tonga 7-6 (48) defeated Nauru 1-3 (9)

A summary and photos of the day follow...

Day One of the inaugural AFL Oceania Cup had close games and upsets. The changing weather conditions, very similar to Melbourne, Australia minus the coldness and the excited crowd proved a winner as did the challenging dance each team performed prior to playing. The boys being pumped about representing their country at Australian football was an understatement.

The day kicked off in true Fijian style, a little bit of weather (storm) and a little bit of delay (dancing and enjoying) before New Zealand and Samoa set the tone for a fierce and competitive 6 hours of footy. Game On. In one of the tightest games of the day NZ got up 6 points.

Samoa who lost both games on day one, could easily be undefeated after losing their second game by 3 points to a brave and smaller Nauru.

The efforts by the Samoan team to arrive here after the last months devastation is an inspiration to all.

The support of both the AFL in getting the boys here and the great efforts on the ground by AFL Samoa and community is a credit.

AFL club giants, Hawthorn, Geelong, Carlton and the Brisbane Lions along with AFL High Performance Manager Jason McCartney were suitably impressed with both the standard and the willingness of the competition. A major trait along was the great athleticism the boys all showed.

The AFL clubs are not only looking for potential recruits to their club, but assisting in selecting the first ever training squad for the World Team to play in Australia next year.

The ladder after day one has New Zealand and Tonga undefeated, Nauru notching up a good win and both Fiji and Samoa unlucky to not get on the winners table. Both these sides will win games tomorrow with their very talented squads.

AFL Fiji Acting Chairman Robert Wolfgramm was delighted and excited by the start.

"The AFL Fiji committee has pulled this together quickly. The support of the public and the parents has been outstanding as has been the quality of the footy. Speaking to the AFL Clubs they are very keen to be involved and working with the AFL to invest and work hard to ensure this continues to grow accordingly."

Day two kicks off at 10am after some skill testing and an 8 am Church service (given the strong Christian faith prevalent in many of the Oceanian countries).

The disappointment of PNG's absence is somewhat tempered by the fact that their players get excellent chances through AFL Queensland, so no doubt the missing footballers will get other opportunities to impress, something their opponents may not have.

The draw for day two follows:

Day 2

8am: Church Service.
9am: 20 metre sprint. Final Goal kicking and 100 metre.
10am: NZ V Tonga
11am: Nauru V Fiji
12noon: Samoa V Tonga
1-30pm: NZ v Nauru
2-30pm: Fiji V Samoa
4pm: Selection/Thanks/Trophies/Close

Tonga versus Nauru, and it appears the AFL's Jason McCartney is getting a close up look as a field umpire

Hosts Fiji Power versus the new-look New Zealand Hawks