World Footy News

They were the best two teams this year so it comes as no surprise to see these the Magpies and the Bombers battle out this year's AFL Nauru grand final which will be played today.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
MAGPIES
Yoshi Harris - the big young man has had a solid season. Can play in different positions so he is very versatile and is a hard match-up for any opposition coach.
Dave Mwaredaga - strong clearance player who hardly plays a bad match. Very consistent and has a damaging long kick.
Richmond Spanner - #1 draft pick who has had a great season. Great contested mark and can be a match winner.
BOMBERS
Agir Nenabo Amwano - quality player with great skills. Will be busy in the Bombers engine room.
Johnny Dagiaro - on his day he is unstoppable. Highly skilled and competitive both in the air and on the ground. Can win the game for the Bombers if he is on song.

Kais Tatum - has been the form ruckman this season and will have his biggest challenge yet up against the Magpies big men. Kaison has also been dangerous up-forward when he rotates.

Results of the finals played in the last two weeks can be seen below.

They are the two largest urban areas in France – Paris with over 11 million people and Lyon with almost 2 million. They are also the cities represented by two wonderful football teams in this weekend’s CNFA (French) Grand Final.

The ALFA Lions from Lyon are in their first decider since joining the league for the 2013/14 season. The Paris Cockatoos are in their second successive decider since joining last season – and winning a flag in their maiden season. It is a true changing of the guard for the competition and a very healthy sign of things to come.

But to pick a winner on the day is harder and there is some compelling evidence to support both teams. The ALFA Lions have gone through the season to date undefeated. That is a remarkable effort in any season, but arguably more so in the case of the Lions after years of building they have suddenly got to within touching distance of the summit. They also won their only encounter with the Cockatoos this season by a commanding 46 points (86 to 40), meaning they certainly have an edge psychologically over the Cockatoos.

 The new season has started across central and northern England with some big scores, heavy losses and a tight tussle thrown into the mix. After an off season of planning, plotting, training and hoping, teams took to the fields. Following is an article from the AFLCNE website looking at the round.

With round 1 over, we can take a look at the past weekend. It was a high scorer, with the Mozzies and Wolves powering ahead to form an early leading pack. Nottingham’s victory over Huddersfield sees them take 3rd position, while the Saints sit at the bottom by default.

Saturday saw Manchester Mosquitoes welcome Tyne Tees Tigers for this season’s opener. While the Tigers put in a hard-fought performance, the experienced and well-drilled Mozzies proved too much, putting in a commanding 216-12 victory and giving a hint that they’re going all out for that fourth premiership.

 

In a little under three months’ time, the Far North Queensland city of Cairns will play host to another AFL Premiership match. For the first time in Cairns’ history it will play host to a reigning premier with the Western Bulldogs coming to town to once again play the Gold Coast Suns. The match is massive for the development of Australian Rules football in north Queensland and already promotions and preparations are underway to attract huge crowds and secure more matches to the home of footy in the Far North, Cazalys Stadium.

Media Release: Tickets on sale today for Western Bulldogs Round 18 match in Cairns 

In Cairns to support the launch of tickets going on sale, Western Bulldogs player Roarke Smith and Gold Coast SUNS’ Sam Day spoke of how both clubs are looking forward to the Round 18 clash.

 

Roarke Smith highlighted how the Western Bulldogs were looking forward to returning to Cairns’ Cazalys Stadium for a fourth consecutive year.

Round 6 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off in Canberra with GWS hosting a Friday night match for the first time against reigning premiers, the Western Bulldogs.

The full international broadcast schedule can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).  You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the  Watch AFL banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

MATCH	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	28-Apr	Night	GWS GIANTS vs. Western Bulldogs	UNSW Canberra Oval	ACT	19:50	09:50
2	29-Apr	Day	Hawthorn vs. St Kilda	UTAS Stadium	TAS	13:45	03:45
3	29-Apr	Day	Carlton vs. Sydney Swans	MCG	VIC	14:10	04:10
4	29-Apr	Twilight	Brisbane Lions vs. Port Adelaide	The Gabba	QLD	16:35	06:35
5	29-Apr	Night	North Melbourne vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	09:25
6	29-Apr	Night	West Coast Eagles vs. Fremantle	Domain Stadium	WA	18:10	10:10
7	30-Apr	Early	Essendon vs. Melbourne	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:10	03:10
8	30-Apr	Day	Geelong Cats vs. Collingwoood	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20
9	30-Apr	Twilight	Adelaide Crows vs. Richmond	Adelaide Oval	SA	16:10	06:40

With the 2017 AFL Queensland U/16 tournament getting under way last Sunday - this weeks only mid week match saw the South Pacific squad make it's first appearance against the strong North Queensland side. The South Pacific lads arrived Tuesday morning and were straight into a training session to try to 'gell' before the game the next day.

The venue was Burpengary, a northern suburb of Brisbane overlooking Moreton Bay and also home to a recently developed AFL facility including 3 playing fields. As it was yesterday - from 1 pm the venue played host to the South Pacific side. However - the task was too great and the inability to finish off their hard work saw North QLD able to set up play after play rebounding from defence.

Irishman Paddy Brophy has decided to end his Australian football career and return to GAA football in Ireland.  He has cited personal reasons, including homesickness.  Brophy was originally identified in the AFL's European Combine before being signed by the West Coast Eagles. 

He played WAFL football in 2015 and 2016 but was unable to make a debut at AFL level.

The following was released on the West Coast Eagles website yesterday.

West Coast Eagles Irish import Paddy Brophy has called time on his bid to become the club’s first international rookie to play senior football.

Brophy, in his third year at the club, has decided to return to his home country where he will resume his Gaelic football career, with the aim of playing for County Kildare.

The popular Irishman has been a valued part of the club’s squad and has performed strongly at WAFL level, without getting an opportunity at the elite level. He has played primarily off half-back with East Perth and has captivated staunch Royals fans with his dash and dare.

The South Pacific Under 16 team today kickoff their 2017 Queensland Under 16 Championships  at the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex, Burpengary.

Representative teams from Brisbane South, Brisbane North, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, North Queensland and South Pacific will compete in the four day carnival.

The squad selected from across the South Pacific is dominated by PNG, with 14 representatives. 

The Queensland Under 16 State Academy Squad will be chosen at the completion of the carnival and will go on to play in the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships in June.

AFL Asia has previewed Anzac Day Commemoration activities and Matches taking place over the coming days and Anzac Day. For a full wrap and match times see www.afl-asia.com  

There is no doubt Anzac commemorative games are now a massive part of the Aussie rules footy landscape, but no more so than in Asia where the connection to the people and places effected by the wars of the past are so strong.

This weekend once again will see a number of AFL Asia’s Clubs host commemorative matches right across the Asian region, with the AFL Asia Anzac Round of matches getting bigger and better every year.

Irishman Conor McKenna of Essendon was charged with making forceful contact from front-on against Riley Knight, Adelaide Crows, during the fourth quarter of the Round Four match between Essendon and the Adelaide Crows, played at Adelaide Oval last weekend. He subsequently accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.

The available evidence and a medical report from the Adelaide Crows Football Club meant that the incident was assessed as careless conduct with medium impact to the head. The incident was classified as a two-match sanction. The player has no applicable record which impacts the penalty. His early plea enabled him to accept a one-match sanction.

The AFL Commission met today in Sydney and reviewed the first season of the NAB AFL Women’s competition.

The Commission also considered expansion of the competition, but has requested more information before making a decision in the coming weeks on the 2018 season.

AFL Commission Chairman Richard Goyder said the Commission was extremely pleased with the first year of the competition and congratulated all players and the eight teams involved, and wished to thank the AFL’s partners and fans across the country for their support of the new league.

Port Adelaide’s historic first AFL game for premiership points in China has sold out.

Remaining tickets went on sale on Thursday afternoon at 2.00pm, and were sold within the first hour.

With 24 days to go before the historic first bounce on Sunday 14 May at Shanghai’s Jiangwan Stadium, the successful sale of all tickets gives the club great momentum heading into the ground-breaking game.