World Footy News

 

The recent 2017 AFL National Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships were not just a place for players to show their wares. It was also an environment where young umpires were able to continue their development journeys. During the course of the championships, David Rodan – former Richmond, Port Adelaide and Melbourne footballer and current AFL goal umpire – spent time speaking to the boys to tell them of umpiring pathways. Also, Mathew Nichols, a current AFL umpire with almost 300 AFL games experience, spent the event teaching and mentoring the new breed.

Both were willing to speak to World Footy News and talk about the opportunities for umpires, and how important this tournament was to the development of umpires. 

 

David Rodan: David, you played in an elite environment as a player and you have also witnessed first-hand elite level umpiring. How does that prepare you to help grow our new batch of young umpiresω

The 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships have been completed at the Blacktown International Sportspark at Rooty Hill in Sydney’s west. For the second consecutive year the mighty Western Australian teams have won both titles. For the Kickstart program the result sees the state remain the only winners of the Kickstart Championships since its inception.

On a beautiful, sunny morning, the All Nations Grand Final kicked off. South Australia had performed well in the early stages of the carnival and were rated as a strong chance to upset the team from the west. Early signs were good as they held a narrow lead during the first half to go in tightly locked at half time.

The 2017 Kickstart and All Nations Championships gave a unique ability to sit in a coaches box of an elite junior competition and listen to what coaches and the off field crew discuss before, during and after a game. There is insight her for any coaches. World Footy News thanks the Victorian All Nations team for allowing us to be front and centre during a game.

Jamie Pi knew that he had a talented team of players under his guidance. Results might not have yet validated that, but results aren’t everything. Sometimes it is the process and the journey that gets people’s attention. It was certainly the criteria that Jamie and his coaching team were most interested in.

The Victorian All Nations team was playing against South Australia in the final match of the day. It was a chance for the team to honour their game style and the instructions given by the coaches. The set of goals was written on a whiteboard and would be reviewed as the match went on.

Before the game the players were given their instructions by Jamie and his team. Team Manager and Assistant Coach, Junior Oneone, was giving advice and encouragement along with Victorian Kickstart coach, Peter Dye, and the omnipresent, ubiquitous David Rodan – the team’s Project Manager.

 

Media Release From The Australian Football League

The AFL is pleased to announce the 2017 Boomerangs and World Team squads to compete at the 2017 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships on the Gold Coast in July.

Selected by AFL Club recruiters following the 2017 AFL National Male Diversity Championships held in Blacktown, the respective squads of 25 young men has been chosen based on school attendance, leadership skills, and football ability. 

 

The AFL Flying Boomerangs program is a personal development and leadership program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men aged 14-16 years old, supported by Rio Tinto. Meanwhile the World Team is made up of the best upcoming AFL multicultural players from across the nation.

Round 4 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Perth tonight where the West Coast Eagles host the Sydney Swans at Domain Stadium.  Tomorrow night the first Good Friday match will take place between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

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	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	13-Apr	Night	West Coast Eagles vs. Sydney Swans	Domain Stadium	18:10	10:10
2	14-Apr	Twilight	North Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs	Etihad Stadium	16:20	04:20
3	15-Apr	Day	Melbourne vs. Fremantle	MCG	13:45	03:45
4	15-Apr	Twilight	GWS GIANTS vs. Port Adelaide	UNSW Canberra Oval	16:35	06:35
5	15-Apr	Night	Carlton vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Etihad Stadium	19:25	09:25
6	15-Apr	Night	Adelaide Crows vs. Essendon	Adelaide Oval	19:10	09:40
7	16-Apr	Day	Collingwood vs. St Kilda	Etihad Stadium	15:20	05:20
8	16-Apr	Twilight	Brisbane Lions vs. Richmond	The Gabba	16:40	06:40
9	17-Apr	Day	Hawthorn vs. Geelong Cats	MCG	15:20	05:20

One of the most endearing images from the 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships was former Port Adelaide Power premiership coach, Mark Williams, standing beside a young African player on the All Nations oval after a match stepping him through the basics of how to kick. As this story is being typed he is doing it again with a young Queensland indigenous player.

In a decorated career spanning playing days in the SANFL (West Adelaide & Port Adelaide) and VFL (Collingwood & Brisbane Bears) and a variety coaching, assistant coaching and his most recent specialist coaching role in the AFL with Richmond (Head Development Coach), Mark knows the coaching game backwards, forwards and sideways. The son of the “father of Port Adelaide” – Fos Williams – Mark holds one of the finest pedigrees in football. It is that pedigree he is bringing to the championships, coaching the coaches and watching over the players.

Micky O, as he if commonly referred to, has had an incredible journey in AFL football and is in a unique position to share his vast experience with the next generations of footballers. At the 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart and All Nations Championships Michael did exactly that when asked to motivate the boys with a talk about his background.

 

The following story is taken from a transcript of his presentation to the players during the championships. Not a pin drop could be heard as Michael entranced his audience.

 

 

I’m originally from Adelaide and moved to Sydney as a 17-year old to play footy with the Swans. I’m from a little place called Salisbury in Adelaide where I spent a lot of time at the Central Districts footy club. I guess the journey to get to Sydney has been a pretty tough one.

 A huge round of footy in Nauru on the weekend saw the top of the table clash decided by a goal and the other two matches by five points.  The Magpies cemented top spot with their 6 point win over the Bombers with Kenneth Oppenheimer kicking three goals for the winners.  Both sides will play off again next week, this time in the Qualifying final for a spot in the Grand Final.

FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2017
CATS SCRATCH DOGS IN A THRILLER
It was a tight and tough contest from the outset as players went in hard. The contest was tough as both teams tried hard to gain control but nothing could separate them going into the last quarter. Going with a slight breeze in the last quarter, it was the Cats that won most of the ball and kept the game in their half for most of the quarter.

But despite winning more possessions in the last, the Cats squandered their opportunities frequently missing easy shots at goal. The Bulldogs were more accurate and with young player Blame Maaki kicking 2 goals in the last quarter, they remained dangerously close.

In the dying minutes Cats dangerman Shawn Kemp Maaki slotted a goal from a tight angle to take the lead and they held on to win by 5 points in a thriller.

The AFL today announced the venues for the Grand Final's for both the men's and women's divisions at the 2017 AFL International Cup to be held in Melbourne from August 5th.

The previous men's final was played at the MCG in 2014 with PNG defeating Ireland. The women's final was played earlier that day with Canada defeating Ireland at Punt Road oval. Details of competing nations and schedules are still being finalised and should be known in the coming weeks.

The full announcement follows.

Peter Dye, coach of the Victorian team at the 2017 Kickstart Championships, has a skilled team around him. Apart from his assistant coach Dylan Harvey, and team manager Jack Henty, he is also surrounded by some seriously experienced firepower. Former AFL players in Aaron Davey (Melbourne), Chris Johnston (Brisbane, Fitzroy) and David Rodan (Richmond, Port Adelaide, Melbourne) bring many hundreds of game’s experience to the coaching bench.

The two coaching components come together – the formal and the additional – to prepare the Victorians for their next match: a clash with the NSW/ ACT team. It soon becomes apparent that these boys cannot have too many coaches and too much advice. They are fortunate, and they will respond by bringing every coach’s wishes or instructions to life.

Pre-game and the coach re-addresses the pillars around which the team’s game plans will hinge. Effort is broken down into clearer, more measureable pieces. Work rate, tackling, communication and being first to the ball are the themes that will galvanise these boys once the siren blows. Focus is also placed on the one percenters – the small actions on which great success grows.

Chris Johnson certainly experienced the highs and lows of football as a player. Drafted by the Fitzroy Lions in 1993, he went on to play for the club until their demise in 1996 – experiencing some of the leanest times of any VFL/AFL club. His move to the Brisbane Bears at the end of the 1996 season coincided with the rise of a new entity – the Brisbane Lions.

He went on to become a celebrated and decorated legend of the club, playing in three premierships, being an All-Australian selection as well as a member of the Indigenous Team Of The Century. He briefly co-captained the Brisbane Lions and in 2005 was co-captain with Andrew McLeod in the Australian International Rules team.

With a resume as hard-earned and impressive as that it seems only natural that his experience and philosophies be passed on to new generations of indigenous and multicultural players. At the 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships in Blacktown, that is exactly what he is doing.

On a beautiful, sunny day at the Blacktown International Sportspark in western Sydney, the sirens have blown and the football is well and truly under way. It marks the business end of a long process for those U15 boys who have made it to the final selection to represent their state’s Kickstart or All Nations teams. Now, all of the training and hard work pays off.

The tournament commenced with an opening ceremony at the Rooty Hill RSL. All players entered the function room during the Smoking Ceremony, performed by Uncle Greg Simms. Councillor Brad Bunting offered the official welcome from Blacktown City Council on behalf of Mayor Stephen Bali before Sam Graham, CEO of AFL NSW/ACT welcomed all to such a prestigious event for New South Wales. Narelle Long, AFL Championship manager also welcomed the layers, officials and supporters.