World Footy News

The AFL Middle East season opened with the double-header draw at Sevens Stadium in Dubai yesterday. The local footy community was treated to two games, both hotly contested and exciting, though for very different reasons.

The match between last year’s grand finalists, the Dubai Dragons and the Multiplex Bulls, was tight at half time. Both teams were out to make statements and locked horns, if you will, in a territorial fight where neither was prepared to concede. However, after the main break it was the Bulls that hammered home eight goals to one to run out convincing 34 point victors 11 11 77 to 6 7 43.

Irishman Mark O'Connor has chosen to sign with Geelong Football Club in the AFL after trialling at the NAB AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne earlier this month.  He will be signed to the club as an International Rookie and officially listed in the upcoming National Draft.

Irish media have widely reported his move to "Sleepy Hollow" after he confirmed it on Irish Radio na Gaeltachta’s An Saol ó Dheas this morning.

“It’s a very quiet place, like Dingle, and I was very comfortable there. I was really taken with Geelong.

“When I went in there everyone was very friendly, and I felt at home there,” the 19-year-old midfielder added."

 

The new 2016/17 AFL Middle East season gets under way at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai with a double-header on Friday, 21st October. In the opening match of the fixture the Entertainer (Dubai) Dingoes will take on the Abu Dhabi Falcons. This will be followed by the grand final rematch between the Multiplex Bulls and title holders the Dubai Dragons.

The Doha Kangaroos will start their season in coming weeks once all future fixtures are finalised.

The new season brings all sorts of possibilities, and each team playing on Friday will have the belief that a new season brings.

The Entertainer Dingoes won their first trophy two weeks ago when they claimed the pre-season cup. It heralds a new era for the Dingoes and they go into Friday night’s match against the Falcons with their own bar raised and a second cup on the horizon for this season.

Peter Holden travelled to the 2016 USAFL Nationals and commentated women's matches throughout the tournament which were streamed live (and can be viewed on the USAFL's Youtube page).

He also put together this week's Girls Play Footy Podcast featuring interviews over the weekend.

You can find out all the latest on women's footy at their site - www.girlsplayfooty.com

It has been no secret since the season finished that Pearce Hanley would likely leave the Brisbane Lions and early on the Gold Coast Suns were the likely new home for the Irishman. 

After 129 games for the Brisbane Lions he has become the best Irish player in the competition famous for his hard running off the hard back line.  But this season something appeared wrong.  And as the Lions continued to struggle at the bottom of the ladder Hanley appeared disinterested.

It is not known publicly for sure where the problem lay, be it with coach Leppitsch (who has now departed the club) or with particular team-mates. At any rate it is hoped a new start at the Gold Coast will see him return to the form of the previous few seasons.

 

The USA national side the Revolution have one of the most thorough selection processes of any nation ahead of the International cup. Over the past two years they have been assessing and trialling players from all over the USA. On Sunday the USAFL announced a narrowed squad of 66 players that will represent the USA.

This time around they have announced they will select 30 players from this squad in April next year to bring to the 2017 AFL International Cup in Melbourne. Those named on Sunday that do not make the trip to Melbourne, will be then representing the USA in 2018 on a playing trip to Europe (details yet to be announced).  It has been a very long time since the US national team has travelled to Europe (2001) after years of talk about it happening again it looks like it will get off the ground. 

The Revolution team will also take a team to Canada again in 2018.

Round Two of the NTFL competition in Darwin was completed on Sunday with two teams, the Wanderers and Nightcliff Tigers, the only undefeated teams in an even start to the season. At the other end of the scale the Tiwi Bombers and Darwin Buffaloes remain winless and will be desperate to turn things around in a hurry.

The Buffaloes faced a fired up St Mary’s unit, fresh from their first round defeat. The Buffaloes led for most of the day, but Saints were always just at arm’s length. It took a four goal to one final quarter (which would have been more but for Saints inaccuracy) to turn the tide in the final quarter.

Final Score: St Marys 17 17 119 d Buffaloes 16 9 105

The Austin Crows are the USAFL National Champions for 2016 having beaten the Golden Gate Roos in the final of the USAFL National Championships.  The Crows were out of the blocks early and had a strong lead at half time and looked to be certainties.

Golden Gate continued to push them but in the end were no match for the Austin team.

In Divison 2 the Calgary Kangaroos defeated the Columbus Jackaroos by 36 points and in Division 3 the Portland Steelheads were winners over the North Carolina Tigers by 24 points.

Divison 4 title was taken out by the Ohio Valley River Rats combine.

In the women's Division 1 the San Francisco Iron Maidens ended the Denver Lady Bulldogs run of titles and in Division 2 the Portland Sockeyes defeated the Montreal/Boston combine.
 

In humid and variable conditions (bright sun to wind and rain) teams from across the US and Canada battled it out in four men’s and two women’s divisions.

Reigning champions the Austin Crows kept their favourites tag as they accounted for the Quebec Saints and Denver Bulldogs in Division A with little fuss and with a win tomorrow morning over LA will be firm favourites for the title again.

DAY 2 STREAMING LIVE - CLICK THIS LINK

Grand Final re-matches, barnstorming come-from-behind victories, exciting debuts, scintillating footy and the sounds of leather hitting boots. No, we are not talking about the battlegrounds of the MCG or Etihad Stadium – this is footy in France, and the new season has kicked off in stunning style across the nation.

Last year the Perpignan Tigers won many admirers with a break out season which saw then just miss out on finals action. They won more yesterday when they launched a stunning comeback against the Toulouse Hawks in the double header at the Stade Robert Barran (Robert Barran Stadium) in Toulouse. For the most part, Toulouse held sway across the first three quarters, but the Tigers were far from finished and stormed home to win an absolute thriller by just four points. Final score saw the Perpignan Tigers 86 down Toulouse 82.