World Footy News

Great Britain Bulldogs and the Irish Warriors were the big winners on Day 1 of the 2016 AFL Europe European Championships.

Played in good conditions at Mostpur Park in London the Irish Warriors were out of the blocks early kicking 5 goals to the German Eagles 1 in the first quarter. By half time they held a 62 point lead. Only poor kicking in the third quarter prevented them extending their lead to triple figures. Germany performed better in the second half kicking 2 goals to Ireland six but were still beaten by 95 points at the final siren.

Ireland                5.1         11.2      14.10    17.11 (113)

Last week New Zealander Kurt Heatherley became the first player to start seriously learning Aussie Rules overseas before coming to Australia to complete his journey.  Unfortunately after his breakthrough match last week for Hawthorn he has been squeezed out of the side.  But below you can see some clips of his jumper presentation (as we showed in a previous story) prior to debut and a post-match interview.

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3rd European Championships in Australian Football - 13th to 20th August 2016. London, England.
A Preview.  

SCHEDULE

DAY ONE – SUNDAY 14TH AUGUST

1pm Irish Warriors v German Eagles

3pm Great Britain Bulldogs v Swedish Elks

 

Round 21 kicks off in Melbourne on Friday night with the Western Bulldogs hosting Collingwood at the Docklands Stadium. 

If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the full schedule below.

As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates. 

 

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT	NETWORK
1	12-Aug	Night	W Bulldogs vs. Collingwood	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:50	09:50	SEVEN
2	13-Aug	Day	Brisbane Lions vs. Carlton	The Gabba	QLD	13:45	03:45	SEVEN
3	13-Aug	Day	Hawthorn vs. North Melbourne	MCG	VIC	14:10	04:10	FOX
4	13-Aug	Twilight	GWS GIANTS vs. WCE	Spotless Stadium	NSW	16:35	06:35	FOX
5	13-Aug	Night	St Kilda vs. Sydney Swans	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	09:25	SEVEN
6	13-Aug	Night	Port Adelaide vs. Melbourne	Adelaide Oval	SA	19:10	09:40	FOX
7	14-Aug	Early	Essendon vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:10	03:10	FOX
8	14-Aug	Day	Richmond vs. Geelong Cats	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20	SEVEN
9	14-Aug	Twilight	Fremantle vs. Adelaide Crows	Domain Stadium	WA	14:40	06:40	FOX

The French team for the Euro Cup tournament in Lisbon, Portugal to be held in October was announced today on Youtube.  Watch below.

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Ironically the week after AFL South Pacific graduate Kurt Heatherley made his senior AFL debut – a young man from Vanuatu will lead the Sydney Swans onto the field in their crucial match against St Kilda this weekend at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. Keep a look out for the Vanuatu flag.

The first week of August saw an important progam held at the Holiday Inn in Suva, Fiji, with the AFL Fiji Staff Conference. In recent months Simon Highfield has joined as AFL Fiji’s new development officer and AFL Fiji have also received support from Australia’s Pacific Sports Partnerships Program. Once again – this December Fiji will be hosting the AFL Oceania Cup. However – last week it was the AFL Fiji staff getting upskilled – along with training from the Fiji Ministry of Health & Medical Services and the Fiji Women’s Crisis centre with an aim to inclusion of awareness messages into the AFL Fiji school and community programs.

The 2016 BSP PNG Games are to be hosted in the West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. 22 provinces take part in 24 games – including para-sports and including AFL. Across 4 locations within the provincial capital of Kimbe. As a note, Kimbe Bay is said to host more than 60% of the coral species of the entire Indo-Pacific while Kimbe itself is the third largest port in PNG and said to be the fastest growing city in the South Pacific.

After one of the most evenly contested seasons by two clubs heading to the Grand Final, the West London Wildcats asserted their authority on Grand Final day to claim the flag they wanted so much and prove they were the best team in the AFL London competition for 2016.

The Wildcats won every quarter as they continued to build their lead over the Wandsworth Demons, always able to find the extra gear needed to halt every Demon charge or consolidate their own good work.

After finishing the season locked on top of the ladder, the Wildcats adjusted to the demands and pressures of grand final footy just a little better than the Demons. After leading by 12 points at Quarter Time and jumping to a 26 point lead by the main break, warning bells would have been sounding within the Demon’s camp.

The Glasgow Sharks downed the Edinburgh Bloods in a thrilling Preliminary Final at Linlithgow Rugby Club this weekend, sending them into the Grand Final to play against fellow Glasgow team, the Greater Glasgow Giants. Any fears that the city could not support two Australian Football teams can be laid to rest as the historic match showcases the work of both clubs to grow and co-exist.

In an exciting final to fight for a spot in the biggest game of the year, the Edinburgh team got quickly out of the blocks to hold a five goal lead by quarter time (Bloods 37 to Sharks 7). The Sharks, however, lifted with a big second quarter of their own to close the gap to just 13 points by half time (Bloods 47 to Sharks 34).

Maybe it was an omen that the Belfast Redbacks’ bus was late and the ARFLI Grand Final was delayed by 20 minutes…maybe it did induce an unsettled air into the drilled routine of the Redbacks. But out on the field it wasn’t anything to do with bus trips. It was the Leeside Lions team which determined the outcome of the day as the piled on more pressure during each quarter to win the 2016 premiership by 52 points.

To the Lions, all that mattered was their fifth flag and they claimed that in fine style.

After a tough opening quarter, largely even, the Lions held a narrow three point lead. Everything pointed to a tight contest with the Redbacks having more scoring opportunities but the Lions more accurate. Quarter Time: Leeside Lions 3 1 19 v Belfast Redbacks 2 4 16.