World Footy News

Our friends at The Footy Almanac (in particular Marius Cuming, Phil Dimitriadis and John Harms) are seeking to crowdfund restoration of the grave of Tom Wills, one of the fathers of Australian Football.  Read on for more details as originally published at www.footyalmanac.com.au. 

Australia’s first sporting legend and the father of Australian football lies in a crumbling grave in a Melbourne cemetery.

With a largely unknown but extraordinary life story, Tom Wills deserves a final resting place in better condition.

With the blessing of the Wills family, The Footy Almanac is now raising funds to renovate the gravesite of our first cricketing hero who also gave Australians our own spectacular game.

The project will cost about $15,000 and with millions of AFL supporters and cricket lovers, the Australian public should be able to do the right thing by this man and restore his gravesite to its former glory.

With the Toulouse Hawks forfeiting their final round match against the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes, the Coyotes have finished the home and away rounds of the CNFA (French) Australian Football season. Sitting on 25 points after all but one match of Round 9 have been completed, the Coyotes cannot be knocked from the spot regardless of the result of the final match between the Paris Cockatoos and the Strasbourg Kangourous.

It is a huge result for the Coyotes, meaning they will contest their semi-final against the Toulouse hawks. Whether by win or forfeit, the highest the Cockatoos can finish is third due to a lesser percentage than the Cockerels, meaning they will contest the other semi-final against the Paris Cockerels in a Paris derby.

Justin Trudeau's favourite Aussie expat Myk Aussie joined host Gabriel Morency this week on the Fantasy Sports cable TV Network. Myk previews AFL Round 9 and gives his best bets and picks for Round 9. He also gives the Canadian Nationals a plug and expects big things from the East team (currently 2-0 after Day 1).

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If you are in North America look out for Myk on your TV or on UStream with Gabriel on Friday nights.

AFL Canada's first National Championships kick off today in Burnaby at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West (3677 Kensington Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia V5B 4Z6).

Players have travelled from across Canada for this historic footy event that looks set to change the footy landscape for the positive in Canada going forward.  You can watch the matches from 9am Vancouver time at the following link - https://www.ustream.tv/embed/10290903?html5ui 

Games will be 18-a-side.

• 24 players on the roster per match.
• The match will run for two (2) 20 minute halves with no time on.
• Umpires will award a fifty (50) metre penalty.
• If a match is drawn the result will stand (no extra time)
• Queries, appeals or requests for rulings in relation to the Match Arrangements and Regulations should be directed to the Tournament Director

For two weeks in a row the Wolverhampton Wolverines were chalking up cricket scores in their AFLCNE matches. Then, last weekend, they came up against a brick wall called the Nottingham Scorpions. In a tough match, the Scorpions kept the pressure on the previously undefeated Wolverines and pulled away to notch an important victory for the club.

The result keeps the Scorpions well within reach of the Wolverines (second on ladder) and the Manchester Mozzies (first) in the early race for league supremacy.

Round 9 gets underway Friday night with Hawthorn hosting the Sydney Swans at the MCG. 

If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the schedule below. As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates.

For those in the US looking to watch American Mason Cox in his fifth AFL match with Collingwood it will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Plus Friday night 23:30 ET or you can watch via subscription service WATCHAFL.AFL.COM.AU.

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL	GMT	NETWORK
1	20 May	Night	Hawthorn vs. Sydney Swans	MCG	VIC	19:50	09:50	SEVEN
2	21 May	Day	Collingwood vs. Geelong Cats	MCG	VIC	13:45	03:45	SEVEN
3	21 May	Day	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Adelaide Crows	Metricon Stadium	QLD	14:10	04:10	FOX
4	21 May	Twilight	Port Adelaide vs. West Coast Eagles	Adelaide Oval	SA	16:05	06:35	FOX
5	21 May	Night	Fremantle vs. Richmond	Domain Stadium	WA	17:40	09:40	SEVEN
6	21 May	Night	North Melbourne vs. Carlton	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	09:25	FOX
7	22 May	Early	Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions	MCG	VIC	13:10	03:10	FOX
8	22 May	Day	GWS GIANTS vs. Western Bulldogs	Spotless Stadium	NSW	15:20	05:20	SEVEN
9	22 May	Twilight	St Kilda vs. Essendon	Etihad Stadium	VIC	14:40	06:40	FOX

The Australian Rules footballing world has reacted with shock and also support for Hawthorn’s star forward, Jarryd Roughead. After having had a melanoma removed from his lip during the 2015 season, Roughead returned to the field. But this season he has been struck down by knee surgery, and this week during a routine check the melanoma has returned. Roughead’s playing future is now in doubt until the results of a biopsy determine the next course of action.

 

It is rare that a player has to go through such a public health scare during their playing career. But there is an enormous groundswell of support for the star Hawk.

 

 

World Footy News joins with those sending Jarryd and those close to him messages of best wishes, concern and support.

Majak Daw has a firm place in AFL history as the first Sudanese player to reach the highest level of the AFL. What might have been seen as a novelty at the beginning has now changed with Daw proving last weekend that he has much more to offer. He was retained as a rookie by North Melbourne last year and played his first senior game against Essendon on Saturday.

His return of 14 possessions, 5 tackles, 2 goals and 4 hitouts showed off his array of skills, despite a much publicised horror shot on goal, kissing on the run from only 15 metres out. But the outing proved that Majak can still play at the highest level.

Even the most devout Magpie fan would admit that Putney’s season hasn’t got off to the start they were hoping for – going down to the Hawks and Wildcats. But their fortunes turned around when they snared a three point win from the London Swans to record their first win for the season. The result puts them back with the rest of the field to challenge for higher honours later in the season.

Such morale boosting wins can sometimes be the catalyst for great positive change, and Magpie supporters would be feeling that positivism right now.

In other results, the Wandsworth Demons kept their perfect season start intact with a solid 39 point victory over last year’s premiers, the North London Lions. The win keeps them on top of the ladder as the only undefeated team after three rounds.

On the Sunday footy show, Game Day, North Melbourne’s star ruckman, Todd Goldstein, was asked about the difference it makes playing against the bigger and more mobile ruckmen in the AFL. Apart from pointing out players like Max Gawn (Melbourne) and Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle) as examples of taller, influential ruckman he also responded to the impact of players like Mason Cox (Collingwood) and Jason Holmes (St Kilda) by suggesting there might be more on their way.

In fact, Goldstein suggested that with the successes and developments of the American players coming to the AFL, he hopes they give him five or six years so he can retire and not have to face the onslaught.

The Paris Cockerels made a huge statement in their Round 8 match against the Toulouse Hawks, downing the team many felt would challenge for this year’s flag by a commanding 84 points. The final margin of 107 to 23 certainly indicates a gulf between the sides that for most of the season have been seen as one and two on the pecking order. Now the Cockerels can set course for back to back flags with the confidence they can more than match the Hawks.

The match also sets up a fascinating final round clash where the Hawks are again Paris-bound to take on the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes. A win will restore the Hawks standing as a premiership threat, but a loss to the Coyotes will see them drop as low as fourth place if the Paris Cockatoos win as expected against the Strasbourg Kangourous.