World Footy News

Like any brand new club starting from scratch, the AFLCNE’s newest club, the Merseyside Saints, have had a tough initiation into the “big league”. They knew there would be tough days at the office, but they would also have had confidence that time, patience and belief would help alleviate any one-sided scorelines.

By going down to the Sheffield Thunder last start by 49 points, they continued a positive trend from negative results. Hammered mercilessly by the Wolverines early in the season by 289 points, then by the Mozzies by 265 points, the scoreline against the Tyne Tees Tigers receded to a 108 point loss, and now 49 points to Thunder.

Granted the scorelines are relative to the opposition played, but that doesn’t change the fact that the deficits are headed in the correct direction and is a positive sign of growth for the fledgling club. There will be more tough days, but each game has been a learning experience and the Merseyside Saints are learning at a rapid rate.

The AFL today announced the details of the 2017 AFL International Cup to be held in Melbourne. Joining the 2014 champions PNG at the sixth iteration of the International Cup will hopefully be at least 20 mens teams. The women's competiton is expected to grow from the five nations that competed in 2014.

PNG are the most successful nation at the International Cup winning the competition in 2008 and 2014 as well as finishing runner up in 2002, 2005 and 2011 in the men's division.  Ireland (2008) and Canada (2011) have each won the women's competition in the first two cup's that had female teams competing.

 

The full announcement from the AFL follows

The Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round gets underway Friday night with the Sydney Swans hosting an unbeaten North Melbourne at the SCG. 

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.

If you are interested in the US TV ratings then checkout this great piece written by Brian Barrish revealing the ratings numbers for FS1 and FS2 coverage.

GAME	DATE	T'SLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL	GMT	HOST
1	27-May	Night	Sydney Swans vs. North Melbourne	SCG	NSW	19:50	09:50	SEVEN
2	28-May	Day	Brisbane Lions vs. Hawthorn	The Gabba	QLD	13:45	03:45	SEVEN
3	28-May	Day	Melbourne vs. Port Adelaide	Traeger Park	NT	13:40	04:10	FOX
4	28-May	Twilight	St Kilda vs. Fremantle	Docklands	VIC	16:35	06:35	FOX
5	28-May	Night	Essendon vs. Richmond	MCG	VIC	19:25	09:25	SEVEN
6	28-May	Night	Adelaide Crows vs. GWS GIANTS	Adelaide Oval	SA	19:10	09:40	FOX
7	29-May	Early	Carlton vs. Geelong Cats	Docklands	VIC	13:10	03:10	FOX
8	29-May	Day	Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20	SEVEN
9	29-May	Twilight	West Coast Eagles vs. GC SUNS	Subiaco	WA	14:40	06:40	FOX

In the most exciting game of the round, and possibly the season to date, the Wimbledon Hawks have drawn with the London Swans in their Round 4 match last weekend. In a match that was important to both – for Hawks to consolidate their place in the top four, and for the Swans to get their first win of the year – the draw didn’t exactly deliver either, yet both teams gained something, such is the way of drawn matches.

The result sees the Swans still on the bottom of the ladder and the Hawks still in fourth place, but both have the advantage of half a game in hand later in the season if things get closer. The draw also highlighted the luck of the Swans, going down by just 3 points to Putney last weekend. In both games one extra straight kick could have changed their fortunes.

 

This weekend sees the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round played across the nation. Features of the weekend include the wearing by AFL clubs of indigenous design jumpers at all matches and a host of activities across the nation at all venues. The Northern Territory is a major part of the events with their annual clash in Alice Springs featuring the Melbourne demons and the Port Adelaide Power. The following press release from the AFL outlines the Alice Springs event.

 

AFLNT is pleased to announce the Northern Territory Minister for Sport and Recreation, The Hon. Nathan Barrett MLA, will be hosting a free barbecue lunch for all football fans at TIO Traegar Park this Friday 27 May following an AFL Super Clinic in the Red Centre.

 

(Picture: Sir Doug Nicholls - www.afl.com.au )

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