World Footy News

Cairns, in Far North Queensland, has long been a source of AFL footballers that made the journey south to play the game at the highest level. But with today’s signing by the Essendon Football Club of Cairns product, Sam Michael, the connection has reached a new level.

Rarely have two Cairns based players donned the same colours. The Gold Coast Suns have seen Lewis Moss, Rex Liddy and Jarrod Harbrow wear their colours in 2011 when Harbrow joined the club, but soon after both Liddy and Moss were delisted, so the Cairns link faltered.

Other players from Cairns have graced AFL club lists in recent times with players such as Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide) still playing, Peter Yagmoor (Collingwood) having reached the highest level before being delisted and there are plenty more waiting in the wings for their big chance.

With the final home and away match now completed in the AFL Middle East competition for the 2015/16 season, attention will now turn to the Grand Final, to be players at Seven’s Stadium in Dubai on March on Friday 11th March.

The final match saw the Abu Dhabi Falcons host the Dubai Dragons. The Falcons’ remote finals chances had been ended last round, so the game was about pride and building for next season. For the Dragons it was a chance to tune up ready for their premiership tilt in two weeks’ time.

The Dragons had little trouble in downing a game Falcon’s outfit, eventually running out winners by 51 points. The final score saw the Dubai Dragons 18 8 116 defeat the Abu Dhabi Falcons 9 11 65.

Callum Twomey from the www.afl.com.au website reports that the AFL has reviewed many of its regulations surrounding the recruitment of players from across America. In light of the continued positive progress of players like Jason Holmes at St Kilda, Mason Cox at Collingwood and others such as Matt Korchek and Alex Aurrachio who are looking to advance further this year, the AFL may have seen even greater opportunities for clubs to sign American talent.

 

MORE American athletes could enter the AFL system after the League lifted its upper age limit on international scholarship holders.

 

 

Under past rules, clubs have only been able to sign international athletes to scholarships under the age of 22, which has been a restriction particularly for recruiters scouting the US for talent.

A huge performance by Collingwood’s American forward, Mason Cox, has Magpie fans salivating and commentators speculating that he should be a certainty to line up in the team’s Round One match. His NAB Challenge performance against Geelong tonight saw him with seven possessions, four marks, including two excellent contested marks, and topped off with two goals.

What the statistics don’t tell you is how much of an absolute menace Cox was in the Collingwood forward Line. His ability to bust open packs with big leaps led directly to two more goals, and his hulking 211cm and 110kg frame put shivers through the cats’ defence. Even more impressive was that Cox spent much of the game matched up against premiership Cat, Harry Taylor.

Week 2 of the 2016 AFL NAB Challenge series kicks off this Thursday night with the GWS GIANTS hosting the Western Bulldogs at Manuka Oval in Canberra. 

Please see below for the local and international broadcast schedule.  Note that all programming is subject to change and may occur without notice at the whim of the broadcast networks. Please check local guides for confirmation.

After 18 slogging rounds, the 2015/16 NTFL season will enter the finals series next weekend with all finalists decided. In the opening match of the finals series, Darwin Buffaloes will play against the Nightcliff Tigers in the Elimination Final at TIO Stadium, followed by the Qualifying Final between last year’s two grand finalists, St Mary’s Saints and Wanderers Eagles. Ladder positions did not change after the final round, though there were still heaps of thrills.

The Friday night match between Wanderers and Nightcliff would have a bearing on the shape off the top five should Tigers lose. As it turned out, the Tigers were never going to give their place away and recorded a terrific 10 point win over Wanderers in an upset. They led at every change and the margin floated around the two to three goal mark at each break. The Tigers’ finals charge has been exciting with plenty of new talent leading the way. They will not be a pushover next weekend. For Wanderers, the loss was a reminder that any slip in concentration can be costly, especially with the finals here. They are still seeking back to back glory, and have had an outstanding second half of the season, but now the stakes are higher.

Final Score: Nightcliff Tigers 14 13 97 d Wanderers Eagles 12 15 87

The drafts were completed and the excitement mounted - the first 'AFLNZ premiership' season is now 2 rounds in.
The first week kicked off after the final additions to squads were made including NZ Hawks players Matt Van Wijk (Waikato) and Sean Butler (Coromandel) both joining the Central Giants.

With six games already played in this season’s NAB Challenge, plenty of debutants, rookies and peripheral list players from AFL clubs have had their first hit outs of the new season. Their hope would be to string together enough game time to impress selectors between now and Round 1.

Many of those players are the international contingent – players that have either come to the game from overseas, or were born overseas and adopted our game – the international and multicultural players by AFL definitions.

A quick look through the performances to date sees some heartening performances.

(Image - Rueben William (Brisbane Lions) and Mabior Chol (Richmond Tigers) pre-draft in Queensland colours - Courtesy AFLQ)

 

The following story from the Essendon Football Club website details the club’s support for the “Racism. It Stops With Me” campaign. Heading the push on behalf of the club is Cairns born Bomber, Courtney Dempsey, who played junior football here in the northern city for Manunda Hawks.

 

As a coach of another Cairns-based club which has 92% indigenous players, I also strongly support this initiative. Having coached from Under 14 to Under 18 age groups at the Pyramid Power club, and though schools since 2001, I have personally seen, and been directly involved in, the  ugly, damaging side of racism. Not all people are racist. The overwhelming majority of supporters at local level are people with the knowledge of, and acceptance of difference. But the damage done by a bigoted minority can be devastating, and I have sadly dealt with this personally and do not want to again.

 

 

Thank you to the Essendon Football Club for this article.

Since the resumption of the CNFA competition in France after the winter break, a couple of the strongest clubs have come out and made some powerful statements. With four rounds to go, along with the remaining Round Five clash between the ALFA Lions and the Strasbourg Kangourous, the time is here for some serious muscle flexing.

In the first re-scheduled match after the break, the Bordeaux Bombers took the points against the Strasbourg Kangourous, giving them a boost to claw their way from the bottom reaches of the ladder.

In the other re-scheduled Round Three match, reigning premiers the Paris Cockerels travelled to Lyon and came away with a 110 point victory over the ALFA Lions, immediately catapulting them into second place on the ladder. The final score saw them down the Lions 131 to 21.

 

As reported by Peter Ryan at the www.afl.com.au website, the number of teams for next year’s inaugural national women’s competition is likely to now be eight, with Victorian clubs fighting hard for just four licences and the other four going to clubs in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Clubs have already been lobbying hard and this will continue now as the reality of the 2017 season gets closer.

 

EIGHT women's teams aligned with AFL clubs could form the new women's national competition planned for 2017.

 

 

The AFL is considering running a national competition in February and March next year that includes four teams from Victoria and one each from Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.

AFL Media Release

The AFL today announced former Sydney Swans star Tadhg Kennelly will assume the role of head coach of the Allies, which will compete in Division 1 of the 2016 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

The Allies, comprising players from NSW/ACT, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, will join Vic Metro, Vic Country, Western Australia and South Australia in Division 1 of the 2016 Championships.

The five teams will play four matches each during June in 2016