World Footy News

For the past four seasons in the Middle East, the Dubai Dragons have been the “Kings” of an otherwise arid jungle. Last year the club won their third flag, making them the league’s most successful club. Their tally saw them pass foundation club the Dubai Heat.

Whilst the off season has been a time for the Dragons to savour the joys of success, it has also been a time where other potential dynasties have been plotting the downfall of the Dragons.

Last year’s runners-up, the BM Bulls, might be the newest club to the league, introduced just last year, but they reached the grand final and lost. They are young but they are hungry and have used their contests with the Dragons as a measuring stick. They will be keen to avenge last year’s loss and have recruited well enough over the off season to bring about change.

In less than two weeks the AFL Middle East Pre-Season Cup will be held in Dubai at the Sevens Stadium. October 9th signals the start of the new season as teams begin to flex their sleepier muscles and brush of the cobwebs ready to see which club will be the next champion.

Last year’s Pre-Season Cup saw the Dubai Dragons play the newcomers, the BM Bulls, in the final. At the time many thought it might be a “flash in the pan” performance, yet just a few months later those same two clubs went on to contest the 2014/15 premiership. Certainly, a good performance at the pre-season event can be a guide to what might follow.

President of AFL Middle East, Matt Burn, was happy to give a bit of a run down on what followers might expect for the new season.

Just a week after taking out the SAFF (Stockholm Australian Football Federation) premiership when the downed the Solna Axemen (see story Södermalm belt Solna to claim 2015 SAFF Premiership, the club has won its second flag of the season winning the inaugural Swedish League Elitserien (Elite Series) to be the Swedish national champions.

The competition, set up to be the nation’s elite competition above and beyond the regional and urban leagues across the country, kicked off for the first time earlier this year. The competition featured the Södermalm Blues, Stockholm Dynamite, Port Malmö Maulers and the Helsingborg Saints in a six round competition designed around the other league draws.

After five rounds the Blues were clear leaders, undefeated, but still had to negotiate the second placed Maulers for the title. The game was being played at the, Limhamnsfältet IP, Malmö ground which evened up the competition.

Eric Wallace was delisted by North Melbourne today after three years with the club as an International Rookie.  Wallace did not play an AFL match with the club, spending his first two years playing with North Ballarat and this year with Werribee in the VFL   Wallace was popular with team-mates at the club and a successful ruckman at VFL level.  A strong ruck brigade at North Melbourne meant that there was never really an opening for him to make that AFL debut.

There is a chance that another club may offer Wallace a life line as able ruckmen of his stature are still in short supply generally around the league.  Beyond that the USAFL may be keen to secure Wallace's services for the US Revolution team in the 2017 International Cup if he is interested in continuing in the game.

The statement from North Melbourne today follows.

Brisbane Lion and former Irish Gaelic footballer, Pearce Hanley, polled the most votes tonight at the AFL’s Brownlow Medal count for an international player. In a very small field, Hanley polled three votes in the final home and away match of the year when the Lions upset the Western Bulldogs. They were his only votes for the season which was ruined by injury and was his lowest Brownlow medal tally since 2011.

Dashing Carlton defender Zach Tuohy, also from Ireland, also polled two votes for his game against St Kilda in Round 4. He was the only other international player to poll votes in this year’s Brownlow Medal count.

Two Western Bulldogs players of multicultural backgrounds also polled this year. Jason Johannisen, born in South Africa, polled in two matches to finish the night with four votes whilst his team mate Lin Jong, of Timorese and Taiwanese descent, also polled in two matches for a total of two votes.

The footy season is well and truly over across the northern reaches of Queensland. The competitions in Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay and Mount Isa drew to a close with the completion of the AFL Cairns finals last weekend. Following is a brief look at each competition for the 2015 season.

AFL Cairns:

The Cairns Saints continued their remarkable decade, in fact generation, of dominance when they came from third place at the end of the home and away season to pinch the flag again. It brings their remarkable tally to 13 flags since 1994. For a more complete picture of the Saints’ history go to Cairns Saints Empire Rises Higher.

With minor premiers, Port Douglas, going out in straight sets the door opened for the Saints to defeat South Cairns Cutters, which they did in a close match by just nine points. Final scores saw Cairns Saints 14 12 96 d South Cairns Cutters 13 9 87.

Footy in Far North Queensland is always a challenge, usually due to the beautiful winter climate, which whilst absolutely gorgeous for the local population and hordes of visitors can be taxing on the footballers racing about in mid to high twenty’s temperatures.

But that meteorological explanation aside, it takes a remarkable team, in any language to build any football dynasty anywhere at any time. Which is why the performances of the Cairns Saints footy team is worthy of note, or more accurately, celebration.

Last weekend the Saints added yet another chapter to their incredible story of success, which is now beginning to rival the best of clubs anywhere in Australia. Their victory over the South Cairns Cutters on the big day – winning a tough contest by just nine points 14 12 96 to 13 9 87 – placed yet another flag to drape on any unused wall and another premiership cup in the glass cabinet. Problem is the club is fast running out of walls and any additions to the trophy cabinet have to be prised in with a crow bar.

From the land of the long white cloud, and the playing fields of the South Pacific – not the normal talent pathway but a talent pathway characterised by unusual footy privileges such as national representation. This is the pathway taken by Kurt Heatherley and Shem Tatupu; a pair of New Zealanders, who have reached the cusp of the bigtime – as listed rookies at Hawthorn (Heatherley recently re-signed. Having progressed from taking on Tonga, Nauru or Papua New Guinea they now grace the fields of metropolitan Melbourne representing the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL. And today – they represent the Hawks, the Hawthorn AFL affiliate (feeder club), in the VFL Grand Final against the proud heritage of the stand-alone Williamstown Seagulls.

The Copenhagen Giants created Danish Australian Rules football history this weekend, on a weekend where victory by either team would have written a new chapter. Taking on the Aalborg Kangaroos for the 2015 flag, neither side had previously won a premiership. But after a remarkable last quarter charge it was the Giants that etched their name in Danish footy folklore.

The script favoured the Kangaroos early. Former Greater Western Sydney player, Aksel Bang, got the ball rolling with the first goal for Aalborg just three minutes into the first quarter. It was one of four for the Kangaroos. The Giants had Samuel Kilworth to thank with two goals for the quarter, the second just prior to the quarter time siren keeping the scoreboard respectable and giving the Giants a little faith. Scores: Aalborg 4 2 26 v Copenhagen 2 1 13

The second quarter started with three goals in the opening four minutes to the Kangaroos, all but sealing the game as they raced to a 31 point lead. But then the game began to change and the Giants found belief. They kicked four of the next five goals before halftime to suggest a strong comeback on the cards and reduce the deficit to just 11 points, winning the quarter. Scores: Aalborg 8 3 51 v Copenhagen 6 4 40

 

The third week of the 2015 Finals series kicks off in Perth Friday night with Fremantle hosting Hawthorn.  Saturday night also in Perth the West Coast Eagles host North Melbourne.  The two winners through to next week's Grand Final.

 Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this Finals Week 2 can be seen below.  .

 

The FAFL season came to an end on the 12th September with a Grand Final bringing down the curtain on a challenging year for Finnish footy. As stated through the FAFL Facebook page, “ This year’s Grand Final will see Helsinki Heatseekers (City) take on a combined Turku Dockers / Salo Juggernaughts / Vaasa Wombats (Country) to decide who deserves the right to be crowned Finnish Champions for 2015.”

As it turned out, the final ended up being a full Helsinki Heatseekers list playing a Turku Dockers team supplemented by some extra Helsinki players. Nevertheless, there could be little doubt that regardless of format the Helsinki Heatseekers were the best Finnish team of 2015.

The finale to the season was a departure from recent Grand Final formats with the theory of one dominant team playing a combination of the other Finnish teams for bragging rights. Throughout the season the Helsinki Heatseekers had won just about everything available to them. Probably the only “blemish”, if you could call it that was when they combined with the Vaasa Wombats in a match against the Turku Dockers and went down in the Finnish town of Paimio.

At the Coburg Football Club VFL Grand Final Breakfast this morning we had the chance to ask Box Hill Hawks coach Marco Bello about his thoughts on the development of the two New Zealanders in his team and what part they might play in Sunday’s Grand Final against Williamstown.

“Shem (Tatupu), he’s come a long way. He played the first half of the season in the development league. He’s only been playing the game for four or five years. He was still learning the caper. It’s a new ball game for him, but his development not only this year but in the four years he has been trying out for us has been exponential.”