World Footy News

 

The AFL London season moves into overdrive from next weekend as the finals series gets under way across all divisions. With the home and away season now done and dusted, teams can now take the next step in a bid to win the 2015 premierships.

 

In the Premiership Division, the scoreboards reflected that finals urgency as teams hit the “on” button in preparation for the weeks ahead. The result saw the West London Wildcats, Wandsworth Demons and North London Lions sharpen their respective claws or tridents, while the London Swans found themselves on the wrong side of a fired up opponent.  

 

The final round results saw:

- Wandsworth Demons 30.21.201 defeated Putney Magpies 1.5.11

- West London Wildcats 26.19.175 defeated London Swans 5.3.33

 

- North London Lions 21.19.145 defeated Wimbledon Hawks 4.6.30

Two of the three Americans from the American Footy Star program playing at Temora recently featured on AFL Riverina TV.

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The recent decision by the Victorian Government to partner with the AFL this year to promote the upcoming Multicultural Round will be a huge bonus for the uptake of the game across Australia. When Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement last week that the state government would sponsor the weekend’s activities and promotions through funding from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, it became a game changer for the AFL’s hopes, plans and dreams. Events across Victoria would now have the funding to reach a greater audience.

 

Not only can the first ever AFL Multicultural Festival in Yarra Park go ahead as planned during the Round 19 AFL fixtures from 7th to 9th August, but Premier Andrews also launched a new social media campaign called “Embrace Diversity” which uses noted Australian football identities to spread the word of the Multicultural opportunities the game can offer. The full story regarding the partnership between the AFL and Victorian Government can be viewed at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-07-16/afl-victorian-government-promote-special-round

 

 

To view the message of “Embrace Diversity”, go to: www.embracediversity.com

The AFL competition across Central and Northern England has finished off the home and away season for 2015, but not in the circumstances expected. Rather than having three matches which may help teams tune up for finals action or allow for last minute upsets from lower teams seeking to create havoc, the round saw two games forfeited and another decided by such a large margin that it is likely neither side gained what they needed from the hitout.

With Huddersfield Rams already a spectator this round due to their bye, they were joined by Sheffield Thunder and Tyne Tees Tigers with both clubs receiving the four default points when Nottingham Scorpions and Birmingham Bears respectively failed in their attempts to field a side. For Thunder the result simply reinforced their second place finish. The Tigers, however, would have been delighted with the result as it gave them a fourth win for the season and dragged them off the bottom of the ladder, avoiding the wooded spoon.

(Left: 2014 Premiers - Manchester Mosquitoes - Which team will take the 2015 flag?)

As we get set for the back half of the 2015 USAFL season the Nationals at Austin are now just 3 months away.
 

Last Weekend’s Games

Last weekend was the final of the regional tournaments as 14 teams headed for Racine, WI for the Central Regional Tournament. Beyond that, there were also two full games that happened during the weekend.

@ West Potomac Park in Washington, DC: Baltimore/Washington Eagles vs. North Carolina Tigers
From the outset, the Tigers were putting the hammer down on the Eagles as they lead from the opening bounce and didn’t let up at all.
 

The recent AFL premiership match in Far North Queensland attracted a crowd of just under 9500 fans and curious spectators.  The figure was lower than anticipated (hoping for between 10-12 thousand or more) and made it another year where attendances dropped – though not significantly.

 

Over coming months the AFL decision makers in Melbourne will chat with their people in Cairns to thrash out whether or not Cairns deserves to hold another AFL match. Since 2010 the Gold Coast Suns have come to the northern city. They started in 2010 in a VFL fixture against the Essendon affiliate the Bendigo Bombers, then from 2011-2013 they played the Richmond Tigers before 2014-15 saw the Western Bulldogs come to town. Will there be moreω

 

 

Both teams made commitments to that effect whilst in town last week, stating their desire to return. But that might not be enough. At the end of the day the decision may be made purely on number-crunching, but the following reasons should be considered also. Here are five reasons why there is more to this than just numbers.

Paddy Brophy and Sean Hurley are both International Rookies from Ireland. They were both taken in the 2014 National Draft and they are both on strongly performing AFL club lists and playing the Western Australian Football League (WAFL).

Brophy is probably the earlier bolter of the two. On the West Coast Eagles list and playing with East Perth, Brophy has played in all East Perth’s league (1st XVIII) team matches this season and is averaging 14 disposals per game and a high of 20 disposals in both matches against Subiaco.
 

Friday night footy at Etihad Stadium kicks off Round 16 with North Melbourne hosting Essendon.

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 round can be seen below.

 

It was Round 10, 2001, when Brisbane Lions coach, Leigh Matthews, use a quote from the movie “Predator” saying “if it bleeds we can kill it.” He was referring to Essendon which had won 32 of its last 34 matches including the 2000 premiership and was on top of the ladder. The Lions beat Essendon that night and did not lose another game en-route to the 2001 flag and followed with more flags in 2002/03.

The North London Lions have taken a leaf from the Matthews book and proved that the powerhouse West London Wildcats are not immortal. They can be beaten, as the Lions proved in their 14 5 89 to 11 13 79 win at home on the weekend. The win secures third place for the Lions, but more importantly they have created a blueprint for success for other finalists to follow against the Wildcats come finals time. No longer is this a one-horse race to the flag.

In other results, the Wandsworth Demons powered home to a solid 47 point win over the Wimbledon Hawks whilst the London Swans gave the Putney Magpies a nasty afternoon with a 102 point lesson. For the Demons and the Swans the games were good tune ups ready for finals action in two weeks time.

With a round left in the AFLCNE season most of the recent action has occurred at the top and bottom of the ladder. The Manchester Mozzies have held firm after being challenged by Sheffield Thunder for bragging rights and will now finish the home and away season on top of the ladder and take out the 2015 minor premiership. At the other end of the scale, the Tyne Tees Tigers relentless finish to the season will see them likely to avoid the wooden spoon with more powerful performances.

Round 12 saw the Birmingham Bears keep their finals hopes in good stead when they won their game against Sheffield Thunder by a forfeit. The Nottingham Scorpions also stayed in the hunt with a 13 point win over the Wolverhampton Wolverines. But it was the Tyne Tees Tigers that caused the upset of the round when they thumped the third placed Huddersfield Rams by 72 points, pulling of their second win against a likely finalist in three weeks.

It’s half time at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns. The Gold Coast Suns have jumped out of the blocks quite brilliantly and raced away to a handy 18 point lead. The local crowd is delighted, apart from the many thousand Bulldogs fans who dream of an alternative universe at that time.

With the stadium lights already on and blazing, many of the crowd slink off to the nearest food or drink outlet for a feed. It’s very hard work being a supporter, and we need constant replenishing of energy.

The siren has sounded for half time and the fatigued Suns and Bulldogs players head up the race for their rest and a chat or two from their coaches. As soon as they are off the field a swarm of Auskick kids arrives like locusts, spreading to all parts of the field. As with all AFL matches, the four pockets are home to local juniors getting their time in the sun (or in this case multi-million dollar stadium lighting) wearing their red or black NAB jerseys.