World Footy News

The Northern Territory’s desire to be a regular host of multiple AFL premiership games into the future received a huge boost tonight when the Melbourne Demons hosted the West Coast Eagles at TIO Stadium in the now regular Darwin AFL showcase match.

A crowd of 11,873 filed into the Northern Territory’s premier footy venue – an improvement on recent years and the 7th largest crowd at the venue for a sporting match. It is largest crowd at the venue for footy since 2007 when the Essendon Bombers took on the Aboriginal All-Stars. It is the largest Darwin crowd at an AFL Premiership match since 2006. The fact that nearly 12,000 fans came to watch would have delighted the AFLNT, and is a vindication of the AFL’s decision to continue to bring the highest level of the game to the Northern Territory capital.

This follows on from the crowd of just under 5000 people that attended the other Northern Territory fixture at TIO Traeger Park in Alice Springs in May between the Melbourne Demons and Port Adelaide Power.

It might not mean much in the greater scheme of things, but a forfeit, often considered a “no result”, can sometimes be the trigger for something else. For the Nottingham Scorpions their four points gained from last weekend’s forfeit by the Tyne Tees Tigers has given the Scorpions finals chances a kick start. Suddenly, the Scorpions are back in the race in fifth place, just a game and not a huge percentage behind the fourth-placed Bears.

Whilst the Scorpions luck occurred without a kick in anger, for the league leaders – Manchester and Sheffield – it was almost the opposite. In a pulsating affair, the Mozzies consolidated top spot after an arm wrestle with their nearest ladder rivals in the battle for minor premiership favouritism. The final score saw the Mozzies beat the Thunder 15 13 103 to 15 10 100. They are now a game clear on top, and have returned fire after going down to the Sheffield crew back in Round Six.

The 2015 season has seen continued development of the Australian Rules football code in Croatia as they gear towards the upcoming Axios Euro Cup to be played in Umag in October. With the development of the new women’s team – the Velika Gorica Mambas Mambas Ready To Rock Croatia – and the new Sesvete Double Blues, the new season has been huge.

Josip Kravar, president of the Association of Australian Football in Croatia (AAFC) details the rise of the Double Blues in part two of a look at the acceleration of the game in the lead up to the Euro Cup.

“So the story is that three ex-Hawks players had idea to start a club in Sesvete. It is a small town near Zagreb, and they did it.”

“The club now is competing in HLAN and CEAFL where they struggled through the start of the season, but now they have won against both the Tigers and Styrian Downunderdogs, and so two games in row are here [in the bag].”

Generally speaking, coaches do not coach because they are completely benevolent souls with nothing else to do with their lives. We coach because we enjoy it. We coach because we believe we have something still to offer. We coach because we believe that we can make a small difference. We also, no matter how much we want to deny it, coach because we still have a vicarious connection to playing the game…and that is not a bad thing. That’s a form of passion.

Those, like me, at junior level, often far from the madding crowds of the AFL big time, do not play for the same stakes as the 18 senior AFL coaches and, probably with few exceptions, are not in the same league as those coaches. Yet most of us look up to those 18 – an 18 which changes year to year, but is still the highest level in the land – and try to emulate them, either consciously or unconsciously.

The life of Phil Walsh was tragically cut short today. Our condolences to the friends and family of the Adelaide Crows Senior Coach as well as to all Adelaide Football Club supporters and those in the extended football industry touched by Phil's contributions. A loss that will be felt by footy lovers around the world.

Sunday's match between Adelaide and Geelong has understandably been cancelled.

The following statement was made today by AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan.

With this year’s Axios Euro Cup just a matter of months away, the host nation, Croatia, has found a new weapon up its already impressive sleeve. Just in time to be ready for the October event in Umag, the new Velika Gorika Mambas women’s team has arrived, and they could spell the nucleus for a new Croatian women’s team.

According to Croatian footy president, Josip Kravar “This year AAFC (Association of Australian Football in Croatia) is host of Axios Euro Cup and we are celebrating 10 years of footy in Croatia.”

“In last 10 years we created 5 footy clubs and strong national team that is well known and respected among opponents. There is no better time to announce that we have first women club, Velika Gorica Mambas.”

With just three rounds remaining for the 2015 AFL London season, much of the jostling for a finals place is almost done. Whilst the Wildcats and Demons have all but secured their places at the top of the home and away tree, the London Swans have joined them with their win over the Wimbledon Hawks almost certainly locking them into the top four and leap-frogging the Lions into third place.

The Swans’ victory on the weekend, 13 8 86 to the Hawks’ 10 8 68, gave them their fourth win of the year and has them well placed to remain in the top three by finals time, albeit with a tough run home which includes both the Wildcats and Demons. It will depend on how the Lions negotiate their final rounds which does include clashes with both bottom placed teams – Magpies and Hawks.

In the other premiership match it was the West London Wildcats comfortably accounting for the Putney Magpies 19 14 128 to 7 5 47.

                                                                    Thursday night footy in Sydney kicks off Round 14 with the Sydney hosting Port Adelaide. 

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.

 

Northern Australia is set for its annual period of footy exposure as the big league teams head for major centres in the tropics. First up this weekend is the clash at Darwin’s TIO Stadium between the Melbourne Demons and the in-form West Coast Eagles. The following Saturday it is the turn of Far North Queensland when the Western Bulldogs meet the Gold Coast Suns at Cazalys Stadium.

For the Darwin crowds the match is a salivating experience. The Melbourne Demons pulled off their greatest win in recent times for the club last start when they downed the Geelong Cats at their “fortress”, Skilled Stadium. Demon fans everywhere see the win as evidence that the club, under Paul Roos, is turning the corner. They will be keen to back up that effort against the Eagles in front of an excited albeit largely neutral crowd at TIO Stadium.

Carlton may be the next AFL club to be lured by the prospect of signing a highly athletic ruckman from the pool of players coming from the United States. Following a procession of recent players, Matt Korchek – a former Arizona Wildcats basketballer – has caught the Blues’ attention and will come to Australia to try his luck.

There is a growing list of tall, athletic players entering AFL/VFL ranks from both basketball and American football backgrounds. Mason Cox is at Collingwood, Eric Wallace at North Melbourne, Jason Holmes is at St Kilda, whilst Alex Aurrichio, originally from the New York Magpies, is on the Northern Blues list – Carlton’s VFL affiliate.

At an impressive 206 cm and weighing in at an imposing 105kg, Korchek already has the frame to compete. His athleticism is also of the highest order, showing both great power and leaping ability but also clocking a 12 minute 3km Time Trial, underlining his athletic endurance.

The powerhouse Paris Cockerels completed their dream, and their dream season, in emphatic style to take out the 2014/15 CNFA premiership against the Montpellier Firesharks. For the Paris players the result was one of elation and relief as they became the most successful French club in terms of recent premierships. For the Firesharks the feeling would be one of initial despondency, which will hopefully be replaced sooner rather than later by a realisation of just how much they achieved this season.

The final score told a tale of domination. The Paris Cockerels won 27 16 178 to the Montpellier Firesharks 9 8 62. It finished as a lop-sided affair on the scoreboard, but the Firesharks never gave up and threw everything they had at their Paris rivals. But the Cockerels were emphatic on the day, as they had been all season.

A crowd of more than 200 spectators lined the boundaries at la plaine des sports de Vincennes to watch a clinical and determined Paris team take on a daring and optimistic Montpellier squad.

The AFL London competition entered its split round last weekend. The round will be completed this weekend. With the finals series not too far away this round presents a chance for teams to jostle for that vital spot in the top four.

In the Premiership Division, the Wandsworth Demons 12.10.82 defeated the North London Lions 11.5.71 to keep a strong hold on second place with just three rounds to go before the finals series begins.

In the Conference Division the Clapham Demons 7.11.53 were defeated by the Regent Park Lions 9.5.59, whilst in the Social Division it was the South London Demons 5.10.40 defeating the Bounds Green Lions 3.6.24