World Footy News

At just 20 years of age, Mayur Paymar is a virtual “veteran” of Indian Australian Rules football. He has been part of the football scene in Mumbai, as part of the ever growing AFL Maharashtra league from a very early stage. His account, and his journey to the fields if the IC14, is a fascinating story of a new country to the game embracing it.

“I will never forget the day that I discovered my passion. It was a bright and beautiful day to work in my office. I went early and started my work for the day: Organizing files, entering data in the computer, etc. Then, Chris Way the founder of (Reality tours and Travel) called me in to his office. He must be calling me for some work, I thought. But that day was not like other days.”

“Chris told me to get ready with shorts, an extra shirt and sport shoes. He also told me to get other kids in community to come too. We were going to Shivaji Park. Shivaji Park?? I didn't know why we were going. People go to Shivaji Park to play football, cicket, kho kho, volleyball etc.”

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The dominance of the Irish Banshees women’s teams has been profound for a number of years, and it is women like Una McKay and her team mates that uphold the standards of those who went before them. Una is in Melbourne with the Banshees and has shared her own journey.

“I came to Australia for six months work experience and it had been mentioned to me that women play AFL, so I was keen to try it out. I was introduced to Limerick Camogie and AFL player Marie Keating (twice all Australian). She invited me to a new team’s training – [they were] called the Shamrocks.”

“I learnt the base skills and game play and managed to try out and make the NSW 2009 state team after a few months of training. We travelled to Perth and reached the Division 2 finals (runners up to SA). Playing for a great bunch of girls in the Shamrocks and the NSW squad made me want to stay longer and play for a few years.” “I was lucky enough to get the NSW Player’s Player [award] at Perth nationals and the “Rookie of the Year” for NSW on top of really enjoying the challenge of the new game.”

In the end, this result came down to a simple philosophy enacted in bright sunshine and light winds at the McAlister Oval. The Irish Warriors simply did everything better on the day. The basic three skills – kicking, marking and handballing – were just executed better all day by the Warriors and that was enough for them to grind out a tough win against a very willing opponent.

Initially the game featured the higher skill level of the Irish up against the speed of the Fijians. But the tempo changed when a nasty incident saw one Irish player poleaxed in a crude tackle, leading to a red card send off for the Fijian player. From then the 17 man Tribe squad faced an uphill battle. The Irish players managed to then find space and were cleaner with the ball. They were also winning in the ruck with Padraigh Lucey and Paul O’Halloran just too tall for their opponents and giving Ireland first use of the ball again and again.

Thankfully the rain had passed and the weather returned to a light cold breeze. Good for football but chilly for spectators.

Jim has become a journeyman in his quest to become the best Australian Rules footballer that he can be. Now out in Australia for the IC14, Jim tells us of his own journey.

“I found Aussie Rules through my best mate’s dad, Mike McFarlane, who ran a clinic at our primary school in Delta, BC. We all loved the game so he started up the North Delta Junior Australian Football League (NDJAFL)”

“I started out playing a few years in the NDJAFL, then started playing seniors for the Burnaby Eagles in Vancouver at the age of 14. I travelled to Australia in 2008 with the Junior Team Canada Wolfpack. My first senior Northwind game was in 2009 at the age of 17 against USA at the Parallel Cup. I recently moved to Australia (just two years ago) and played the 2013 season with Palm Beach Currumbin AFC and the Coolangatta Blues in the QAFL and played the 2014 Season with the Elmore Bloods in the Heathcote District Football League.”

A cold, at times wet day in the parklands of Melbourne, some crisp clean footy but also some cobwebs, some awkward players that look new to the game but still ploughing into danger, slightly barren fields at the end of winter, football field markings painted over the lines of other sports, a modest but passionate crowd, displays of skill that leave passers-by surprised and exclaiming they didn't know Aussie Rules was played in country xyz, colourful flags and dedicated volunteers shuffling around treating injured players, running drinks and trying to coordinate 24 teams of footballers.  It must be the latest instalment of the International Cup.

Yes the 2014 AFL International Cup is well underway with Round 1 now complete.  Today saw the welcome debut of Indonesia and Pakistan in the Men's competition, and Fiji and Tonga in the Women's, as well as the development Canada and USA teams.

Despite all the changes that can occur in three years in many ways there were no surprises on day one.

All the matches went as most experienced Cup watchers would've predicted.  There were some massive margins and it would've been nice to see the dominant sides take their foot off, but their places in the semi-finals or Division 1 will, in many cases, come down to percentage, so no mercy can be expected when playing for their country and generally at great personal expense.

The final game for the day on Ransford oval put IC powerhouse the PNG Mosquitos up against the proud Japanese Samurai. Again – the chances of a close contest are slim but any followers of world footy know that the Samurai are nothing if not tenacious and will make even PNG earn their rewards. With the worst of the weather past – the sun poking through the trees and the chill breeze coming from the South-West and favouring the Brunswick end goals.

It's perhaps a bit early to stare too hard at the ladders but here we present the complete set after Round 1 of the 2014 AFL International Cup.

The Women's is straight forward but the Men are divided into 3 pools, with the complication being that the top 4 that go through to the semi-finals after 3 rounds are the top of each pool and then the next best based on combining all the teams - hence we've also shown a Combined ladder.  That will also determine the teams that make what the AFL has called Division 1, i.e. teams 5 - 12, and Division 2, i.e. teams 13 to 18.

There are, as always, some bizarre percentages, due to lopsides matches and not in a small way because we've stuck to the AFL / Victorian way of calculating percentage, which is now spreading throughout Australian football  throughout the world, namely points for divided by points against multipled by 100, rather than the conventional maths of for divided by (for plus against) multipled by 100.  So the % means per 100 points scored by the opposition, not per 100 points of the total scores.

If it's not the biggest clash in international women's footy it is the most regularly played. The Northwind and Freedom teams have been playing each other since 2010 with the Canadians holding an advantage in the Win-Loss record.

On the wide open space of the Western Oval these two teams made it look like it was played on a grid iron field. There were no easy possessions for anyone through the game as every stat was earnt and many disposals were smothered or sent sideways as a tackle was applied. The windy conditions, often across the ground but mostly favouring the eastern end of the ground made marking and kicking into that breeze hard work.  Amongst the congestion it was Canada’s moments of football clarity and ability to find space that won out though.

Northern Lights captain Aimee Legualt won the toss and elected to kick to the Princes Park end.  In the first quarter the Canadians had the ball at their end for the majority of the quarter but it looked like we could have a contest on our hands as Jen Nicholl’s opening goal for Canada was quickly replied to by the US through Courtney Sherman. Kendra Heil added a second to give the Northern Lights a slight lead at quarter time.

Quarter time score: Canada Northern Lights 2.3 (15) to USA Freedom 1.0 (6)

The cold Melbourne August wind seemed to claim another victim, as the French Coqs went down, comprehensively beaten by the British Bulldogs, in a conflict which in more military forms went back to the 100 years war in the middle ages.

There were scuffles, though the umpires did a brilliant job of quickly extinguishing potential spot fires with free kicks, something which might happen more in the AFL.

The third game up on McAlister Oval pitted IC regulars Nauru against IC newcomers Indonesia. It looked like a mismatch and that's how it turned out but even in these matches there is much to be learned for the minnows. Under increasingly threatening skies that had so far held off - the Nauru cheer squad took position by the fence and one Oppenheimer Kenneth in the goal square.