World Footy News

With two rounds to go in the 2019/20 AFL Middle East competition, the Multiplex Bulls stand as favourites to complete back to back premierships. Nothing is guaranteed, but their 103 point demolition of the Dubai Dingoes sent an unnerving message to the rest of the competition.

The greater interest centres on the two teams most likely to play off to meet the Bulls on Grand Final day. The Abu Dhabi Falcons defeated the Dubai Dragons in a tight clash, putting them two games clear in second spot. They have booked a Preliminary Final berth, at least, but importantly they have the psychological advantage over the Dragons for next time they meet – likely in the first final.

Round 4 action at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai saw the Dragons and the Falcons play out three intense and tight quarters. However, a six goal third term from the Falcons took the game away from the Dragons. True to form, the Dragons fought hard to come back in the final quarter, but could not bridge the gap.

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on Melbourne women’s player Maddi Gay.

Gay grew up playing basketball, netball and some swimming, but had to choose one and she chose netball that she played for 12 years before switching over to footy.

Image Source: Melbourne Football Club 

Today's AFLW 4.0 feature is on Carlton women's player Sarah Hosking. 

As a kid, Hosking thought she would play elite netball and did not dream to play football, as there was not really any pathway until 2016 when it was announced there would be a Women's football league.

Image Source: Getty Images AsiaPac

With just four rounds remaining for the NTFL Premier League season, the Tiwi Bombers have now locked in a finals berth along with St Mary’s (second) and the Nightcliff Tigers (first).

Their big win over the Southern Districts Crocs last weekend was huge in that it secured their finals berth, showed they have the firepower to defeat finals rivals and also saw them win big away from home – a huge psychological boost.

Since going down to lowly Waratah in Round 6, the Bombers have won eight of their last nine matches – the only loss was by a goal to Nightcliff on the road, which in itself was a commendable effort. During this streak, they have defeated all other likely finalists.

 

The 2020 AFL Ireland season draw has been released. This year the reigning premiers, the Belfast Redbacks will be chased down hard again by the Leeside Lions, Galway Magpies and South Dublin Swans. 

However, they will all have a new force to contend with this season as the North Munster Kangaroos are ready to roll…or hop. 

 

In a positive sign of continued growth for AFL Ireland, the Kangaroos boost the amount of teams competing to five. Their Facebook page contains the following details:

The first match of the AFL Japan GO League’s 2020 season was played at Izumi Sports Village, Osaka on Saturday 18 January.

The Osaka Dingoes hosted the game against R246 Lions in the cold winter night at five degrees.

The home side fielded the strongest team in the last couple years, while the Lions managed to bring eight players from their base of Tokyo.

  Tash Gunawardana previews the 2020 AFLW season, including interviews with AFLW players. Today’s feature is on 2019 AFLW leading goalkicker from the Adelaide Crows Stevie-Lee Thompson.

       Image Source: Matt Turner/AFL Media/Getty Images AsiaPac

 

 The first in a series of interviews by Tash Gunawardana ahead of AFLW season 4. 

The Jharkhand Crows have taken out the AFL India 2020 ARFAI National Championship in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The city is to the north of Kolkata near the Bangladesh border. The Crows downed the host team, the West Bengal Tigers in a "fantastic game of footy" by 10 points. The final scores was the Jharkhand Crows 32 down the West Bengal Tigers 22.

The 8th National Championships this year featured the two finalists as well as the Kerala Bombers, Bihar Bulldogs, Odisha Swans, Maharashtra Giants, Tamil Nadu Kangaroos, Telangana Saints and the Andhra Magpies - the team for the 10th Indian state to take up the game.

The following video clip gives a small sample of one of the games played over the two days of the event.

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Some local electrical issues brought an early end to the NTFL Premier League match between the Nightcliff Tigers and the Darwin Buffaloes. Around 17 minutes into the third quarter of the match, a nearby electrical substation ‘had blown’, which in turn saw power lost at TIO Stadium.

League rules state that if a delay extends beyond 30 minutes, the result at the time will stand. In this case it saw the Nightcliff Tigers leading 12 8 80 to the Darwin Buffaloes 7 5 47. This became the final score when power was not restored.

The win consolidated the Tigers’ spot at the top of the ladder. The Buffaloes now sit in fifth place.

 

Marc McGowan from the www.afl.com.au website reports on Gaelic jet, cathal McShane who may become the 18th Irish player on AFL men’s teams lists for the 2020 season. The original story can be viewed at: https://www.afl.com.au/news/365057/irish-star-set-for-trial-at-adelaide

ONE OF Gaelic football's breakout stars is seriously contemplating a move to the AFL to join rebuilding Adelaide.

Powerful forward Cathal McShane hails from the same county, Tyrone, as Essendon speedster Conor McKenna, who's become one of the Bombers' most important players.

McShane caught AFL recruiters' attention with his transformation last season from a run-of-the-mill half-forward and midfielder into Tyrone's focal point and the competition's leading scorer.

He subsequently received All-Star honours and was a genuine contender for Player of the Year, with one scout telling AFL.com.au he could play at centre half-forward in the AFL.

The NTFL Premier League kicked back into action last weekend after the Christmas/New Year break. By the end of the round, the most compelling detail is that, barring some sort of minor miracle, the top five teams may already be decided.

At the end of Round 12, three and a half games and a significant percentage separate the Tiwi Bombers in fifth place from Wanderers in sixth with just six rounds remaining. It isn’t impossible for one of the bottom three teams to finish the season undefeated, or the Bombers lose all games from here, but it is highly unlikely.

The weekend’s matches saw St Mary’s down Wanderers by 63 points to secure second place, whilst the Nightcliff Tigers hammered Waratah by 138 points and the Tiwi Bombers took down the Palmerston Magpies by 61 points.