World Footy News

NEW Zealand-raised forward Khan Haretuku may be earmarked to be one of the most sought-after mature-age prospects heading into this year's AFL draft. Already this year he has represented New Zealand against the AIS-AFL Academy at Wellington Stadium and was selected in the VFL state team.

Mature age players have continued to fill gaps and become key players in recent times, notably James Podsiadly at Geelong, Stewart Crameri and Michael Hibberd at Essendon, Michael Barlow at Fremantle and even Ian Callinan at Adelaide.

 Please note that these details are correct at the time of publishing. WFN accepts no responsibility for any changes to these times by broadcasters. Please check local guides or afl.com.au. 

2012 TOYOTA AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 17 INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE Friday 20 July  – Sunday 22 July.

When Karmichael Hunt kicked the much talked about goal after the siren on Saturday night to end the Gold Coasts 21 game losing streak, many of the modern themes of the AFL were in play.  Hunt most famously a code crosser, former NRL star - lured to the game by cash, but also by his childhood memories of playing the game.  Hunt was born in New Zealand and is an immigration success story (his parents were from Samoa and the Cook Islands) and an AFL multicultural ambassador .

The location of the match, Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns was also significant in the constant efforts to expand the game in non traditional locations and Hunt playing for the expansion Gold Coast club.  Playing in Cairns, the third AFL venue in Qld, also brings the game to within a two hour flight of the PNG footy fronteir.

Level 3 coaches Peta Searle and Nicole Graves have been selected in the 2012 Women’s High Performance Academy which will be conducted in Melbourne this week.

The seven-day high performance camp coincides with Women’s Round - Round 17 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season. The Academy involves 50 participants including coaches, players, an umpire, strength and conditioning coaches and talent and coaching managers and aims to enhance football and coaching skills.
 

The Western Australian Women’s Football League, currently the second strongest women’s league in Australia after Victoria, recently held the second ever ‘Yorga’s Koodjal Kadadjiny’ or ‘Women’s Two Way Learning’ match to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WAWFL and the rising talent of both indigenous and non indigenous female players in the state.

As well as the cultural and sporting significance, the match is also a tribute game for two indigenous female footballers: Sharon Woods and Elizabeth ‘Lil’ Kickett, who unfortunately has since passed away from breast cancer.

This years Yorga Match featured the Indigenous All Stars playing against the WAWFL All Stars. The winning team, the Indigenous All Stars, received the Lil Kickett Memorial Shield for defeating the WAWFL All Stars by a convincing 14.12 (96) to 2.3 (15).
 

Voted through at the 2011 National Conference, AFL Great Britain officially changed its registered title to AFL England. Originally brought into being as the British Australian Rules Football League (BARFL) and then updated to AFL GB in 2006 to bring it more into line with the AFL, the organisation has renamed to clarify its remit in the British Isles.

The Welsh and Scottish competitions have been fully independent for several years, though there is cooperation between the bodies in several areas. Discussions will follow between the 3 national organisations and AFL Europe on the future of the GB Bulldogs, the representative team who have historically represented all 3 at full-sided international competition (European Championships and International Cup). Individual national squads normally take part in the smaller sided home nations internationals and annual Euro Cup, where the England Dragonslayers were 2008 and 2009 victors.
 

There’s been a lot of publicity around the match winning goal of NRL (Rugby League to AFL) convert Karmichael Hunt on Saturday evening at Cairns' Cazaly stadium. Richmond fans no doubt are fed up with hearing about it. However, for all that Hunt has improved this season, and for all that he looks like he does or will warrant his selection from week to week – there’s another Rugby (Union) to AFL code conversion story that is playing out in a Sydney and it’s not Izzie Folau; and it's not at a bottom of the table team.

The AFL today announced the Grand Final of the 2012 FOXTEL Cup – the state-league based knockout competition that was introduced last season – would be played between Claremont and Werribee at Patersons Stadium in WA on Thursday August 2, at 7.35pm local time.

 

Claremont was runner-up in the inaugural competition in 2011, losing last year’s final to Williamstown, and won its way through to the grand final again with victories over West Adelaide, Mt Gravatt and Port Melbourne. Werribee, which qualified for inclusion in the competition for the first time this year, won its place in the final with successes against Burnie, West Perth and Morningside.

This week the AFL will celebrate the official AFL Women’s Round. The Round acknowledges the valuable contribution of women to Australia’s Game and focuses on recognising and developing female leadership across all levels of the Australian football industry, from community to the elite.

A range of activities will take place during the week, headlined by the AFL Women’s Industry Luncheon on Friday July 20 and culminating in several match day events across the weekend. Nominations for the Essendon Football Club Woman of the Year Award will also be named at the AFL Women’s lunch.

In case you missed this during the AFL's Mulitcultural Round, Australia Post and the AFL created this nifty presentation containing information about the origins of some of the AFL's Multicultural players.

The USAFL women’s team USA Freedom recently held their annual selection trials at a training camp in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There was a huge turnout to the event, including seasoned Freedom players returning from the 2011 International Cup and new players coming up through their local teams.

Following the success of the training camp, and the continued increase in the popularity of the sport across both the men’s and women’s camps, the USAFL has announced its decision to host men’s and women’s Development squads, alongside their top level national squads, at the 49th Parallel Cup which will be held in Dublin, Ohio on August the 4th.

The Under 16 Championships concluded today.  Yesterday Western Australia clinched the Division one title.  Today Queensland won to take home the Division two title.  In Division three the winner was WA North-West in a great sign of strength for that state and the opening up of further development in the remote communities in that part of Australia.

The international bragging rights were on the line in the final match of the championships and it was the South Pacific team coming out on top to win by 46 points.  Some consolation for the World XVIII however with Hugh Curnow (who plays with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup) being awarded the inaugural Mark Browning Medal for the Division three best and fairest.

Full results below.