World Footy News

Australia's AFL players have been humiliated as Ireland ran rampant in Game 1 of the two part 2011 International Rules series.

The Irish now have virtually both hands on the Cormac McAnallen Cup with the series decided on aggregate margin and Australia starting the second match an unprecedented 44 point behind.  Ireland didn't let the AFL selection into the game and were never threatened.

The hybrid sport brings together aspects of Australian football and Gaelic football so that the elite players from each code can represent their countries.  Over the years the concept of a mostly All-Australian side has been diluted due to some elite players making themselves unavailable and also in recognition that some players in the All-Australian side are not well suited to IR.  For their part this year the Irish were disrupted by some county matches continuing so some players been torn between club and country.
 

Dublin, OH - This past Saturday, Oct. 22, the Aussie Rules and Gaelic Clubs of Ohio joined forces to throw the Inaugural Ohio International Rules Football Challenge. The picture-perfect pitch at Darree Park in Dublin - the future home of the 2012 49th Parallel Cup, and '13 or '14 USAFL National Championships - was an ideal setting on a beaut fall day to kick-off this soon to be regular post-season (and perhaps preseason) contest.

Ohio is heavily concentrated in both of these foreign games. The Australian footy-ballers were represented by the Cincinnati Dockers, the upstart Cleveland Cannons, hopeful Dayton ARFC and in-state powerhouse and hosts, the Columbus Jackaroos. The Gaelic lads pulled from past and current players of the Cleveland St. Ignatius, Cleveland St. Pat's, and the first year local Columbus Naghten Street.

The AFL together with the Australian Government has kicked off a unique program that has seen young footballers in Perth from a range of cultural backgrounds take part in the AFL Multicultural All Star Camp to celebrate the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) coming to their city. Minister for Defence Stephen Smith was on hand to officially open the camp at the Fremantle Football Club and meet the participants.

For some of our international readers, here Commonwealth refers to the Commonwealth of Nations, countries formerly part of the British Empire.

Driven by the West Australian Football Commission, the AFL Multicultural All Star Camp ran from Friday October 21 to Monday October 24 to coincide with the start of the Commonwealth Youth Forum.

The featured match was between the Lions and the Catalysts.

The awards just keep coming for Ireland.  Having won both the men's and women's 2011 International Cup, similarly both versions of the Euro Cup, as well as being reigning European Champions, what could be left?

Well obviously the upcoming International Rules will be the biggest prize in the eyes of the general public.

But for key Irish Warriors player Michael Finn, the personal accolades keep coming.  He arrived Down Under in 2007 and played in premierships with Heidelberg in 2007 and 2008 in Victoria's Northern Football League, before heading off on tour.  At Bunbury, WA he played for South West Football League club Carey Park, winning the club best & fairest as well as playing a pivotal role in their Grand Final win.

He returned to Heidelberg and this year won the Frank Rosbrook Medal for the best & fairest player in Division 1 in the Northern Football League.

Read more at Finn takes out top prize.

 

Fiji will host the 2011 AFL Oceania Youth Cup in December.  In preparation the Fiji Day AFL Cup was staged featuring teams from six schools, with interest from others for future participation.

A highlight of the day was members of the senior Fiji Tribe squad, fresh from their win in Division Two of the 2011 AFL International Cup, getting involved in developing the next generation of talent.

The following is a press release from AFL Fiji with all the details of the day.

All through AFL trade week it was reported that Carlton's big Irishman Setanta O'hAilpin had asked to be traded.  When no deal was done the Blues de-listed him, ending his 7 years at the club, despite some good form in 2011.  His manager Michael Quinlan has said, "Despite what was reported, we never sought for him to be traded."

“This was a very tough decision for us, Setanta has been a an important part of our club for seven years since he arrived in Australia from Ireland,” said Carlton CEO Greg Swann.

Setanta will now enter the draft hoping to be picked up by another club.  It's also possible for Carlton to re-draft him.  Throughout his career he never quite established himself, with runs of good matches followed by injuries, poor form or bad luck.  Wasteful disposal sometimes turned good matches into average ones.  A particular match that comes to mind saw him very good form only to be flattened by team-mate Brendan Fevola when going for a mark that the Australian-Fijian-Irishman was clearly in the best position for; such events seem to have plagued his career.  Aged 28 he could be an option at GWS Giants as they look to acquire mature players while they develop their gun youngsters about to be drafted.  It would be interesting to see if Setanta could find more consistency at another club.

O'hAilpin joined Carlton in 2005 and played 80 games for the club, kicking 67 goals.

Another two Irish recruits were also de-listed.  They are Sydney Swans rookie Chris McKaigue who has returned to Ireland and Jamie O’Reilly, a rookie at Richmond.

Update 20/11/2011:  Essendon has delisted Irishman Michael Quinn, who played 8 senior games (debuting in 2009) and won a VFL best and fairest, which just goes to show the big step now between the top state leagues and the AFL.

In case this is the last we see of Setanta O'hAilpin, the full Carlton Football Club statement appears below.

The Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) Under 18s invitational side have just completed their third annual tour of New Zealand, coming away undefeated against the NZ Under 20s. The opportunity for these young men to travel and experience a different culture would be of tremendous benefit to them.

It is to be hoped that the football itself was a great experience as the NZ Hawks look to grow the game and close the gap further each year. With the Kiwis fielding a side with an average age of 17 this should translate into a long term benefit for the Hawks.

Match reviews follow.

The Etobicoke Kangaroos Australian Football Club based in Toronto have established themselves as a local powerhouse after becoming AFL Ontario Premiers in 2 of their 3 Grand Finals they participated in recently.

Their Division 1 and 2 teams are 2011 AFL Ontario Premiers while their Women’s team are Runners Up in their inaugural season. The Kangaroos are the 1st club to have all 3 teams in Grand Finals in the same year.

This is Etobicoke's 2nd Division 1 Premiership after winning in 2008, while the Division 2 team clinched their 1st Premiership.

Below are the game write ups for each Grand Final, admittedly from an Etobicoke perspective.

The Euro Cup was the perfect opportunity for the latest addition to the world of women’s football, the Swiss Swans, to show off their skills, despite the Swiss team having only formed a few months earlier on the back of the new women’s team in Lugano. Though the girls lost 126 – 6 to the impressive Irish Banshees, the consensus from both teams was that it was a fantastic and enjoyable experience, and despite a few ruffled feathers, the Swans will be back at the Euro Cup next year.

“We already knew that the enthusiasm of our girls couldn't be enough against a strong and more experienced team as Ireland, and we'll give them our congratulation for the great game,” commented Mattia Sacchi, coach of the team. “But it was important to be there and realize how high is the standard required to play AFL at international level. Anyway, me and my assistant Luca Urso, who has all my biggest thanks for his great job, are really proud of each girl, because in a very short time they improved a lot, they did a big sacrifice to come to Belfast, and they gave their best till the last second.”

Ireland's mens and womens teams made it a clean sweep for 2011 as they took out both EuroCup's in the biggest ever EuroCup played on home soil in Belfast.

The men's team won under new coach Shaun McElhone as they beat the Crusaders, Austria, England and Croatia on their way to victory. The Women had a comfortable victory too in their one match, defeating the women of Switzerland who were making their debut at the competition.

England finished third thanks to a victory over Italy, while Wales were to emerge top of Division 2 (7th overall) as they beat Spain in the plate final. Finland won Division 3 (13th overall) when they took out a win over a developmental Sweden side.

Ireland is now reigning champion of the men's and women's International Cups, the European Championships, and the men's and women's Euro Cup.

Full scores from the day are available here.

Ireland's women completed the clean sweep of international women's Australia football when they knocked off the newly formed Swiss women's side in Belfast as part of the 2011 European Cup.  The Banshees, barely a year in existence themselves, have now collected back to back Euro Cup wins to go with the inaugural Women's International Cup.

The following report thanks to Leiha Shrubsall, also a member of the victorious team.

Saturday 08^th October, Belfast Queen’s University Sports grounds - 2011 Euro Cup.

It was a cool day and the rain on and off, sometimes teaming down making the footy slither out of players hands more easily than they would have liked. Walking around the grounds there was a buzz in the air, the same type felt at the recent International Cup, different languages bouncing around the foyer and the smell of Aussie Rules football. Making our way from all directions to Belfast for the weekend, we were all there ready to play for the second women’s European title.