World Footy News

As is becoming traditional at International Cups, the Australian Football League held an International Development Forum with the attending nations.  In 2008 there was some vision from the AFL and brainstorming sessions with the country representatives.  This time around the AFL revealed ambitious plans for the growth of the game.

worldfootynews.com was fortunate to again be invited to attend, and a review of the three hour forum follows, but the highlights included: 

• the possibility of international sides being included in the Foxtel Cup, a competition featuring Australia's top state league sides which is televised around Australia on pay TV service Foxtel
• a target of 250,000 international players within 10 years (up from approximately 60,000 now)
• the Australian rollout of AFL9s
• aiming to get more Australian sides to international tournaments to aid in promotion and development

Nauru went into this match strong favourites after dominating their group on Game Day 1. The extra years of experience and the match hardening of footy in country Victoria meaning that the polish of Nauru should hold sway over the enthusiastic fast developing Tongans. The Tongans have had some of their own local footy experience though in recent weeks with Campbelltown in the NSWAFL competition.

Perhaps surprisingly Tonga showed they've already improved in this competition, and pushed Nauru all the way.  Ultimately it was the superior marking power of the Chiefs that kept the Tigers at bay.  It was noticeable in the Tonga vs PNG match on the opening day that the Tongans tended to rush the ball in the air and find themselves running underneath it - a sign of inexperiences and over enthusiasm.  If they can improve in that area they will push all the middle ranked sides.

Full report has now been added below.

Scores will be updated every quarter throughout the day. We suggest you refresh your browser regularly to see the latest. Match reports will follow later in the day and into Thursday. Please note that we are very stretched with simultaneous games all over Sydney so may not have full match reports for all games.  Also note the matches at Holroyd are running late due to some injury delays.

The future of footy is bright. It might also be international, multicultural and female.

At the second day of the International Cup at Blacktown International Sportspark,  AFL Game Development Manager David Matthews remarked that now there were 70,000 footy players around the world, and that the next International Cup, IC14, might have 30 teams, rather than the 18 men’s and five women’s teams at IC11.

AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn, speaking at the official launch of the Women’s International Cup  was also confident about the international future, expressing her aspiration that ‘the fifth International Cup will double the number of women’s teams here’.

Men's Division 1 and 2

Blacktown International Sportspark Oval 2 - 2pm - France v Timor-Leste (Div 2)

Bruce Purser Reserve, Rouse Hill - 2pm - New Zealand v Great Britain (Div 1)

Holroyd Ground, Gipps Road Oval - 12pm - China v India (Div 2),  2pm - PNG v Tonga (Div 1)

Auburn Ground, Mona Park Ovals - 12pm - Fiji v Peace Team (Div 2), 2pm - South Africa v Japan (Div 1)

Bus Loop – SCG - 2pm - Ireland v Sweden (Div 1)

Women's Division

Bruce Purser Reserve, Rouse Hill - 12pm - Australia v USA

Bus Loop, SCG - 12pm PNG v Canada

After afternoon of football, the players of the IC11 Women’s Division were invited to the Women’s Launch in the function room overlooking Oval 1. Against a backdrop of the USA Revolution playing against the Japanese Samurai in the men’s division, the women gathered together, many meeting each other for the first time, some with jubilant faces from a hard fought win, others reflective of experiences gained and lessons learnt on the history making opening day of the first ever Women’s International Cup.

After the Canadian Northern Lights and their opponents, the triumphant Irish Banshees, had joined the group, fresh from an exciting game of two of women’s football’s top teams, the launch function began with an introduction from the Indigenous leader of western Sydney, welcoming the teams to their country and lands, and wishing them all the best for both their stay in Sydney and their hopes for the International Cup.

The US put on a power display at BISS Oval#1 last night against Japan, sending out a warning message to the South Africans that they will be coming at them on Sunday at ANZ stadium with the pace they were lacking in IC08. 

A mix of bright sunshine and clouds greated the Canadian and Irish women as they took to Blacktown's number one footy oval for their first ever meeting and just the second women's match ever in the International Cup.

The Irish Banshees came onto the field as favourites but the Canadian Northern Lights were determined to make an impact in their first game. Both teams were evenly matched for height and build, just the Irish, with many players based in the Sydney Women's AFL teams, leading by experience. The game was fought out mostly in midfield in the first half, with neither team managing to dent the strong defence of the others, but Ireland managed to squeeze through, taking the first goal. But the Canadians came back, cheered on by the men’s team on the sidelines, and managed to claw back to 6 all before quarter time.

Penisimani Mahina is a 19 year old from Tonga, and is on the verge of becoming the face of Tongan footy.  Named Captain of the Tongan Tigers for the 2011 International Cup, Peni received some publicity last year in Australia in no small part due to his father being a cousin of the father of Israel Folau.

Today, the AFL’s newest club, the Greater Western Sydney Giants reveal Peni as an International Scholarship signing (a not so well kept secret).  He joins several other South Pacific youngsters – but he joins them with a little more fanfare and the obvious photo opportunities.

The links, tenuous or otherwise to Folau are there to be exploited and manipulated – and that’s understandable.  However, there’s a bit of a misconception that the footy journey of Peni Mahina was instigated by the AFL signing of Izzie. But that, and money, certainly had nothing to do with it.

On Saturday, Game Day 1 of the IC11, WFN caught up with Peni Mahina as well as his father Malakai. 

After two days of matches, 24 games so far, only one entrant has scored the perfect 24/24 so far - congratulations to Derryn.  But with that success comes the pressure of the chasing pack.

Be sure to get your tips in for Game Days 3 and 4 before Wednesday morning.  Note that if no tips are received you get the worst of the submitted tipsters for that round.

Players marked with * are WFN staff and ineligible for the prizes. 

On Monday morning 15th August (before Game Day 2) the IC11 captains and the team managers were invited to the Prime Minister’s residence in Sydney, Kiribilli House. Though the Prime Minister was busy with official duties in Canberra, her partner, Tim Mathieson (pictured centre in the photo on the left), was there to welcome the players. The players got to meet him in person, then were invited out into the beautiful gardens, overlooking the dazzling Sydney Harbour, for morning tea.

After refreshments there were some speeches from Tim Mathieson, welcoming the guests to Australia, Brett Kirk talking about his travels and one from the USA Revolution captain, expressing his thanks on behalf of the other captains and team managers. Then the captains moved onto the lawn, avoiding the steep drop down to the harbourside levels, for more photographs.