Champion NZ footballer passes away
- Tuesday, November 09 2010 @ 05:30 pm ACDT
- Contributed by: Rod Shaw
- Views: 3,973
Welcome to World Footy News Tuesday, July 01 2025 @ 05:39 pm ACST
In October 2008, the Western Bulldogs announced that they had signed two Fijian teenagers to the International Scholarship scheme. Inoke Ratu then 19, and Solomon Loki then 16 had impressed at trials conducted in Lavaca and Suva. Alas, Fijitimes reported recently that after 2 years, that the Bulldogs have declined to extend their ‘contracts’.
We've seen the inaugural European Championships, and each year North America has the US versus Canada. Now a senior Oceania Cup will be played in Auckland from November 12th to November 17th. Hosts the New Zealand Hawks will play against the inexperienced Tonga, traditional footy rivals Papua New Guinea and an exciting Oceania Allstars team.
New Zealand's initial selections for the Oceania Cup took place in September 2009 shortly after the Senior National Provincial Championships held in Auckland - part of long and steady build up to the tournament.
In perhaps one of the most surprising results of the international football year Chile's Los Santos (The Saints) have defeated the touring Convicts side in Santiago, inflicting possibly only their second loss (the first in 2007 to the South African national side in Soweto).
It's difficult to gauge the standard of play in South America given that there are few clubs and until now no cross-over matches against teams from other continents. And although the Convicts is a tourist group of Australian footballers which changes every year, they normally provide a good contest that is more than enough to defeat the locals. Of course the calibre of any particular tour party is unknown and these matches are friendlies so you can't be sure how determined to win each team was, and the South Americans appeared to have some expat-Aussie assistance, but still, it was obviously a fine victory for the locals and should provide them with confidence and motivation to keep growing the game moving forward.
¡Felicidades a todos en Los Santos!
The AFL’s Professional Approach to Developing European Footy
After 21 years of Australian Football in Europe, now that the game has reached its traditional ‘majority’, the AFL has adopted a professional approach to conquering Europe. The formation of the European Australian Football Association in January 2010 has been followed by an AFL-supported appointment to the Association. Peter Romaniw (pictured) has been selected, and now commenced work, as European Regional Manager.
The AFL has now developed a resource-committed approach to game development of the Australian game in a continent which already has Australian football from Helsinki in the north to Madrid in the west, further south to Milan and to Prague in the east. No longer is Europe forgotten due to either traditional connections or exotic fantasies.
Australia has won the two Test International Rules series against Ireland after a 55-52 victory in the second Test at Croke Park Dublin before a 61,000 crowd.
After an attacking start from the Irish, scoring the first 4 points, the second Test for the Cormack Cormac McAnallen Cup looked like a regulation game for the fast, ball controlling and ball using Australian side. Several small and speedy players such as Bryce Gibbs and Eddie Betts of Carlton, all of whom star in the AFL when there is less pressure, and the similar stars in Collingwood’s Dane Swan and St Kilda’s Lee Montagna, and the marking and long kicking for goal of Brad Green, who went on to kick 16 points, were the difference.
However, the Irish drew closer in the third quarter, with an "under" (goal) reducing the difference to 10 points (48-38) at the break.
Two weeks ago the Brisbane Lions were defeated by the Melbourne Demons in the AFL clash in Shanghai for the Kaspersky Cup - see Jurrah lights up China match. The curtain raiser, also at Jiangwan Stadium, saw a Japanese Under 21 side take on China in a 9-a-side match. It was a great opportunity for the Japanese to give their younger players a taste of travel for the Samurai, whilst giving AFL China a chance to begin building a national squad.
Even though it was a developmental list it was not surprising that Japan ran away with the match. Wingman Ohashi provided the opening goal, and Samurais midfielders led by Tada, Nakamura, and Ichinose dominated the centre. Centre half forward Ken Sato, who spent 6 weeks at Box Hill North in Victoria as a scholarship player this year, was unstoppable ending up with 8 marks and 3 goals. Hiroki Ichinose also added 3 goals to his superb with 20 disposals. For China the highlight must have been the third quarter goal to Shao Lei.