World Footy News

The AFL London season came to a dramatic finale on Saturday 22nd August, with the annual Grand Final day producing some truly memorable footy across all three grades. For once the weather gave the perfect conditions and the rest was down to the players at the Barn Elms Reserve in London.

For the first time in recent memory, two clubs kept the finals between them and provided quite a spectacle. The Wandsworth Demons and West London Wildcats have enjoyed a great rivalry through their history and the effort on the pitch and support from the sidelines amply demonstrated just how much the game means to the clubs and the footy community.

AFL South Africa has been working closely with the University of Monash South Africa and this year has seen the roll out of a pilot program for 60 footyWILD volunteers in the Gauteng Province, which includes the city of Johannesburg. The broad-based ‘Basic Management and Development Course’ will cover generic skill sets but with practical application to the daily life of a footyWILD volunteer, leading to accreditation. It's another example of Australian football becoming embedded with the local community and providing more than just a game of footy.

Last weekend for the first time in league history, the Ontario Australian Football League held a Womens AFL match.

Round 12 consisted of a triple header in Ottawa, with the first game of the day pitting the Montréal Angels against the Central Blues women’s football team.

On WFN recently it was reported in this story that there were a couple of former DAFL players with Icelandic connections who were trying to get the game up in Iceland.

The group has since then taken a few steps further, Friðgeir Torfi Ásgeirsson announcing last week that the Reykjavik club was officially founded on August 21st. An Icelandic side is also set to compete at the EU Cup in Zagreb, with 14 players committed to the trip so far.

Friðgeir adds, "We have found indoor facilities for the winter (as outdoor training will be difficult in the Arctic winter) and I have high hopes that the sport is off to a good start here in Iceland."

The Icelanders can be contacted via their Facebook group.

worldfootynews.com recently fielded a query from an Australian Football organiser in Chile, noting that South Americans have no access to the AFL on TV, neither free to air or cable. The AFL has most other areas covered to some degree, as shown by their Broadcast Partners list and their International viewing guide (click on International).

We asked the AFL if they were conscious of the South American blackspot. Patrick Keane, Media Relations Manager, replied:

"Getting some form of regular coverage of our game into South America is the next step for our broadcast department. I don’t expect we will see anything before this year’s Grand Final but it is on our agenda and it is something we hope to achieve for the 2009 off-season. However, I agree it is a hole for us and it’s not something we’ve been able to get done to this point".

So hopefully a broadcast partner can be found in time for the 2010 season.

Canterbury Australian Football League club the Christchurch Bulldogs met the newest kids on the block in the South Island of NZ, the Otago Riot from Dunedin, for a preseason challenge match in Christchurch on August 22nd.

The match was preceded by a Kiwikick session for a group of local kids and hopefully future Bulldogs. With several locals helping to set up the field and wave the flags the scene was set for a great day of footy in the sun.

The game got underway at 2.30pm in warm conditions, with the Bulldogs kicking to the Mt Cook end. After several forward forays the Bulldogs scored the first goal, soccered off the ground by coach Steve Langridge. The Bulldogs' innaccuracy was keeping the Otago boys in the game and they went into the 1/4 time break leading 2.8 (20) to 1.2 (8).

The second quarter was another battle of the halfback lines and scoring shots were few & far between. However the Bulldogs went to the long break with a handy 4 goal lead.

The Dogs needed some strong defensive work from captain Steve Langridge and new pup Matt Crighton or the Otago boys may have been in with a sniff at 3/4 time.

The final quarter started well for the Bulldogs with a couple of quick goals at the clubhouse end. To their credit the Riot boys battled the game out and can hold their heads up and start preparing for their next match against the Canterbury senior team in October.

The final score read Christchurch Bulldogs 11.12 (78) Otago Riot 7.9 (51).

For more, follow this link.

The Vienna Kangaroos and their marsupial mates from Munich will hold the 3rd annual "Battle of the Roos" in the village of Kössen in Tyrol, Austria on Saturday August 29th. Vienna club stalwart Ben Chick says that with the Munich Roos fired up for the AFLG Grand Final the following week, and the Vienna team led by local boy Raoul Himberger, it will be an entertaining match as were the games in previous years.

As Chick explains, "The event is organised annually by Sepp and Jenny Himberger (yes - that's our boy) and has turned out to be a great showcase for Aussie Rules in the fantastic setting of the Tyrolean Alps. The camaraderie between the teams has grown strong over the years and its always a fantastic weekend of entertainment on and off the field."

Australian rules in Austria is continuing to grow, with last year's interest from the city of Graz culminating in the official formation of the second footy club in Austria - The Styrian Downunder Dogs, named for the province of Styria where Graz is located. The Doggies, comprised 100% of Austrian nationals, have been training over the summer and will make up almost half of the Austrian national squad for the EU Cup in Croatia.

Back in the capital, the Vienna Kangaroos are recruiting strongly after suffering a winter exodus of some established ex-pat and local players. As Chick says, "The natural attrition rate seems to have been higher than previous years, but the local new blood have taken to the game with great gusto and are continuing to improve week by week."

A series of matches between the Graz and Vienna teams will take place in September as a lead up to the EU Cup. The Austrians will thereby join their Croatian and Czech neighbours in building a local competition this year, after the Central European tri-series was suspended for 2008.

While we are still remembering the great efforts of Jim Stynes, wait for a return of Tadgh Kennelly, cheer the re-signing of Brendon Murphy, there is a team full of Irish ex-pats playing in the Sydney Womens AFL competition, and they have now qualified for playoffs in their rookie year.

The Bondi Shamrocks are a newly formed club who entered the Sydney Women’s AFL (SWAFL) competition for this season.

They are made up of primarily Irish ex-pats, with a Gaelic Football, Camogie or Rugby background, with a few native Aussies and the odd Kiwi thrown in.

In their inaugural season, they have already had Sports Bar and a cocktail named in their honour, five players were selected to represent NSW at the women’s AFL State Games in Perth, and had six play for Sydney in the rookie team against the touring USA Freedom team. Now the ladies have earned a place in the SWAFL playoffs after beating more experienced opponents during the season to finish in the top four and will contest for a place in the Grand Final .

The Jakarta Bintangs stunned the Bali Geckoes and reinforced their Asian Championship prospects by defeating the Bali Beckos by 5 goals on home turf for the first time in 4 years at Kuta on August 15th.

A minutes' silence preceded the match - dedicated to Craig Senger and others lost to us in similar circumstances. It was a reminder to live every day as though it was your last.

Fitting, because that was how the Bintangs played. From the opening tap to the final siren the Bintangs were always in control. Led in dazzling fashion by Dave "Butcher" Edwards who kicked a club record 12 goals, the Bintangs held sway at every change.

The game strategy was simple, get the ball quickly to the big fellow down forward and he would do the rest. And with Matt Jolly and Chris Bandy winning the ball with regularity in the midfield, and with Bali captain Peter Muir well held, contested possession was achieved with sufficient regularity to build a match winning lead by half time.

While Bali managed to slow the momentum in the last two quarters, the result was never in doubt. A trademark Marzio Da Rae dropkick sealed the win just before the siren.

The Geckos have played in the Grand Final of the Asian Championships in two of the last three years, whilst the Bintangs have had a number of disappointing years since their glory years early in the millennium.

Possibly, the positions may be reversed in this year’s edition of the Asian Championships.

The Sydney Swans' sole remaining Irish recruit has ended speculation regarding his future by signing a new contract to see him remain at the Swans. This is despite recently claiming that he was going to return to Ireland had he not made his senior debut by this seasons end. A series of injuries have hampered his development this year and thus his appearances have been restricted to the Swans reserve side.

Writing in the Irish Echo, Murphy has said that he is delighted at his decision to remain in Australia. “I know I’ve said before that if I hadn’t made a senior appearance by the end of the season that I would just wrap things up and go home; but I’ve changed my mind and I’m now fully committed to a future at the Sydney Swans, whether I’ve made that breakthrough by season’s end or not. Basically, I’ve been offered a new contract, and I’ve decided to take it.”

The Huddersfield Rams have scored an epic come-from-behind win to deny Birmingham in the ARUK Central Grand Final.

Played in front of a great crowd, 150 strong at the Huddersfield Rugby Union Club Lockwood Park Huddersfield, the Bears took full advantage of their opportunities to enjoy a three goal lead at 3 quarter time.

All the momentum was with the Bears and a huge upset looked on the cards, however an injury to Bears captain Matt Mitchell caused the game to be delayed by 20 minutes while the ambulance service took him to hospital after a dislocated knee.

The Rams came out for the last quarter a different team and slammed on goal after goal to emerge victors by 21 points in an unforgettable Grand Final - final scores Huddersfield Rams 13.27 (105) d. Birmingham Bears 12.12 (84)

Rams founder Karl Haigh described the match as "the best day of our lives", and says the club has big plans for the future, with a junior team in operation and a 5-year-plan in place that envisages a club tour to Australia.

The AFL London 2009 Grand Final will see traditional rivals Wandsworth Demons play the West London Wildcats in all 3 grades of the AFL London Grand Final.

Powerhouse club West London lay claim to being the biggest Australian rules club outside Australia and have dominated the premiership tally of the league over the past few years - their senior Wildcats side winning the last 5 London premierships on the trot.