World Footy News

The journey isn’t over yet. The Multiplex Bulls’ victory over the Dubai Dragons yesterday does not win them the AFL Middle East premiership. But it goes a long way towards gaining the belief and commitment needed to claim their first flag.

Make no mistake, the Dubai Dragons would know that this match was a massive statement. If they won again, the Bulls would sink further into an inferiority complex, doubting their ability to ever beat the Dragons when it mattered. A Bulls’ win was going to set the Bulls into a momentum that might not be stopped.

By quarter time, the Dragons were a goal in front. Way too early to pick a winner, but they had played their hand again, inviting the Bulls to play theirs. They did, grabbing the half time lead by three points but knowing a battle still needed to be won.

Fremantle Dockers notched up a solid 33 point win over Collingwood at the Fremantle Oval on a pleasant day in Perth.

The win was set up by the Dockers in the first half as they put Collingwood to the sword with five goals.

Image Source: @freodockers

Carlton blew the GWS Giants out of the park by 29 points at the Blacktown International Sportspark on a nice sunny day in Sydney.

The Blues were powerful all match long with their marking and pressure for four quarters of football.

Vescio and Harris wreaked havoc up forward for the Blues and Prespakis was a star in the midfield. 

Image Source: @CarltonFC

North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos belted the Western Bulldogs by 31 points at the University of Tasmania Stadium on a fine beautiful night of football in Launceston. 

The five-goal win was set up by North Melbourne in their five goal second quarter and the win makes them the team to beat in season three of the AFLW. 

Debutant Courtney Munn was potent up forward for North Melbourne with four goals. 

Image Source: @NorthAFLW

Image Source: AFL Women's 

Round 3 team lists have been released below

North Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs, Friday 15th February 7:15pm at UTAS

North Melbourne Squad

Position	Name	#	Name	#	Name	#
Backs	J.Trend	21	B.Gibson	18	J.Grierson	19
Half Backs	D.Hardiman	31	T.Randall	16	J.Duffin	27
Centreline			E.Kearney - C	9
Half Forwards	K.Ashmore	10	K.Gillespie-Jones	5	D.Bateman	11
Forwards	M.Hope	23	J.Garner	25	C.Munn	13
Followers	E.King	60	J.Stanton	17	J.Bruton	35
Interchange	E.King	4	E.Humphries	6	A.Drennan	8
	N.Bresnehan	12	C.Haines	29
Emergencies	T.Mesiti	3	G.Nanscawen	22
	EMG4	EMG4_NO

 In: - C.Munn, C.Haines

Out: - S.Abbatangelo (Injured), A.Riddell (Injured)

Western Bulldogs Squad

Position	Name	#	Name	#	Name	#
Backs	N.Ferres	16	L.Spark	11	B.Hunt	21
Half Backs	N.Callinan	10	T.Ernst	19	H.Scott	22
Centreline			K.Lamb	27
Half Forwards	L.Birch	18	K.Brennan - C	3	M.Conti	8
Forwards	A.McCarthy	15	E.Mackie	25	A.Utri	23
Followers	K.Rennie	24	A.Gogos	36	E.Blackburn	2
Interchange	C.Moody	13	H.Wildes	17	B.Toogood	28
	D.Berry	7	B.Smith	12
Emergencies	E.Brown	9	E.Gamble	14
	EMG4	EMG4_NO

In: - E.Mackie, H.Wildes

Out: - K.McLeod (Omitted), E.Brown (Omitted)

This weekend the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes will host their second Coupe Du Nord. The tournament, build around the basic principles of sportsmanship, friendliness and a general coming together, will see four active CNFA teams, one past club building again and a team from the Netherlands.

The tournament welcomes in the 2019 calendar year, and a resumption of play for the CNFA competition after their winter break. Both Paris Cocks clubs – the Cockerels and the Cockatoos – will have teams involved, as will the ALFA Lions from Lyon and the Host club, the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes.

Joining them for the tournament will be the Strasbourg Kangourous from north-east France as part of their commitment to be involved and grow the club back to its’ past glory. The Amsterdam Devils will also be headed to the event, further developing the links between French footy and that played in the Netherlands.

Friday 15 February, 7:15pm

North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos vs Western Bulldogs (UTAS) 

Both teams are undefeated in AFLW 3.0 and are also in conference A. 

With only percentage separating the two teams on the ladder, this top of the table clash is expected to be the match of the round.

North Melbourne have had big percentage boosting wins in the opening two rounds and the Western Bulldogs have had closer wins. 

AFLW fans will see if the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos can continue to score heavily and remain unbeaten in their first AFLW season or will the reigning premiers be the first team to defeat the new kids on the block. 

Adelaide Crows Ebony Marinoff has been one of the toughest midfielders in the AFLW since the inaugural 2017 season.

Marinoff debuted for the Adelaide Crows in Round 1 against the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

“Incredible feeling I had the biggest smile on my face as I ran out the race.”

Image Source: SuperFooty AFL

  Just last week the Hawai’i Eagles held a small inner club match. The grey team defeated the blue team on a cold, wet and windy – almost Melbourne like day – in what the club thinks may be the first ever Australian Rules game played in Hawai’i.  

However, the bigger picture is the club’s inclusion within the USAFL – to date the biggest vindication of their efforts and acknowledgement of their presence on the North American footy scene. To mark that event, Brian Barrish from the USAFL wrote the following article for the www.usafl.com website. 

 

Dallas McCulloch arrived in Honolulu with a bit of an itch to scratch.  

He had played Aussie Rules for the Austin Crows before heading to Australia, where he spent four months playing for the North Brunswick Bulls of the VAFA.  Well, sort of.

It could turn out to be a season defining moment – or a few moments, really. The clash between the AFL Middle East heavyweights, the Dubai Dragons and the Multiplex Bulls. One team is on track to claim its fifth consecutive flag. The other is out to avoid the indignity of being runners-up for a fifth consecutive season.

It may sound harsh, but the time has passed for the Bulls to say they were gallant in defeat. That was true early, and possibly even extended to last season. But gallant isn’t enough now. Years of hard work and sacrifice by many people have to be rewarded with a maiden flag.

That is what makes this Friday’s battle in Dubai so important. The Bulls simply must prove that they can defeat the Dragons. They cannot rely on waiting and hoping for a crack on grand final day – it isn’t yet guaranteed they will get that far. The assertiveness that goes with premierships has to start Friday and then extend through the finals series.

 

Zach Standish from the www.afleurope.org website has reviewed the performances of the Irish women in the AFLW in this article from AFL Europe.

Round two of the 2019 AFLW was full of big hits, exciting goals, incredible grabs and even lightning bolts, as all ten teams showed off their talents in an intriguing weekend of action. 

Round two saw a record five Irish players take the field, as Western Bulldogs rookie Aisling McCarthy made her AFLW debut, joining Yvonne Bonner, Cora Staunton, Ailish Considine and Sarah Rowe in representing not only her nation but Europe as a whole. 

Playing in a Saturday night feature clash with Geelong at the Whitten Oval, McCarthy would fit in seamlessly to the reigning premier Western Bulldogs outfit as they ran away convincing 28-point victors.

 

 

Carlton's Madison Prespakis and Fremantle Docker's Sabreena Duffy are the round 2 AFLW Rising Star nominees.

Prespakis' nomination comes after she impressed in round 1 in the midfield and she continued this impressive form in round 2 for her Blues in their loss to the Crows.

She finished with stats of 20 disposals, one goal, 13 kicks and seven handballs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Source: Herald Sun