World Footy News

Looking back at some of our footage from the 2005 Australian Football International Cup semi-finals, it's a reminder that it may still be tight at the top of international footy come the third Cup in August this year. We'll be looking to stir up the debate later in the year, but already there's plenty of opinion that Papua New Guinea should be the stand-out. With so many players now at a high standard in the AFL Queensland leagues, it seems quite possible that PNG will be far too good for everyone else.

On the flipside though, watching back some of the Mosquitoes' dogged battle with Ireland in the 2005 semi-final, there must be some hope for other nations. Like many countries, Ireland didn't have their best possible team at the Cup, yet in their match against PNG, with a bit of luck, they could have gotten over the line, losing by just 9 points (and having one more scoring shot). Similarly the US Revolution's match against PNG went to the wire, the Stars and Stripes falling just one point short, and ultimately losing to the tournament winner, New Zealand, in their own semi-final.

Of course New Zealand were the stand-out side in 2005, undefeated at the Cup and generally winning easily. So perhaps they will deserve to start favourites again. With none of the top 4 having played each other since 2005 one thing is for sure - no country can truly be confident until they've put the score on the board this August and September.

The Dream Team versus Victoria match next Saturday has been rocked by a series of injuries to big name players. In doubt for the 150 celebration show-piece match are Big V stars Jonathan Brown (captain) and Gary Ablett, both of whom withdrew from the Brisbane versus Geelong clash yesterday, with quad and calf injuries respectively. And Hawthorn's Luke Hodge strained a hamstring and looks a definite loss for the Vics.

Meanwhile the Dream Team has already lost Chad Cornes (broken finger), Chance Bateman (broken bone in hand) and Simon Black (early signs of osteitis pubis). The Dream Team will also be waiting on the fitness of Dean Cox (playing with damaged ligaments in his right foot) and Brett Burton (who injured an elbow this week); of course they'll also be without fallen star Ben Cousins, missing indefinitely after problems with illicit drugs.

New York Magpie Garth Nevin was captured taking a great mark against the Denver Bulldogs during the recent Faststream Invitational in Florida.

Australia is increasingly well known for Australian Football as the game gets a toe-hold in more and more countries. But in many sports we're also known to be prolific "sledgers" - using a bit of verbal abuse to throw the opposition off their game. It's questionable whether there is any place for sledging in sport, other than a bit of good natured "niggle", but there's no doubt a bit of "verbal jousting" will continue to be a part of many games, not just in Australia.

But what does need to be banished is any sledging along racial lines, be it truly "race" or any particular ethnic background. The Australian Football League has done an excellent job on that issue, with indigenous players such as Nicky Winmar and Michael Long making a stand and the AFL backing them up. However, anecdotal evidence and common-sense suggests that the changes in attitude have not filtered down to lower grades of football - at least not as thoroughly as needed.

Despite generations of immigration from around the world, the largest group in footy remains Causasian with an Aussie accent. Over the decades other European backgrounds have become much more common and better accepted. However the fact remains that any point of difference is often exploited.

As Aussie Rules continues to expand internationally we will see increasing numbers of players come to Australia. One such player is Brendan Murphy from Ireland, now on Sydney's rookie list. In just his second match playing for the Swans' reserves side he was reportedly subjected to abuse and told to go back to Ireland. It would be nice to think that international players will be made welcome, and they surely will at the clubs they go to, but let's hope opponents show appropriate respect too. In the meantime international players can assure themselves that part of the reason for any sledging is the fear that they just might be a better player than their Aussie opponent. It's no excuse, but should prove some comfort.

Murphy subject of racial abuse

The traditional opener to the London footy season, the ANZAC Cup, has been run and won, with the Wandsworth Demons taking the day. The tournament also saw Great Britain's national side in action against the best players in the land and they fared very well in an a further encouraging sign for their chances Down Under later in the year.

As usual the event was staged as part of the ANZAC Sports Challenge, held last Saturday (26/04/08) at Twyford Park, Acton, England. Against quality opposition in North London, the Bulldogs twice hit the post only to lose by five points. Their match against the London Swans was more successful, winning by two goals. But up against the very top sides with a host of dominant Aussies the Brits were still going to fall well short, being well beaten by Wandsworth Demons.

As it turned out, there was no shame in the result, as the Demons had such a great a day, they went on to easily defeat European powerhouse the West London Wildcats in the final, successfully defending their 2007 title.

A full report on the tournament can be read here on the AFL Great Britain website: Wandsworth Demons Win ANZAC Cup.

G'day, I help run a local Auskick group on the Mornington Peninsular, south of Melbourne, and thought I'd give an update on our season so far.

Out season has kicked off and registration day saw 95 kids sign up, 50 more than last year, it was a great day and the two girls that run our clinic did a fantastic job and were very surprised at the turn out. We have a few more girls this year which is great to see, 40 preps (first year of school), 20 grade 1's, 15 grade 2's and 15 grade 3's - that's 5 groups we have to make up, with one coach and 2 coordinators, so we are going to need plenty of helpers.

Though much of the recent media focus has been on Fijian Nicholas Naitanui, who is widely tipped to go number one in the 2008 draft, there is another player of Pacific Islands descent, Khan Haretuku, whose parents are New Zealanders, who has been rookie listed with St Kilda. Meanwhile the Western Bulldogs have turned their attention to Fiji, with another club expected to also join the international hunt this year.

USFootyNews.com is excited to be able to bring detailed statistics on USFooty games including game scores, goal kickers, the USAFL ladder and an MVP table. This information not only provides great fodder for water cooler discussion but will provide actual prizes to clubs and players that finish the season at the top of the various tables.

On Saturday May 3rd, Karlstad is set to host the largest gathering of Australian Football participants ever in Sweden. As many as 10 clubs from all over the country will descend on Värmland to compete in the inaugural Swedish Lightning Tournament, the "VB Cup".

The 2008 VB Cup will be a one-day 9-a-side tournament between club sides from across Sweden, with an outside chance the Oslo Trolls from Norway may make their long-awaited debut.

The tournament will also be an important step in getting the best local talent in the country together for the Swedish Elks' International Cup preparations, with numbers in Sweden now around 300 regular players - two-thirds of which are locals.

Nauru recently confirmed their attendance at the 2008 Australian Football International Cup. As we've previously reported, the island nation has had no active league recently due to on and off-field violence. Hopefully the move towards entering a side in the Cup will be the beginning of a new era for the game in Nauru.

Here's a link to an excellent report that appeared on the English version of the Al Jazeera network, including a chat to coach Vaiuli Amoe and sports minister Mathew Batsiua.

Interestingly it notes that all players selected must have a clean history and as such most are under 21. Certainly they seem to move fairly smoothly in training.

Sportsworld - Nauru's national sport

They're called the Yankaroos. They are the St John's University Footy Club and they have two teams, one based in Minnesota on the St John's University campus and the other based at the South Fremantle Football Club in Western Australia. The club began a couple of years ago when USFooty’s Tony Fairhead and former Chancellor of University of Notre Dame Australia, Terence O’Connor, worked out a program for St John's students on study abroad at Notre Dame in Western Australia. Already this new club is supplying young talent to the US national side.