World Footy News

The AFLG Grand Final on the weekend has seen the Hamburg Dockers claim their third premiership, downing last year’s winners, the Berlin Crocodiles. In a willing contest, the Dockers pulled away after a tight first half to take the premiership by 55 points in Dresden.

The opening quarter saw both teams take the game on, full of desire and intensity. At the first break, the Berlin Crocodiles held a narrow five-point lead, 3 1 19 to 2 2 14. By half time, the Dockers had regained the lead, but only just. Just three points separated the teams with the Dockers a nose ahead, 5 5 35 to 5 2 32.

The “premiership quarter” lived up to its name as the Dockers made their move. A five goal to one third quarter saw the Dockers take a stranglehold on the game as they flexed their muscle and shut down the gallant Crocs. Three-Quarter Time saw the Dockers lead 10 7 67 to 6 2 38.

Sarah Black has written this excellent article on the www.afl.com.au website that looks at some of the motivations many women have had to embrace Australian Rules football. He article provides excellent snapshots through the eyes of women now playing – or about to play – in the AFLW, and as such is a great story of inspiration for future players.

THE NAB AFL Women's competition has allowed players from a variety of backgrounds to play at the highest level.

It has also opened the door for a host of internationals and locals who have spent time overseas to try to break through. 

 

Greater Western Sydney forward Cora Staunton and former Melbourne defender Laura Duryea, both Irish, picked up the game in Australia, while Australian-born pair Lauren Spark (Western Bulldogs defender) and Kate Shierlaw (ex-Carlton forward) played for the Wimbledon Hawks while living in London.

Week two of the 2018 AFL Finals series kicks off Friday night Melbourne time with Hawthorn hosting co-tenant Melbourne in the First Semi-Final at the MCG. 

The full broadcast schedule for this weekend can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).

You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the Watch AFL promo shot on the left to register and by then paying the subscription fee.

Right now Watch AFL is offering The Finals Series Pass providing instant access and goes through to the 30th November 2018. This includes the Grand Final..

This pass includes all AFL Premiership season matches live and on replay, the Finals Series plus access to FOX FOOTY content.

 

 

Week one of the 2018 AFL Finals series kicks off Thursday night Melbourne time with ladder leader Richmond hosting Hawthorn at the MCG. 

The full broadcast schedule for the round can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).

You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the Watch AFL promo shot on the left to register and by then paying the subscription fee.

Right now Watch AFL is offering The Finals Series Pass providing instant access and goes through to the 30th November 2018. This includes the Grand Final..

This pass includes all AFL Premiership season matches live and on replay, the Finals Series plus access to FOX FOOTY content.

 

 

 

AFLW MEDIA RELEASE

Irish Gaelic footballer Sarah Rowe will add another string to her bow as a rookie for Collingwood’s AFLW team in 2019.

Rowe is a star forward for Mayo in the Ladies Gaelic Football Association in Ireland and will take part in the AFL Women’s competition during the break between seasons.

The 23-year-old from Ballina Mayo said she was excited to move across the globe and get prepared to take on the foreign sport.

“I know I’m up for a big challenge taking on a new sport on the other side of the world, but that’s what makes it so exciting,” Rowe said.

“Having visited Australia earlier this year I was able to meet the coach and players at Collingwood, which made the decision a lot easier. I was welcomed in to the club from the beginning and everyone was so generous to share their time and knowledge.”

Next month the new AFL Middle East season gets under way for the 2018/19 season. It will again be a fascinating battle with the four teams seeking to break new ground. Reigning champions, the Dubai Dragons. Have already created a dynasty that may never be surpassed. With four flags in a row, and six in the past seven seasons, the Dragons sit on a level of success rarely seen. They want a fifth flag.

However, the Multiplex Bulls have been hurting since March and are keen to erase the memory of recent grand final losses to write themselves into the history books. Their arrival in the league has seen four years of heartache, yet to win a flag.

The most improved team last year was the Abu Dhabi Falcons. It would not appear so from their ladder position, again finishing third, but their on-field performances were consistent. They will be aiming to reach the grand final at the very least.

The following article, is translated as closely as possible from the original story in Arabic for the www.filgoal.com website – an Egyptian sports website. Certainly, the appearance of this story in the Egyptian sports reporting market indicates a growing interest in the game, built almost entirely on the back of an Auskick program run by Professor Mohammed Hashem at the American University Cairo.

Can you imagine a game that holds the mix of football and hand [handball] togetherω Australian football, that you will probably [be hearing] about for the first time, will give you that mix. 

Australian football is a wide-ranging game in its country [played Australia-wide], with the highest scoring rate in the country, and the Aussie’s [game is] the fourth-highest in all sports after the NFL, Bundesliga and English Premier League.

Ben McKay from AAP has reported on the www.afl.com.au website about the decision by the Gold Coast Suns not to return to China in 2019. The decision will be a hiccup in the AFL’s expansion plans into the Chinese markets, though there is plenty of time to find another suitor ready for next season. The original article can be found at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-02/gold-coast-not-keen-on-a-return-to-china

GOLD Coast has walked away from future AFL matches in China after two years of playing Port Adelaide in Shanghai.

Suns chairman Tony Cochrane used the club's best and fairest awards night to declare the club's interest in the overseas venture over.

Last week, World Footy News reported on the development of the game in Egypt through the work of Professor Mohammed Hashem and hundreds of enthusiastic kids embracing his Auskick In Egypt program (see:Spirit Of Ancient Egypt). Since then, things have moved quickly in Egypt.

As this story is being written Professor Hashem (Mo Hash) is in the far south-western Egyptian location of New Valley within the greater New Valley Governorate. He is there running Auskick-style clinics to another gathering of wildly excited kid embracing the game. What makes this clinic particularly special is the location.

New Valley is around 1000 kilometres south of the Egyptian capital city of Cairo. It is roughly due west of the Nile city of Luxor. The region sits within the eastern fringes of the Sahara Desert, close to both Sudan and the Libyan border. If I had been asked to find a more remote part of the world, New Valley would go close – as a kid I was enthralled by the magic of the isolated (now dry) Lake Chad in near-neighbouring Chad, south of Libya.

In what many would see as a big upset, the Berlin Crocodiles will have a chance to defend their AFL Germany title after downing the Munich Kangaroos in last weekend’s semi-final in Cologne. Form leading up to the match favoured the Kangaroos, as did their record across the season, which saw them narrowly defeat the Crocs on both occasions.

However, the boys from Berlin knew they could match the Kangaroos and did so with a barnstorming first half. Keeping the Munich team to a single goal for the first half, the Crocs went to the main break with a huge 39-point lead. It would take something super-human from the Kangaroos to get back in the second half.

The 2018 Andes Cup has been won again by the Bogota Bulldogs from Colombia. It makes it three wins from three tournaments against the Santiago Saints representing Chile. The two nations are leading the way in growing Australian Football on the South American continent – more than a few nearby nations will be watching the result.

Their battle on the weekend saw one club (Saints) on the back of a long history playing the game in Santiago without regular competition up against the club (Bulldogs) that has seen the creation of the AFL Colombia competition this year. Their players had come off an entire local season and a couple of games from a new one. On face value, the Bulldogs probably had an advantage in sheer match play and conditioning.

After a dominant year, the Belfast Redbacks finished the job when they defeated the Galway Magpies to win the 2018 AFL Ireland premiership. Having gone through the home and away season undefeated, the Redbacks were expected by most to win the title. But the biggest job of all is producing when it matters on grand final day, and the Redbacks did that.

However, the Magpies made sure the Redbacks earned the premiership. The final margin was 39 points, set up by a brilliant first half by the Belfast team. At the main break, the Redbacks lead by 38 points at the Mallusk Paying Fields in Belfast.

According to AFL Ireland, “[The first half was a] tough physical battle with both teams giving their all across the ground. [There were] nine scores to six but the Redbacks [were] more clinical with their shooting so far and take a lead into the main change over. Very wet conditions to start but the rain has now stopped.”