World Footy News

In footballing terms, there can be no better way to celebrate the Queen’s Birthday than to party on down with her in the game which celebrates her special day – the Queen’s Birthday clash between traditional rivals Collingwood and Melbourne. It is one of the biggest matches on the AFL calendar and a day for the greats to shine – which is exactly what American Mason Cox did today.

In a performance that earned him the trophy for best afield, the Neale Daniher Trophy, Cox joined other past stars such as Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Max Gawn, Aaron Davey and Travis Cloke in receiving the honour. There was nothing “average” about Cox today – he proved emphatically that his days as a novelty player are done – replaced by a footballer who seriously can play the game and is getting better each outing.

He will be best remembered for his five-goal effort (and one behind) across the four quarters today. Not only did he take towering pack marks, he also brought smaller players into contests. Seemingly unsatisfied with his two metre plus height, Cox was also content hurling himself a few extra metres into the air, hoping to add a big “hanger” to his expanding repertoire of skills.

Billed as the match of the season to date prior to the ball being bounced, the clash between the Hamburg Dockers and the Berlin Crocs promised plenty. The clash between the reigning premiers and the undefeated Dockers delivered in spades with the Crocs holding on for a one-point victory.

It was a win against the odds in many ways for the Crocs. Travelling to Hamburg to meet the Dockers on their home soil would have been tough enough, but the fact that the Dockers sat undefeated gave them an air of not invincibility, but certainly strength.

The Crocs started well, however, and jumped early to a 33 to 16 quarter time lead. The Dockers came back at them in the second quarter to reduce the margin to just nine points by the main break, the Crocs still leading 46 to 37. The question would be whether the Crocs could capitalise on their narrow first half lead.

 

Katie Nicholson from the www.afl.com.au website reports on the development of the game of Aussie Rules football in Ontario, Canada. It is another example of how positive the growth of the game is across Canada, following on from our recent article looking at junior growth across the country in Vancouver (See North Delta Australian Football League Takes Unique Approach To Sport). 

ALTHOUGH it may never compete with national sports ice hockey and lacrosse, Australian Football is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada. And a dedicated Australian is helping drive the growth. 

With multiple leagues across the country's provinces, thousands of experienced and new players alike – including women – are becoming involved in the game.  

The AFL Ontario League has clubs based in and around Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa. Founded in 1989, the league started with 10 men's clubs, and in 2010 introduced a women's competition. This year, division one of the men's competition has nine clubs, while the women's competition has expanded to five clubs with the addition of the Ottawa Swans.

Finals time is still some distance away, but both the Glasgow Sharks and Edinburgh Bloods made statements this weekend that they plan to be there come grand final day and that they are a cut above the rest. Big wins for each team this round have also seen them break free of the pack with a big three game win/loss break that will be difficult for other contenders to close.

The Kingdom Kangaroos were desperate for a big performance in front of their home crowd at Beveridge Park. A win would have kept them deep in the battle for a top two place, and with scores almost locked at three-quarter time the Roos were on the way to an upset. However, the Bloods turned on the power in the final quarter to run away with a commanding 41-point win.

Australian Football has again captured the attention of Canadian media in this excellent and enlightening story from Grace Kennedy at the North Delta Reporter in Vancouver. The work of Mike McFarlane and his dedicated team at North Delta has long been known within Australian footy circles, but more and more  their work is capturing the imagination of an ever-increasing public.

“The local league is perhaps the largest in North America, and holding strong.”

From a distance, the group of kids kicking a ball back and forth on the Gray Elementary field look like they are practicing soccer.

 

Walk a little closer, and you notice the ball is definitely not a soccer ball. It could be a rugby ball, with its oval shape and bright colour. Look across the field, and another group of athletes are in a star formation, practicing drills. They could be practicing football, passing the ball back and forth in a criss-cross formation.

Round 12 of the 2018 AFL Season kicks off tonight in Adelaide with Port Adelaide hosting Richmond. 

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 a Mid-Season Pass a big discount on the regular season pass. This pass includes all AFL Premiership season matches, the Finals Series plus access to FOX FOOTY content.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Osaka Dingoes have proudly announced that they are hosting the IMPACT Invitational Cup on Saturday, 7 July 2018. The Cup is the first event that Osaka have invited overseas clubs to compete.

It will be held at the Canadian Academy in the Rokko Island, Kobe from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.

The Indonesian Volcanoes and the Singapore Wombats are coming to Japan for the big footy tournament.

After the international competition, they will be hosting a Sportsman's Night at proud sponsor, The Blarney Stone Shinsaibashi in Osaka between 7 pm and 10 pm. The post match event will be a big opportunity to see former AFL footballers including Rick Olarenshaw (former Essendon Premiership Player) and Chad Fletcher (former West Coast Eagles Premiership Player).

Cooper Pale Ale and VB will be available at the pub as well as great food including Aussie burgers.

Riley Brettell from AFL Europe reports on their website www.afleurope.org of the announcement that London will be the host of the 2019 European Championships. 

AFL Europe is thrilled to now be able to confirm the details for 2019’s premier international 18-a-side tournament, to be held in London from the 9th-12th October. 

The three-day event will bring together international sides from around Europe for the continents feature triennial football showpiece, to be hosted by Great Britain in conjunction with the Wimbledon Hawks Football Club and AFL Europe. 

Great Britain Head Coach, Dean Thomas, says that the 2019 Championships shape to be the most keenly contested and anticipated footy event in Europe to date. 

“London is the hub of footy in Europe and a fantastic city to be entertained in, and the European Championships are a must do event for any nation that harbours ambitions of playing in and doing well at the International Cup in 2020,” Thomas said.

 

From the desk of the AFL England writers, their column “Good Week/Bad Week” looks at the updates from the weekend footy from AFL London, AFLCNE and Southern England AFL. The original story can be viewed on the AFL England website at: http://www.aflengland.org/good-week-bad-week-4th-june-2018/

After a brief hiatus, ‘Good Week/Bad Week’ is back and ready to take a look at the latest round of fixtures across England. The leagues are really starting to hot up, so let’s see who’s in contention as we approach the halfway stage of the season.

 

GOOD WEEK

The Manchester Mosquitoes once again look like the team to beat in the Central & Northern England league. After racking up 130+ points against the Huddersfield Rams and the Nottingham Scorpions, the Mozzies were restricted to just over half that against the Wolverhampton Wolverines this weekend. However, they still extended their record to 3-0 as they won 11.18.84 to 6.10.46 in tricky conditions.

It has been a huge week for the Norrtälje Dockers in Sweden. Just days after having been officially announced as the hosts of the 2019 Euro Cup, the club has taken out the 2018 Swedish Cup. It was a day where their battle with host club, the Port Malmö Maulers, saw the teams equal on the scoreboard across the day with the Dockers winning at the right time.

The day saw a three-way men’s draw with the Dockers and Maulers joined by a combined team from the Eksjö Bulldogs and Helsingborg Saints. The women’s match featured the Port Malmö Lynx up against a combined Stockholm team.

The first game (Game 1) saw the women go into battle, with the Lynx proving too strong for the Stockholm team, winning by even points.

The Tyne Tees Tigers hosted the Edinburgh Bloods in Newcastle this weekend hoping to upset another unsuspecting traveller. But the Bloods were in no mood for distractions as they raised the temperature against the Tigers on their way to a powerful 172-point victory.

The win keeps the Bloods hot on the heels of the Glasgow Sharks in what is looming as the battle for first and second place.

The loss for the Tigers offers mixed blessings. Whilst the team would have much preferred a win to stay in the finals race, it is also true that the loss is a part of their learning curve in their first season as a SARFL club. They are still in a new environment and learning the pace and structure of the Scottish game.

On a dreary afternoon, ideal for playing wet-weather football, the Manchester Mozzies took another step towards a possible fifth consecutive premiership flag. This time, the Mozzies took down a gallant Wolverhampton Wolverines team by 38 points, adjusting to the conditions better and just playing a class above.

The worrying news for the rest of the AFLCNE teams is that their form since their first round bye has seen them play their most conceivable grand final opponents with wins against the Rams (62 points), the Scorpions (67 points) and Wolverines. The only opposition they are yet to play are the Merseyside Saints and they would be a long shot at best to change the scenario. It is hard now to see any team capable of stopping the Mozzie’s runaway train.

The final score saw the Manchester Mozzies 11 18 84 defeat the Wolverhampton Wolverines 6 10 46.