World Footy News

The AFL Tribunal will sit at 5.30pm tonight, Tuesday April 10 Melbourne time, to hear the charge laid against Essendon’s Conor McKenna from the weekend’s Match Review. 

Irishman Conor McKenna, Essendon, has been charged with serious misconduct against Tory Dickson, Western Bulldogs, during the second quarter of the Round Two match between Essendon and the Western Bulldogs, played at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday.

Based on the available video evidence and an investigation from the AFL, the incident was classified as serious misconduct. It is alleged that McKenna bit Dickson while on the ground near the boundary line after Dickson ran McKenna down and tackled him. 

Under the Tribunal guidelines, serious misconduct is referred directly to the Tribunal and there is not the opportunity for an early plea to be offered.

 

 

Ireland now has a new European champion whilst the West London Wildcats have completed an amazing four-peat performance to take out the 2018 AFL Europe Champions League tournament held yesterday in Amsterdam.

The West Clare Waves downed the Wandsworth Demons comfortably to take the women’s title, whilst the Wildcats downed the host team – the Amsterdam Devils – to take the men’s title.

Men’s Grand Final: West London Wildcats 5 4 34 d Amsterdam Devils 2 2 14
Women’s Grand Final: West Clare Waves 5 2 32 d Wandsworth Demons 0 3 3

Across an enthralling day’s action, 17 men’s and 7 women’s team did battle to see which club, as opposed to nation, was the best in Europe. Since the inception of the competition in 2015, the West London Wildcats have proved to be the best men’s club in Europe, winning each championship. This year saw them raise the bar higher again for other clubs to match their dominance.

Callum Twomey from the www.essendonfc.com.au website wrote this article in the lead up to the 2018 AFL season, looking at the journey of Irish Bomber, Conor McKenna. Since that time, McKenna has been one of Essendon’s best players in both of their games to date against the Adelaide Crows and the Fremantle Dockers. On Sunday, he is primed to take on the Western Bulldogs with his Bomber teammates. 

In Ireland’s Gaelic competition, players very rarely switch clubs. They join the county side that is most local to them, where they've grown up, and stay there for the rest of their careers. 

"Wherever you're born you play for," explains Conor McKenna, who left Ireland aged 18 to pursue an AFL career with Essendon. 

 

"Basically back home it's like if you are born in Essendon, you play for Essendon. If you are born in North Melbourne, that's where you play.

Tash Gunawardana interviewed two-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Melissa Etheridge who is currently on tour in Australia with Sheryl Crow. Etheridge has been in the music industry for 30 years and she said, “I am still in love with performing. I am still in love with sharing music with an audience. I still love the travel, the getting to see people and getting to new places. The award - that’s all fine and good - but the real stuff is in the journey everyday. Writing new music, performing the old hits and just loving it all."

Image Source: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS

Christian Chynoweth has retired on top with a USAFL Division 1 National Championship. The Golden Gate Roos  could not be happier with Chyna's contribution and will be eternally grateful for his commitment to our program.

The Roos are excited to announced that Jake Ryan, former Gold Coast Suns Academy Coach, has been appointed as the new Head Coach of the Division 1 team and will lead the way as they attempt to go back-to-back in October at the 2018 USAFL National Championships in Racine, Wisconsin.

Round 3 of the 2018 AFL Season kicks off tonight at the MCG with the traditional blockbuster clash of the Blues and the Magpies.  American Mason Cox returns to the Collingwood team after his one week suspension from Round 1.

The full international broadcast schedule 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.

 

 

Riley Brettell from AFL Europe has put together the following preview of the upcoming tournament in Amsterdam. The original story can be found on the AFL Europe website at: http://www.afleurope.org/champions-league-2018-tournament-preview/  

The best 24 Australian Football teams in Europe are set to march on Amsterdam this week ahead of the AFL Europe’s 2018 Champions League tournament, which will see close to 400 players represent club sides from 14 different nations to vie for European supremacy.

 

The 9-a-side event will be held on Saturday, April 7th at the Sportpark de Eendracht, with 54 matches across the day to decide the champions across both men’s and women’s divisions and making for one of Australian Footballs premier international spectacles.

The new AFLG season draw has been released for the 2018 season in Germany, and as part of the excitement, it will feature the league’s newest entity, the Württemberg Giants. The team is a union of the Stuttgart Emus and the Freiberg Taipans – two separate teams coming together as one under the banner of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg of which Stuttgart is the capital.

The union gives a great opportunity for the Giants to be immediately competitive, drawing on a player pool and historic connection to the game. The new Württemberg Giants hit the ground running, featuring in the first match and round of the new season. The play the Dresden Wolves in Stuttgart/Freiberg this weekend in a round robin opening draw which also features the Rheinland Lions.

It is certainly an historic opening round, and also points towards being an even and exciting start to the 2018 AFLG season.

Just at the moment, there is no actual football playing entity called AFL Estonia. There is no national team, no clubs and not even anyone on the ground in Estonia to get the ball rolling. Yet, like so many leagues and clubs across Europe before them, AFL Estonia is just one committed person (or people) away from becoming a very real entity. That catalyst required could be closer than many think.

Chatting with the AFL Estonia Facebook page coordinator unearthed an interesting beginning. “I began the Facebook page from Australia as a kind of interest thing for expats in Estonia. Whilst there is some interest there, there is no one in Estonia to take the ball up and get things going. There are definitely people who would play so long as someone else [can drive] it. Finland, and in particular St. Petersburg, are very keen to see something start in Estonia. It would make a great link up.”

In another massive boost to women's football nationally Lisa Roper joins the Darebin Falcons VFL Women's coaching panel. 

Lisa Roper, is a 30 year coaching veteran with 10 years of Australian football experience and 16 years of playing Australian football. 

 In January she officially became the new assistant coach at Darebin. 

Lisa saw the coaching position advertised and knew she had something to offer in her unique background so she applied for the position, deciding it was a great opportunity to further her coaching career. Before long, Lisa found out she was the assistant coach from head coach Jane Lange in November. There were only a few insiders who knew before the announcement. 

 

 

As another football season commences in most Australian Rules football playing locations, it is a time to ponder one of the greatest risks to the game. The future of the game at grass roots level. The following article by J.J. Adams in the Vancouver newspaper and website, The Province, looks at the alarming drop in kids remaining in sports. His template is Hockey in Canada, but the messages are clearly universal, and will impact on Australian Rules football nationally and internationally unless we can find ways to arrest these trends. 

Fear, greed, broken dreams: How early sports specialization is eroding youth sports 

By J.J. Adams (The Province) http://theprovince.com/

 

Kyle Turris is an NHLer because of his dog. Well, maybe not exactly, but while growing up his golden retriever deserves at least some of the credit for turning Turris into a 12-year NHL veteran. His ball-obsessed dog would chase a young Turris around their Burnaby backyard, the future hockey pro carrying a ball in his lacrosse stick as his hyperactive blur of fur tried to snag the hard rubber prize.