World Footy News

With finals looming in France, the Paris Cockerels and Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes have secured their places with wins on the weekend. The Cockerels travelled south to meet the Perpignan Tigers whilst the Coyotes hosted the Bordeaux Bombers. Despite both teams getting the wins, the round also saw two very committed performances by the defeated teams.

In Perpignan, the Tigers played what might be their best game for the season. It has been a tough draw for the Tigers and a clash with the top team could have been a tough day out. However, the Tigers took the game right up to the Paris Cockerels, in the end going down by just 42 points. The Cockerels have finals to look forward, but the Tigers will have seen signs that they have a decent base to build on for next season. The club would be very heartened by their effort to push the premiership favourites to just seven goals.

Collingwood put an end to the Adelaide Crows season, as they broke away in the second half of the match to run out 21-point victors at the Olympic Park. It was a great second half by the Pies who ended the Crows 2018 AFLW season and broke the Crows hearts. The Pies finished their season on a high and the big dance is decided the Dogs will meet the Lions in the 2018 AFLW Grand Final.

Image Source: @aflwomens

With the ANZAC Cup 2018 to be played on ANZAC Day, 25th April, AFL Europe has released an excellent article that gives that background to this solemn yet celebratory event, played each year in honour of those who fought to save Villers-Bretonneaux. To read the full article, follow the link at the end of this story. 

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, the men’s and women’s Australian Spirit sides will go head-to-head with the French national teams to contest the 10th annual ANZAC Cup, honouring those who fought to reclaim the town on the night of April 24th, 1918. 

Villers-Bretonneux had been a key post for the Allies prior to the Germans successfully breaking through defensive lines and taking the town on the 24th as part of their Spring Offensive. This was a considerable victory given the towns vantage point over the city of Amiens which was of significant tactical importance to both sides.

As the new 2018 season gets closer for most Australian Rules football playing nations in Europe, the game’s controlling body, AFL Europe, continues to provide snapshots of different counties. Focusing in part on the past, present and the future, the series provides updates for those already familiar with the leagues featured as well as an excellent education for those new to the game.

In the last World Footy News story which featured the AFL Europe articles, the focus was squarely on the game in Switzerland, Scotland and Denmark (see AFL Europe’s Country Reviews). In this instalment we give you the links snapshots on both Wales and Croatia. To read the full stories, just click on the links provided.

With the passage of Tropical Cyclone Marcus striking Darwin today, the AFLNT has postponed the grand finals further. Having already made the decision to postpone from tonight to Sunday, the damage from the Category 2 cyclone has forced further postponement.

The NTFL has released a statement regarding the decision.

AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wishes to advise that it has postponed the 2017/18 TIO NTFL Men’s Grand Final Day after receiving strong advice from Power and Water Corporation and NT Police that was not conducive to going ahead.

 

 

No decision on rescheduling the eight finals has been made yet and AFLNT Executive, football and operation staff, will meet with stakeholders tomorrow morning to plan the completion of the season.

The Western Bulldogs won by two points, after goal sneak Brooke Lochland booted through the sealer to put an end to the Melbourne Demons season in an absolute classic game of AFLW at the Whitten Oval.

Image Source: @aflwomens

The Fremantle Dockers were 11-point victors over Carlton in an extremely physical game of AFLW played by both sides at the Fremantle Oval. Both teams tackled exceptionally well and gave it their all in the game, today in the west. It was a great entertaining match of football by two sides who were trying to avoid the wooden spoon.

Image Source: @FoxFootyLive

When the brilliant Chrissie Amphlett sang these words back in 1985, she wasn’t singing about footy – as least we don’t think she was. Yet those words adequately sum up the result of the AFL Middle East Grand-Final played in Dubai yesterday when the Dubai Dragons won their fourth straight premiership (and sixth in seven seasons) by defeating the tragic heroes, the Multiplex Bulls.

The difference between the pleasure of premiership heaven and runners-up despair and pain was just 23 points. Ten minutes into the last quarter it was just ten points. Two goals to either side would turn the result…it was the Dragons that turned.

Four flags in a row is an incredible effort at any level of the game. The consistency to bring together a squad of players over that length of time and keep them hungry enough, as well as talented enough, to hold off every other challenge is remarkable. The Dragons deserve their glory and deserve to go down in history as one of the most extraordinary teams to play the game outside of Australia. Pleasure.

Despite the arrival of cyclones in Darwin and raging bulls in Dubai, this weekend will see two new premiership teams crowned to bring to an end the respective 2017/18 seasons for the NTFL in Darwin, Australia, and the AFLME in the Middle East. In Darwin, Mother Nature has already had a say, whilst in Dubai – half a world away – the Multiplex Bulls are trying to tear own a Dragon’s reign.

With the arrival of Cyclone Marcus in the Arafura Sea, the Northern Territory Football League has already been forced to postpone tomorrow’s scheduled grand final timetable to Sunday. The expected impact of what is likely to be a Category 1 cyclone is still enough to bring flooding rains and damage to structures from wind gusts. The weather system is expected to have passed Darwin and surrounds by Sunday, though games are likely to be played in very sodden conditions.

 

The Lions won by a whopping 40 points over the Giants up in Sydney at the Blacktown International Sports Park and there hopes of making the 2018 AFLW Grand Final are well and truly alive. All night the Lions were a class above the Giants who could not do anything to stop the strong momentum shown by a Lions outfit where everything fell right into place in tonight’s match for them. The six goal first stanza set up the win for the Lions who scored ten goals and kept the Giants to three goals for the entire match. 

Image Source: @aflwomens

The second part of the AFL’s new promotional campaign features a young Muslim woman from the western suburbs of Sydney and her dream and journey to play Australian Rules football. According to the www.afl.com.au website, the synopsis for this video is:

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The AFL’s 2018 campaign “Don’t Believe I Never” has been released. The key motivator in the campaign is a series of three videos focusing on the inspirational journeys of three people. Featured are Richmond coach Damien Hardwick and his journey with the club to premiership success, Sydney Swans footballer Aliir Aliir and his incredible journey from war-torn Sudan to the AFL and a teenage school-girl in western Sydney and her journey to the Bankstown Bull Sharks. Below is the story of Aliir Aliir.

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