The new 2017/18 NTFL season got off to a flying start in Darwin this weekend. After a winter sojourn where many players travel across the nation to play footy in other state leagues and metropolitan or country competitions, they return to Darwin for Australia’s number one summer footy competition.

It was set to be a very interesting season with the AFLNT controlling body making significant changes to the rules of the game by restricting the amount of fly-in/fly-out players on team lists in the hope of evening the competition. Time will tell if the initiative works and helps to generate more opportunity for local youth, but the Round One results were, by and large, a mixture.

In arguably the match of the round, last year’s premiers, St Marys, came up against last year’s big improvers – Nightcliff Tigers. It was the Tigers, however, running away to an 80-point win to exact a little revenge for missing last year’s grand final.

Richmond defender, Bachar Houli, is one footballer who had given much of himself off field to create important footballing, academic and social pathways for young Muslims – particularly young male Muslim youth – to assist them on life journeys. The development of his Bachar Houli Academy, aimed at young Muslim males, and also the Bachar Houli Cup – junior matches for Muslim boys and girls in schools both important initiatives.

His role in the community has been vital in allowing young Muslims to navigate their ways through life at so many levels. His commitment has been unwavering, doing most in a selfless voluntary role.

One could be excused for thinking that his own role as a player for the Richmond Football Club is almost secondary to loftier goals – and perhaps in the grander scheme of things it is.

But today was as much Bachar’s day as any of his team mates, his club, or Tiger supporters everywhere. Today, along with his Richmond team mates, Bachar became a part of AFL/VFL history as he helped enormously as the Tigers downed the Adelaide Crows to take the 2017 AFL Premiership.

A few weeks ago Wes Hull gave us his first hand account of being on the end of a large pasting (You can read that here), today Joe Woodyard recounts the 1992 thrashing on Brisbane at the hands of Geelong, reminding us that one sided affairs are not restricted to local footy.

Carrara Oval, Gold Coast Australia, in thesoutheastern corner of Queensland

1992 was the 96th season of VFL/AFL footy. For round seven, Geelong traveled to Carrara Oval just south of Brisbane for a match against the Brisbane Lions. The Cats got off to a bit of a slow start on the season, losing their first two matches to Hawthorn and Melbourne despite scoring over 100 points. Their round six win over Fitzroy saw them kick 25 goals and score 175 points in a 98-point win over the Lions.

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

AFL Commission establishes benchmarks for success

The AFL Commission has outlined a plan for the NAB AFLW expansion, with six clubs being granted licences for women’s teams for 2019 and 2020.

The AFL Clubs to receive NAB AFLW licences are:

2019: North Melbourne Football Club and Geelong Football Club

2020: West Coast Eagles, Richmond, St Kilda and Gold Coast SUNS

The 2017 AFL Preliminary Finals kick off tonight at the Adelaide Oval with Adelaide hosting Geelong.  Tomorrow afternoon Melbourne time, Richmond will host GWS.  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 banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	LOCAL	GMT
Preliminary Final 1	22-Sep	Night	Adelaide vs. Geelong	Adelaide Oval	19:20	9:50
Preliminary Final 2	23-Sep	Twilight	Richmond vs. GWS	MCG	16:45	6:45

 

Clubs and fans are the big winners with the release of the 2017/18 TIO NTFL Premier League fixture being announced by AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) today.

For the first time in the League’s history, there are 11 games scheduled for Friday night, with the majority scheduled at TIO Stadium, and a further three scheduled on the Thursday night and Friday afternoon of the Australia Day long weekend.

Clubs with a home ground will also enjoy one extra game on familiar turf with the disbursement of home games upped from five to six this season. The Tiwi Bombers will play two of their home games at Tracy Village, in recognition of the partnership forged between the two teams.

Night games in Rounds 1 and 2 of the 18 Home and Away rounds have been relocated away from TIO Stadium, as the final pieces of the refurbished light towers and change rooms are installed in time for the commencement of Round 3.

The inaugural NAB AFL Women’s State of Origin match will be played at Etihad Stadium tonight.

Entry to the match is FREE of charge.  It will be streamed here (we assume worldwide).

The AFL and Etihad Stadium have announced a heavily reduced parking fee for the event – a flat rate of $10.

The NAB AFL Women’s State of Origin match will be broadcast live nationally on the Seven Network and FOXTEL/FOX FOOTY.

Beneath the benevolent, watchful gaze of the mighty Walsh’s Pyramid in Gordonvale, Far North Queensland, something is stirring in the sporting undergrowth. This is a sugar town with a proud heritage, and a heritage that has been heavily linked to Rugby League for decades. Other sport is played – the people of town and district thrive on it – but any town which makes roadside signs to honour their own League hero, Nate Myles, is a league town.

But it hasn’t always been that way and from the late 50’s the early 70’s the Gordonvale/Aloomba area had Australian Rules football teams (under a variety of names and combinations) in the early AFL Cairns competitions. Those teams faded into history – not extinct, simply dormant.

By 2005 a new presence arrived on the footy scene with Pyramid Power juniors entering the competitions and based in Gordonvale. Only last year they gained a reserve grade team, and that team will now play in their first finals series after just two seasons. It is a great example of how the game is returning to the area in a big way.

Round 19 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off tomorrow night at the MCG with Hawthorn hosting Sydney.  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 banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

MATCH	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	28-Jul	Night	Hawthorn vs. Sydney Swans	MCG	VIC	19:50	09:50
2	29-Jul	Day	North Melbourne vs. Melbourne	Blundstone Arena	TAS	13:45	03:45
3	29-Jul	Day	GWS GIANTS vs. Fremantle	Spotless Stadium	NSW	14:10	04:10
4	29-Jul	Twilight	Port Adelaide vs. St Kilda	Adelaide Oval	SA	16:05	06:35
6	29-Jul	Night	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Richmond	Metricon Stadium	QLD	19:25	09:25
5	29-Jul	Night	Carlton vs. Geelong Cats	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	09:25
7	30-Jul	Early	Western Bulldogs vs. Essendon	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:10	03:10
8	30-Jul	Day	Collingwood vs. Adelaide Crows	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20
9	30-Jul	Twilight	West Coast Eagles vs. Brisbane Lions	Domain Stadium	WA	14:40	06:40

 

 

Yvette Wroby, Stephanie Connell and John Harms are pleased to announce The Women’s Footy Almanac 2017 is about to hit the shelves.

Featuring a fantastic cover (designed by John Kingsmill) it has Kate Birrell's wonderful painting (entitled Girls; First Season) which captures Sabrina Frederick-Traub, Erin Phillips and our Everygirl ten year old footballer.

The Women's Footy Almanac 2017 follows on from the annual The Footy Almanac which has featured footy fan's own accounts of AFL matches throughout each season.