Only a few weeks ago the Moscow based Lazy Koalas travelled to Amsterdam to represent Russia at the 2nd Annual AFL Europe Champions League. It was a huge step for the club, and footy in Russia, but the greater benefit might have been seen last weekend at the opening match of the 2016 AFL Russia season.

The opening match saw the Lazy Koalas host the St Petersburg Cats in a rivalry that is gaining more and more support each year. The final result was a little one-sided, with the mighty Lazy Koalas downing the Cats 144 to 24. But the result further proved how far the Koalas have come so quickly. Despite their moniker, these Koalas are a long way from lazy. They have become the current Australian Rules football powerhouse in Russia.

 

As the world pauses to commemorate the 101st ANZAC Day, and also the recognition of the 98th anniversary of the battle of Villers-Bretonneaux – a village on the battlefields of The Somme where Australian and allied troops held back the advancing German forces during World War One – the 8th annual AFL Europe ANZAC Cup will be played on the fields where so many gave their lives in battle.

 

The following article comes from the website off French Australian Rules football team, the Paris Cockerels. Writer, Francois Daniels, has given his own account of why this particular football match is so special to him as well as all others involved. He tells a great tale of the emotional connection to a simple game and the courage of the soldiers that fought for freedom.

 

 

Croatian international, Josip Habljak playing at Sturt SANFL dominated the ruck against West Adelaide reserves with a 31 hit-outs perfomance in a side that lost 18-8 (116) to 10-19 (79).

Champion Data stats for the game records 17 clearances from his hit-outs and his opposite number recording 12 clearances from 21 hit-outs.

The "Pain Train" also had 3 Kicks, 7 handballs, for 10 disposals, 1 contested mark and 1 uncontested mark. He had 9 contested possessions and 2 uncontested possessions and he managed to kick one behind and record two score assists. 

The games are done and dusted at the 2016 AFL London Pre-Season Cup, and the warning bells would already be ringing for AFL London teams as the powerhouse West London Wildcats won the Men’s title. The GB Swans took the honours on the day in the Women’s draw and the Wandsworth Demons were triumphant in the Supers (Over 35’s) competition.

One of the very interesting features of the event was the appearance of the Northern Storm representative team from the AFLCNE (Central & Northern England). Whilst the team went down to the Putney Magpies, London Swans and Wimbledon Hawks in their three pool games, the squad did their league proud playing in what is often regarded the strongest competition for Australian Rules football outside of Australia and being very competitive.

With the completion of Round 7 in the CNFA competition in France, results have effectively seen a separation between the top four teams and the bottom four. Barring something quite miraculous in the remaining two rounds, the Toulouse Hawks, Paris Cockerels, Paris Cockatoos and Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes appear destined to fight out the finals series in June.

Results so far in Round 7, split across last weekend and this weekend, have seen:

Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes 105 d Bordeaux Bombers 62
Paris Cockatoos 158 d ALFA Lions 47
Toulouse Hawks 176 d Perpignan Tigers 13
Paris Cockerels 154 d Strasbourg Kangourous 31

There has been plenty happening of late across England and Scotland as local competitions gradually build towards the start of their respective 2016 seasons.

 

The Haggis Cup was played last weekend at the CSE Peffermill Playing Fields in Edinburgh, Scotland. After a hotly contested event which featured Scottish teams – Greater Glasgow Giants, Glasgow Sharks, Falkirk Silverbacks, Kingdom Kangaroos and the Edinburgh Bloods – AFL London club the Wimbledon Hawks, ARFLI’s own Leeside Lions, the Netherland’s Amsterdam Devils and a combined Huddersfield Rams/Tyne Tees Tigers team (AFLCNE), it was the Wimbledon Hawks victorious.

 

 

In the men’s final the Hawks downed the Greater Glasgow Giants to take the 2016 Haggis Cup. In the women’s competition it was the Saltires defeating the Wolves.

The Essendon Bombers have upgraded their Irish International Rookie, Conor McKenna for their Round 4 clash against Geelong in the “Country Game”, a new idea from Bomber legend Kevin Sheedy. In recognition of the contributions of country and farmers across Australia, Sheedy has created a match between Essendon and Geelong to help raise rural awareness by staging another marquee game – think ANZAC Day match and the “Dreamtime at the G”.

 

The following article is from the www.afl.com.au  website.

 

IRISHMAN Conor McKenna will play for Essendon against Geelong on Saturday after being elevated from the club’s rookie list.

 

He made his debut last season against Richmond in the second-last round and also played the following week against Collingwood.

 

 

Croatian international, Josip Habljak, playing at Sturt SANFL club was named  to lead the ruck in his second game for the Sturt reserves on Sunday 10th April.

Sturt lost this match against Central District 18-9 (117) to 13-4 (82).

His Champion Data stats for the game were 3 Kicks, 3 handballs, for six disposals, 2 uncontested marks, 3 contested possessions and 2 uncontested possessions, which again doesn't put him amongst Sturts best players.

Croatian international Josip Habljak played his first game for Sturt in the SANFL on Easter Monday and following are his raw stats from that game. He played in the reserves team which lost to the West Torrens-Woodville Eagles 16-11 (107) to 7-7 (49).

Champion Data records he had 3 kicks, 5 effective handballs, for a total of 8 disposals and 1 contested mark. 3 contested possessions and 6 uncontested possessions, and he also had a hand in the ruck duties for his team with 7 hit-outs. Josip had only one free kick paid against him (one Sturt player had 6 frees against), but more importantly for Josip he also scored one goal and recorded one score assist.

Just a week after the Perpignan Tigers took out the Coupe Du Sud for the best team in southern France, the Paris Cockerels have won the inaugural Coupe Du Nord to be crowned the best team in northern France.

The southern tournament has been a part of the CNFA landscape since first held in Perpignan in 2009. But in a bold move to create even more competitive opportunities for clubs, players and supporters, the Coupe Du Nord was started this year to be a co-tournament with the Coupe Du Sud, allowing a healthy north/south rivalry to be developed further with bragging rights for the best teams in both the north and south of France.

In a tournament which had a number of positives for all teams, the contesting teams were the Paris Cockerels, hosts the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes, the ALFA Lions from Lyon and new team the Brittany Griffins featuring as part of the “All Stars” team which also included some Cockerels and Coyotes players.