In this terrific story from The Guardian, written by Jonathan Drennan in Behind The Lines, the remarkable journey of Englishman Sam Willatt from experimenting with Australian Rules football in England to lining up in a VFL team in Australia is chronicled. Sam’s journey hasn’t has the fanfare of many AFL Irish, Sudanese or American recruits, yet is no less remarkable.

The Brit Who Went From Aussie Rules Novice To The Verge Of An AFL Career 

 

Sam Willatt arrived in Melbourne in November after graduating from university. The 21-year-old from Peterborough slept on a friend’s sofa, managed to find part-time work as a lifeguard and also started training with an Australian Rules team after playing in England. That fairly well trodden path deviated radically after he was recruited into the Footscray Bulldogs VFL side, partnered to the AFL’s top flight Western Bulldogs side. In layman’s terms, this is the equivalent of an Australian playing Sunday League football in Melbourne, flying to London and getting picked up by West Ham’s reserves.

Article courtesy of South Dublin Swans and ARFLI

South Dublin Swans were the Irish representatives in the second running of the AFL Europe European Champions League held last Saturday March 19th. This very efficiently run tournament organised by AFL Europe and the Amsterdam Devils was held at the impressive Dutch national rugby centre in suburban Amsterdam.  The tournament has grown since last year with 13 men’s teams and 5 women’s teams participating. The calibre of the competition was high with teams being their league’s champions and each team also allowed four Australians on the pitch at any one time in this 9-a-side format. 

The Swans had the earliest start of the day at 10am in their four team group. First up was the Russian representatives, the Lazy Koalas on the show pitch in the facility. This was a good opener for the Swans to find their rhythm and they won comfortably by a margin of 62 to 7 in the 24 minute game. The next game was more difficult against the Zagreb Dockers who featured one of the strongest players playing in Europe, Tomislav Cvetko. Although Cvertko did some damage the Swans won again 24 to 14. The final group game turned into the pool decider for a place in the competition semi-finals. This was against the dominant team in Sweden, Sodermalm. This was a very close encounter with nothing between the teams and goals being traded back and forward. The Swans showed great determination to win this one by the slim margin of 28 to 26.

After winning the inaugural AFL Europe Champions League title in Amsterdam in 2015, the West London Wildcats have returned to the city of that success to successfully defend their title and remain the only winners of the Champions League. The AFL London powerhouse showed again why they have been revered for many years as arguably the best Australian Rules football club in Europe.

Whilst one event is hardly conclusive proof, their record of success in winning eight flags back home in London since 2000, eight Brit Cups between 2002 and 2010 and now consecutive AFL Europe Champions League trophies makes it difficult to argue their place at the top of European clubs.

The battle for the south of France – the Coupe Du Sud – has been won by the ever improving Perpignan Tigers this weekend in the annual tournament, this year held in Perpignan. The tournament featured teams from the Toulouse Hawks, the Bordeaux Bombers and the Spanish team the Tarragona Llops from the Catalonia region.

Since returning to the CNFA, the Tigers have continued to improve. This victory and accompanying silverware is a just reward for the determination shown by the club to not just return to battle, but strive to succeed.

 

From the AFL Europe website: www.afleurope.org

 

The 2nd Annual AFL Europe Champions League is taking place this Saturday in Amsterdam. Sportpark de Eendracht will be graced by 13 Men’s teams and 5 Women’s teams as they battle it out for the title of Champion of Europe.

 

 

The teams participating in this year’s tournament are:

Croatian Josip Habljak has received a boost in his journey to play Australian Rules football at a semi-professional level with Sturt Football Club (Double Blues) in the SANFL in South Australia by being presented with Guernsey No 50.

Saturday 12th March, the SANFL 2016 Season Guide published by The Advertiser, (Adelaide and South Australia's major newspaper) has Josip listed with # 50 Guernsey for Sturt.

The Paris Cockerels surge to the CNFA finals continued on the weekend with a massive win against the visiting Perpignan Tigers. The win sees the Cockerels sitting just slightly adrift of the Toulouse Hawks and level with their club "brothers" the Paris Cockatoos. With just three rounds left to play in the CNFA season the Cockerels flexed their muscle and sent shivers through the rest of the league as they signalled their intent to go "back to back" and take this year's flag.

The final score saw the Paris Cockerels 198 d Perpignan Tigers 11

For the Tigers, the loss was harsh. But they are still sitting in fifth place and have a chance of eking out another win to challenge for finals. Failing that, the Tigers are still enjoying their best season yet despite the weekend's result.

The Toulouse Hawks recorded a powerful 59 point win over the Bordeaux Bombers in their Round Six match in Bordeaux. Backing up from a solid win against the Paris Cockatoos last start, their win against Bordeaux sees the hawks take top spot on 16 points, two points ahead of the now second placed Cockatoos.

The Hawks downed the Bombers 126 – 67, giving them a share of premiership favouritism whilst consigning the Bombers to a prolonged battle to avoid the wooden spoon.

In the other match for the round, The Paris Cockatoos handed the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes a hiding which saw the Coyotes fall from top spot. The Cockatoos defeated the Coyotes 106 to 10 and laid claim on second place, at least until next weekend.

The Lyon based ALFA Lions in the French CNFA competition have taken a step towards leaving the cellar and avoiding this year’s wooden spoon. In the process they have made the battle for the wooden spoon just as exciting as the battles for finals spots.

Their weekend victory over the Strasbourg Kangourous might yet be a valuable result as the Lions still have winnable games between now and the end of the home and away draw.

The final score saw the ALFA Lions 120 defeat the Strasbourg Kangourous 73.

There are four rounds remaining, but with the nature of the draw the teams still locked in the battle for the wooden spoon have different amounts of games left.

Since the resumption of the CNFA competition in France after the winter break, a couple of the strongest clubs have come out and made some powerful statements. With four rounds to go, along with the remaining Round Five clash between the ALFA Lions and the Strasbourg Kangourous, the time is here for some serious muscle flexing.

In the first re-scheduled match after the break, the Bordeaux Bombers took the points against the Strasbourg Kangourous, giving them a boost to claw their way from the bottom reaches of the ladder.

In the other re-scheduled Round Three match, reigning premiers the Paris Cockerels travelled to Lyon and came away with a 110 point victory over the ALFA Lions, immediately catapulting them into second place on the ladder. The final score saw them down the Lions 131 to 21.