In a “massively successful game yesterday for all involved” the Merseyside Saints in Liverpool took to the field for the first time in a match against the Wolverhampton Wolverines last weekend. The match was played at the Saints’ home ground at the Wirrell Rugby Club, south of the city of Liverpool across the River Mersey.

The match was a great opportunity for the Wolverhampton team to enjoy an end of season trip to Liverpool and have another competitive hitout – one that marks a new chapter in AFLCNE history. The match was a comprehensive margin in favour of the Wolverines, but the Merseyside Saints stated that “stuff like this [the match] will ensure our club survives and grows.”

Final Scores:
Merseyside Saints 10 13 73
Wolverhampton Wolverines 23 21 159

The Norwegian local Australian Rules football competition has moved into power mode now as the major national competition heads towards its 2015 decider. The Kenguru Cup pits the three main Norwegian teams – Oslo East, Oslo West and Ås Battlers – against each other over five rounds of battle between May and August.

With four rounds completed it is the Oslo West team leading the way with four wins ahead of Oslo East (last year’s winners) on three wins and Ås Battlers locked with East on three wins. For Oslo West it is an historic occasion, already having been the first to qualify for this year’s final for the first time. This follows successive last placed finishes over the past couple of years.

The final round in two weeks gives Oslo West the chance to hone their skills and put plans into action whilst Oslo East, last year’s winners, and Ås Battlers fight it out to be the other finalist. It will make for a fascinating final round, especially given the both East and Ås will be keen to win both of their matches to secure a finals berth and putting huge pressure on West to keep performing well.

The North London Lions have pulled off one of the most remarkable finals series by downing highly fancied favourites the West London Wildcats to claim the 2015 AFL London premiership. Not only have the Lions won their first flag since 2012, and their fourth overall, they have also become a timely reminder for finalists the world over that premierships can be won, even against red hot favourites, from third place.

Not only that, but the Lions showed that when a premiership is on the line it is the team with the better skills, commitment, heart, teamwork and belief that will win the day rather than talent on paper.

The Lions got away to a good start in the first quarter, taking the game up to the Wildcats and a little more. The first break saw the Lions build confidence by leading 3 4 22 to 2 2 14. Starting the second quarter eight points up would have lifted hearts.

The following article by James Gottschalk on the AFL Europe website looks more deeply at the new growth of the game of Australian Rules football in Poland.

 

The expansion of Australian Rules Football continues to grow at an astonishing rate in Europe, with 2015 seeing the inaugural AFL Europe Champions League taking place in Amsterdam. Ten countries were represented by a team demonstrating that Australian Rules Football has certainly staked its claim as sport capable of growing in such a soccer orientated continent.

 

 

This year’s AFL Europe Axios Euro Cup is hoping to involve the unveiling of the newest AFL Europe franchises – AFL Polska. The driving force behind the inclusion of Poland into the AFL scene is Australian expat, Gareth Smith whose claim to fame is keeping Brett Voss to a handful of possessions back when Gareth was 17. Since taking the reins of AFL Polska and establishing a team in Bydgoszcz, the sports awareness and interests has greatly increase and participation has reached even the “grass roots” level.

With the demise of the Aberdeen Eagles from the Scottish Australian Rules Football League landscape a couple of seasons back there may well have been concerns for the growth of the game in Scotland. But the 2015 season has proved that those concerns have been replaced by an optimism and growth that looks set to take the game further, bigger and better into the future.

A comment from the SARFL stated that “The best thing about this season has been the growth of the sport. No forfeited games. The league was two established sides [since the withdrawal of Aberdeen and the re-branding of the Kingdom Kangaroos] with three newer teams. By Friday night all three of the new ones [teams] had registered over 30 players over the season including a combined 10 in the 16-19 age bracket and at least two clubs have a schools program. Well done to everyone at each of the clubs who keep these things happening - whether you book the pitches or recruit a player it all helps the sport.”

Certainly the on field results this year show some highly encouraging patterns as the league bounces vibrantly into the 2015 finals series.

In one of the upsets of the season in many ways, the North London Lions ended the Grand Final dreams of the Wandsworth Demons and earned the right to challenge the West London Wildcats for the 2015 AFL London premiership.

Many believed that the Demons were a certainty with a more consistent season and having served up challenges to the Wildcats during the season. But the excellent recent form of the Lions saw them hold on in a thrilling Preliminary Final by a single goal.

On face value the West London Wildcats deserve premiership favouritism after an excellent home and away season with just one defeat. The down side on that ledger is that the defeat was to the hands on the North London Lions back in Round 10. On that day the Lions held sway over the Wildcats by 10 points. Earlier in the season the Wildcats won, but hardly convincingly, by 15 points.

The Manchester Mosquitoes have gone back to back by taking out the 2015 AFLCNE premiership by downing Sheffield Thunder. This means that Manchester now boast four flags from five grand finals in the past 6 years, placing their run amongst the most successful of teams across Europe.

Final Scores: Manchester Mosquitoes 18 13 121 d Sheffield Thunder 10 14 74.

The final 47 point margin suggests a comfortable result that was all one way, but conditions saw a game which was buried effectively by quarter time and from there Sheffield spent the afternoon doing all they could to bridge the gap – which they did manage to do, just not enough to change the result.

Whilst English crowds pack Edgbaston in Birmingham to wildly cheer their cricketers on to a likely Ashes triumph, there are other sporting events to suit footy tastes as finals matches will be played in London and Sheffield to decide the 2015 premierships in the AFLCNE (Central & Northern England) competitions and grand finalists in the AFL London battle.

Up in Sheffield it will be the local team, Sheffield Thunder, hosting the minor premiers, the Manchester Mosquitoes. With one win apiece this season in their battles with each other, both sides have claims to this year’s flag. However, it will take an absolutely mighty effort from the Thunder to bring down the Manchester juggernaut which is aiming for a fourth flag in five grand finals over the past six seasons. But this is finals footy, with the season’s two best teams in combat. Nothing is a given.

AFL Europe is pleased to announce Megan Hession has been appointed CEO.

An experienced sports administrator, Megan will be based in London and will oversee the 21-member nation’s individual competitions while continuing to promote the game and oversee its development in Europe.

Originally from the United States, Megan arrives in London with a wealth of experience. After working for more than a decade in financial trading technology in New York and London, Megan started a sports management company in Europe that expanded to Dubai and New York. Her work focused on EPL player welfare and the organisation of high-performance training camps and sports event management in the Middle East.

Megan is no stranger to the AFL after organising Port Adelaide’s last two pre-season training camps in Dubai.

Megan said she was thrilled to be starting the role.

Already regarded as one of the most powerful Australian Rules football clubs across Europe, the West London Wildcats further enhanced that reputation on the weekend. Playing against the well credentialed Wandsworth Demons, the Wildcats showed little remorse romping home to a powerful 72 point win to book their place in the 2015 grand-final. They will enjoy a week’s break as the preliminary finalists do battle.

For the Demons it will be a week of soul-searching as they initially need to win their preliminary final to earn a rematch with the Wildcats. But that is not guaranteed. But assuming they do clear their next hurdle the Demons face a tough period of planning to find a way to bring down the Wildcats.

Their opponents will be the North London Lions which won their semi-final on Sunday against the London Swans. In a tighter, low scoring game it was the Lions with the answers at the end to hold the competitive Swans at bay by just 11 points in a game where the respective defences had a large say in the result.