The combatants for the 2015 AFLCNE Grand Final have been decided after the semi-finals were played over the weekend. Once again the Manchester Mosquitoes powerhouse has reached the final match of the year, continuing their incredible domination of the league over recent years. But this year another challenger will step up to the plate – Sheffield Thunder.

For the Mozzies the salivating prospect of five grand finals in the past 6 years is a reality – and a fourth premiership over that time lingers large on the AFLCNE landscape. Last year the Huddersfield Rams did their best to stop the Mozzie juggernaut. That didn’t work, so the Thunder now has a chance.

So far this season the ledger is squared at one win apiece. The first meeting at Tyne back in Round 6 saw the Thunder roar to the top of the ladder with a big 74 point win over the Mozzies. They fired the first salvo in the war of psychology between the sides this year. By Round 11 it was the Mozzies that hit back – just – with a narrow 3 point win on Sheffield's home turf. The Mozzies won, but the Thunder knew they had what it takes to beat the Mozzies – especially since the Grand Final will be played at Sheffield. It makes for a fascinating grand-final.

 

The AFL London season moves into overdrive from next weekend as the finals series gets under way across all divisions. With the home and away season now done and dusted, teams can now take the next step in a bid to win the 2015 premierships.

 

In the Premiership Division, the scoreboards reflected that finals urgency as teams hit the “on” button in preparation for the weeks ahead. The result saw the West London Wildcats, Wandsworth Demons and North London Lions sharpen their respective claws or tridents, while the London Swans found themselves on the wrong side of a fired up opponent.  

 

The final round results saw:

- Wandsworth Demons 30.21.201 defeated Putney Magpies 1.5.11

- West London Wildcats 26.19.175 defeated London Swans 5.3.33

 

- North London Lions 21.19.145 defeated Wimbledon Hawks 4.6.30

The AFL competition across Central and Northern England has finished off the home and away season for 2015, but not in the circumstances expected. Rather than having three matches which may help teams tune up for finals action or allow for last minute upsets from lower teams seeking to create havoc, the round saw two games forfeited and another decided by such a large margin that it is likely neither side gained what they needed from the hitout.

With Huddersfield Rams already a spectator this round due to their bye, they were joined by Sheffield Thunder and Tyne Tees Tigers with both clubs receiving the four default points when Nottingham Scorpions and Birmingham Bears respectively failed in their attempts to field a side. For Thunder the result simply reinforced their second place finish. The Tigers, however, would have been delighted with the result as it gave them a fourth win for the season and dragged them off the bottom of the ladder, avoiding the wooded spoon.

(Left: 2014 Premiers - Manchester Mosquitoes - Which team will take the 2015 flag?)

It was Round 10, 2001, when Brisbane Lions coach, Leigh Matthews, use a quote from the movie “Predator” saying “if it bleeds we can kill it.” He was referring to Essendon which had won 32 of its last 34 matches including the 2000 premiership and was on top of the ladder. The Lions beat Essendon that night and did not lose another game en-route to the 2001 flag and followed with more flags in 2002/03.

The North London Lions have taken a leaf from the Matthews book and proved that the powerhouse West London Wildcats are not immortal. They can be beaten, as the Lions proved in their 14 5 89 to 11 13 79 win at home on the weekend. The win secures third place for the Lions, but more importantly they have created a blueprint for success for other finalists to follow against the Wildcats come finals time. No longer is this a one-horse race to the flag.

In other results, the Wandsworth Demons powered home to a solid 47 point win over the Wimbledon Hawks whilst the London Swans gave the Putney Magpies a nasty afternoon with a 102 point lesson. For the Demons and the Swans the games were good tune ups ready for finals action in two weeks time.

With a round left in the AFLCNE season most of the recent action has occurred at the top and bottom of the ladder. The Manchester Mozzies have held firm after being challenged by Sheffield Thunder for bragging rights and will now finish the home and away season on top of the ladder and take out the 2015 minor premiership. At the other end of the scale, the Tyne Tees Tigers relentless finish to the season will see them likely to avoid the wooden spoon with more powerful performances.

Round 12 saw the Birmingham Bears keep their finals hopes in good stead when they won their game against Sheffield Thunder by a forfeit. The Nottingham Scorpions also stayed in the hunt with a 13 point win over the Wolverhampton Wolverines. But it was the Tyne Tees Tigers that caused the upset of the round when they thumped the third placed Huddersfield Rams by 72 points, pulling of their second win against a likely finalist in three weeks.

With just two rounds left until the finals, the North London Lions are the fourth team to guarantee their place after a commanding win against the Putney Magpies. Whilst it would have taken an unexpected turn of events to see the Lions miss out, they would still be relieved that they now join the Wildcats, Demons and Swans in the top four and can start to work their drills, plays and fitness ready to go as far as they can this year. The final score saw the Lions 17 13 115 defeat the Magpies 6 3 39.

In other matches, the Wandsworth Demons were too good for the London Swans, winning 10 14 74 to 6 10 46. The West London Wildcats flexed their muscle in the run to the finals with a comprehensive victory over the Wimbledon Hawks. Final score saw the Wildcats 23 15 153 defeat the Hawks 6 4 40.

The remaining two weeks of the home and away season will see the top four vying for final positions. Wildcats and Demons are locked in first and second place, but the Lions and Swans will fight out third and fourth spot with both currently locked together on four wins each. Both have to play the ravenous Wildcats, but have winnable matches in the other round. The Lions have the superior percentage.

It might not mean much in the greater scheme of things, but a forfeit, often considered a “no result”, can sometimes be the trigger for something else. For the Nottingham Scorpions their four points gained from last weekend’s forfeit by the Tyne Tees Tigers has given the Scorpions finals chances a kick start. Suddenly, the Scorpions are back in the race in fifth place, just a game and not a huge percentage behind the fourth-placed Bears.

Whilst the Scorpions luck occurred without a kick in anger, for the league leaders – Manchester and Sheffield – it was almost the opposite. In a pulsating affair, the Mozzies consolidated top spot after an arm wrestle with their nearest ladder rivals in the battle for minor premiership favouritism. The final score saw the Mozzies beat the Thunder 15 13 103 to 15 10 100. They are now a game clear on top, and have returned fire after going down to the Sheffield crew back in Round Six.

The 2015 season has seen continued development of the Australian Rules football code in Croatia as they gear towards the upcoming Axios Euro Cup to be played in Umag in October. With the development of the new women’s team – the Velika Gorica Mambas Mambas Ready To Rock Croatia – and the new Sesvete Double Blues, the new season has been huge.

Josip Kravar, president of the Association of Australian Football in Croatia (AAFC) details the rise of the Double Blues in part two of a look at the acceleration of the game in the lead up to the Euro Cup.

“So the story is that three ex-Hawks players had idea to start a club in Sesvete. It is a small town near Zagreb, and they did it.”

“The club now is competing in HLAN and CEAFL where they struggled through the start of the season, but now they have won against both the Tigers and Styrian Downunderdogs, and so two games in row are here [in the bag].”

With this year’s Axios Euro Cup just a matter of months away, the host nation, Croatia, has found a new weapon up its already impressive sleeve. Just in time to be ready for the October event in Umag, the new Velika Gorika Mambas women’s team has arrived, and they could spell the nucleus for a new Croatian women’s team.

According to Croatian footy president, Josip Kravar “This year AAFC (Association of Australian Football in Croatia) is host of Axios Euro Cup and we are celebrating 10 years of footy in Croatia.”

“In last 10 years we created 5 footy clubs and strong national team that is well known and respected among opponents. There is no better time to announce that we have first women club, Velika Gorica Mambas.”

With just three rounds remaining for the 2015 AFL London season, much of the jostling for a finals place is almost done. Whilst the Wildcats and Demons have all but secured their places at the top of the home and away tree, the London Swans have joined them with their win over the Wimbledon Hawks almost certainly locking them into the top four and leap-frogging the Lions into third place.

The Swans’ victory on the weekend, 13 8 86 to the Hawks’ 10 8 68, gave them their fourth win of the year and has them well placed to remain in the top three by finals time, albeit with a tough run home which includes both the Wildcats and Demons. It will depend on how the Lions negotiate their final rounds which does include clashes with both bottom placed teams – Magpies and Hawks.

In the other premiership match it was the West London Wildcats comfortably accounting for the Putney Magpies 19 14 128 to 7 5 47.