European Islands Dominate in JLT All-Stars Curtain Raiser
- Tuesday, November 06 2012 @ 05:07 pm ACDT
- Contributed by: Tobietta Rhyman
- Views: 3,765
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Fresh out of the Euro Cup and having put on some impressive performances at country level, the very best of European Aussie Rules talent is now set to take the stage one step further as they go head to head against each other for the JLT European All-Stars game.
What better place and time to showcase Europe’s very own football stars, than as a curtain raiser for the Elastoplast AFL European Challenge, where the Western bulldogs will face off against Port Adelaide this Saturday at Kia Oval.
World Footy News caught up with some of the players to hear what they had to say about the game.
The players from the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide arrived in London today ahead of Saturday’s AFL European Challenge exhibition game. AFL Europe reported that the players also got their first look round Kia Oval, the venue for the game, for some pre match training runs.
Meanwhile Port Adelaide’s new coach Ken Hinkley and Bulldogs’ coach Brendan McCartney were at the pre-match press conference.
Both clubs have fielded young teams for the tournament and are expected to use the opportunity to debut new recruits.
Despite this, Port Adelaide coach Hinkley said he told his players, “Just go out and play the game of footy. You’ve got to go after the game in a fair dinkum way, because it’s a contact game. If you’re not prepared to play footy, you’ll end up in real trouble. Hopefully they get through the game okay.”
On the opposite side, Bulldogs coach McCartney added, “With young players, the more you see them, the more you learn about them. To see them go away for eight weeks and then to come back and their body shape changes; they’re a bit bigger in the leg and a bit stronger in the hips – you can see their progression and that’s really important.”
The Western Bulldogs have arrived in London ahead of Saturday’s European Challenge clash against Port Adelaide and have announced their plans for a two week tour of the UK.
The trip will open with training at the European Challenge host venue Kia Oval, before the players are invited to the official welcome function at Australia House.
Following Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs’ players will tour the grounds of several EPL soccer clubs and Harlequins Rugby Union Club, as well as visiting the All-Stars training facilities of hosts AFL Europe.
The Bulldogs have brought a squad of nearly 40 players to the UK, including recently traded Bulldogs Koby Stevens and Tom Young. Newly appointed High Performance Manager Graham Lowe was also in London to meet the team.
Bulldogs skipper Matthew Boyd said the squad was forward to the weekend clash, as well as their tours of some of the UK’s leading sporting clubs where they hoped to ideas and experiences.
"You don't get the chance very often to swap notes with the likes of Fulham FC and the London Harlequins,” Boyd said. “It's going to be a fantastic experience - especially for the young blokes.”
Read the full story for key dates and events of the Western Bulldogs’ pre-season trip.
With the London exhibition match on again at the Oval this weekend we thought we would have a look back at the contraversial incidents of the 1987 "Battle of Britain" exhibition match between North Melbourne and Carlton. It should be pointed out to those who are not familiar with the game as it played some 25 years later is not nearly as wild and violent as in the dark past displayed here.
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