Friday night footy at Etihad Stadium kicks off Round 17 with Carlton hosting Hawthorn.  We welcome new International Broadcast partner RDS in Quebec that will be showing delayed replays of the West Coast Eagles vs Sydney match.

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.

 

Friday night footy at Etihad Stadium kicks off Round 16 with North Melbourne hosting Essendon.

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.

 

Thursday night footy in Adelaide kicks off Round 15 with the Port Adelaide hosting Collingwood. 

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.

 

The World Team format that saw a mix of overseas and multicultural players form a team to play in the National Under 16 Championships has seen a watering down of the overseas based players component of the team as the concept has worn on.  Now there are no overseas based players involved with the team now made up exclusively of players with multicultural Australian based players that were born in non-English speaking countries (although the squad below seems to have some exceptions to this) .

The South Pacific Team now does not compete at this national tournament - they now compete in the Qld U16 State championships (that were held in May) and can make it to the National Championships and represent Qld. 

The AFL has also indicated that in future, if there is an outstanding overseas based junior talent identified by international affiliates they will "be open to accommodating these players either through the World Team or through another state talent program."

 

Matches for the World Team and Flying Boomerangs begin today at 4pm.

Generally speaking, coaches do not coach because they are completely benevolent souls with nothing else to do with their lives. We coach because we enjoy it. We coach because we believe we have something still to offer. We coach because we believe that we can make a small difference. We also, no matter how much we want to deny it, coach because we still have a vicarious connection to playing the game…and that is not a bad thing. That’s a form of passion.

Those, like me, at junior level, often far from the madding crowds of the AFL big time, do not play for the same stakes as the 18 senior AFL coaches and, probably with few exceptions, are not in the same league as those coaches. Yet most of us look up to those 18 – an 18 which changes year to year, but is still the highest level in the land – and try to emulate them, either consciously or unconsciously.

                                                                    Thursday night footy in Sydney kicks off Round 14 with the Sydney hosting Port Adelaide. 

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.

 

                                                                    Thursday night footy in Perth kicks off Round 13 with the Dockers hosting Collingwood.. 

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.

 

Geelong's Steven Motlop has been working to bring a group of refugees together as a football team. This fascinating account of his dream was recently aired on Channel 7 news.

The Channel Seven news story looked behind the scenes of the football world where new immigrants and refugees are slowly but surely taking up the game at junior and senior levels, with the assistance of players like Motlop.

As reported by Nick McCallum on the Channel Seven story, the Geelong star has brought his skills along to train a group of refugees, some aboriginal students going to school in Geelong and some helpful locals to develop a team.

 

Thursday night footy in Adelaide kicks off Round 12 with the Crows hosting the reigning Premiers, Hawthorn. 

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.

 

Watching Sydney Swans player Mike Pyke being chaired from Metricon Stadium tonight after playing his 100th game against the Gold Coast Suns was quite special. Not so much the fact it was 100 games, but that it was achieved by a player who, by his own admission, would have been content to play just one.

To reach the 100 games mark after switching codes sends strong messages to any other players from overseas. If it isn’t enough to see Pyke’s milestone as proof that it is important to follow your dreams, he has also demonstrated that age, background, tyranny of distance and knowledge of the game are just small impediments on a journey which is dictated more by determination, opportunity, a little luck and most of all belief.

Much has been written about Pyke’s journey previously Pyke reaches the peak of Aussie Rules Football and his story is inspirational, especially when looked at from the point of view of international success for prospective players. But a brief recap certainly provides a remarkable insight into a very talented athlete.