The South Pacific entered the first round of the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships as warm favourites to beat the World XVIII squad, and they proved to be deserving of that position, stretching their lead at every break, though really only breaking free in the last quarter, to win by 32 points. Match report below, photos to follow soon.

With bright sunshine and near perfect conditions in Western Sydney's Blacktown and the new AFL facility looking a picture, the teams lined up before the game, the highlight being the South Pacific giving a spirited multinational equivalent of the Haka, listing in turn the countries the boys come from: PNG, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Nauru, Fiji, Solomon Islands and New Zealand, all called out in turn with a lot of gusto.

Today Division Two of the Under 16 Championships commences with the long awaited official debut of the World XVIII and South Pacific sides. Yesterday the tournament kicked off with Division One powerhouses Victoria Metro, Victoria Country, Western Australia and South Australia. The opening wins went to WA and SA.

Round one matches to be played today, Sunday, July 4 at Blacktown Olympic Park:

10am World XVIII v South Pacific
12.30pm Tasmania v Northern Territory
3pm Queensland v NSW/ACT

The World XVIII youth side is in Australia to compete in the NAB AFL Under 16 championships. Drawn from junior players from around the planet (excluding the South Pacific, competing as a separate side), the team features one Danish player, Mathias Biron.

With Denmark's league being one of Europe's oldest, and with a long record of junior development, it was perhaps a little disappointing that we couldn't see more of their young players at this tournament. But worldfootynews.com was pleased to help Mathias make the long journey down to Australia, making a donation to his family. We have limited resources so could only afford to assist one player this year, and the decision to help the young Dane was no particular preference, and we hope that in future we may be able to offer similar support to perhaps one player from a different country each year.

Early reports are that Mathias has performed well in the training and trial matches, with one knowledgeable onlooker telling WFN that he could well be Denmark's best player at next year's International Cup.

WFN's Troy Thompson caught up with Mathias on Friday for a quick chat. Listen to the audio here.

The World18 and the South Pacific teams to play in the Under 16 National Championships next week were in Melbourne this week to be acclimatised to playing Australian football in Australia. With many of the players not accustomed to playing 18 a side and in some cases not completely familiar with the rules it gives the coaching staff of both teams a chance to cram in teaching of skills and tactics as well.

At Melbourne University oval yesterday both teams had their second warm up match against each other after their match earlier in the week separated them by just a goal. Media assembly at the event was diluted by a large police raid and blockade in Melbourne’s west, but built as the session continued. The World team in blue and the South Pacific in red kits (not the team kits for next week’s championships) both went through warm up drills for about half an hour before the formalities got underway.

worldfootynews.com's Troy Thompson headed down to Melbourne University Oval to watch the South Pacific and World XVIII teams go head to head in a practice match as they prepare to compete in the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships against fellow Division Two teams NSW/ACT, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania. Below are short videos of the half time words of wisdom from the respective coaches on the day - both recently retired AFL stars.

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World XVIII team addressed by coach Michael O'Loughlin.

Continue on to see Scott Lucas talk to the South Pacific players at half time, and a post-match address to the World XVIII, and the South Pacific players in prayer, reflecting the strong Christian faith common across many of the South Pacific islands. And in the next couple of days look out for Troy's encouraging thoughts on the quality of players on show.

The South Pacific and World teams have begun the process of playing scratch matches in the lead up to their first NAB AFL Under 16s match this weekend.

On Sunday the South Pacific squad had a trial match in country Victoria (but not far from Melbourne) against a Waubra Under 18s team, kicking 4.11 (35) to 5.2 (32). Best players included Wingti Pena, Slim Collins, Donatello Moses, Herman Tanuvasa, Samiuela Tuitupou, Liam Ackland, Gavuri, Rhys Panui-Leth and John Ikupu. The World side has also had a hitout, with more to come. The coaching staff have the difficult task of pulling together all the different nationalities, working out their best roles, giving all the players a fair run, and ensuring the players learn to play together as a cohesive unit.

The youth World XVIII and South Pacific players have arrived in Australia for the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships, with both squads competing in Division Two against Tasmania, NT, Queensland and NSW/ACT.

The players were scheduled to touch down in Melbourne last weekend and are now undergoing an intensive week of skills training and general football education, before they head up to Sydney for their opening clash (which is against each other) next Sunday, July 4th.

A dispensation for the international sides, which are competing in this elite competition for the first time, is that they can field players up to 18 years old. The World side also includes a significant contingent of young multicultural Australian talent.

The final squads for the South Pacific and World XVIII teams at this year's AFL National under 16s Championships have been released, with representatives from PNG, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Nauru, South Africa, USA, Canada, England, Argentina, China and Denmark to take the field, along with a number of players picked from recent African, Middle Eastern and Asian migrants to Australia.

The World XVII will be coached by former Sydney Swan Michael O'Loughlin, whilst the South Pacific will be coached by NZ-born former AFL star Trent Croad, pictured at left with their respective team captains.

The event will mark the first time ever that teams drawn primarily of international players will take on the best young talent in Australia, the previous closest being PNG's appearance at the Teal Cup in the 1970s.

The Western Bulldogs today congratulate Julia Gillard on this historic occasion becoming Australia’s first female Prime Minister. Ms Gillard has been a lifelong Western Bulldogs supporter and Member.

Chief Executive Campbell Rose said that today’s news marks not only an unforgettable day but also a historic one for both our Club and our country. “The Club is very proud to be associated with such a significant moment in our national history. Ms Gillard’s achievement is recognition for her tireless work within the western suburbs of Melbourne and we believe that Julia will make an outstanding Prime Minister. Julia is an brilliant leader and will represent the people of our country well,” said Rose.

Former Sydney Swans star Michael O'Loughlin has spoken on the AFL website about the challenge and excitement of coaching the youth World XVIII at the upcoming NAB AFL Under 16 Championships, to be staged in western Sydney.

The video interview can be viewed here.

It's only a few weeks until the tournament begins - see NAB AFL Under 16s draw announced