In a positive sign for international footy, Papua New Guinea's Under 18 "Kupandas" defeated the Indigenous Australians (the Flying Boomerangs, believed to be an Under 18 side also) by one point in the first game of the two match tour of PNG.

PNG Kupandas 9.12 (66)
Flying Boomerangs 9.11 (65)

We'll have more details later, but for now, more information can be found in a report on the AFL website here.

The series now moves to Lae, about 300km north of Port Moresby, for game two on Sunday.

Following on from our article on Wednesday that the New Zealand Under 20 Championships have attracted scouts from several AFL clubs, it was reported in Melbourne's The Age today that four clubs will be represented. Those clubs were named as Hawthorn, Geelong, Sydney and North Melbourne.

The story (Forget Irish, clubs turn to Kiwis) singles out Hawthorn as particularly keen to establish a recruiting network to take advantage of the international scholarship program. The article, by Jake Niall, also mentions the Kiwi heritage of the Hawks' Trent Croad, Brent Renouf and Shane Savage, and suggests the reigning premier has been in discussions with the NZAFL to assist with the continuing establishment of junior footy.

In many ways New Zealand and PNG have led the way in international footy, with South Africa rising fast and the Gaelic football connection delivering plenty of Irishmen to the AFL. But there has been a sense that NZ may fall behind at junior level, so hopefully a good showing this weekend will help them gain the momentum needed to keep competing with the likes of the Papuans and Africans.

In an exciting development for reigning International Cup champions Papua New Guinea, they have just begun hosting a top class touring squad from Australia, their first such opportunity to see one of their representative squads play international competition on home soil.

Two youth matches will be played between PNG and potential future AFL champions from Australia, under the banner "One Tribe Challenge". An Australian indigenous youth team will take on the AFLPNG under 18 team nicknamed “Kupanda” (spear in the Melpa language of the Western Highlands Province of PNG). The Australian team, known as the “Flying Boomerangs” will play two matches in PNG with game one in Port Moresby at the UPNG oval on March 13 and game two at the Lae Show Ground on March 15. The Australian indigenous team is the same concept as the Boomerangs side that has played South Africa in the past, proving more than their match, and will be a wonderful test for the Papuan junior program.

The NZAFL have recently advertised on their website for people to run Auskick centres. The programmes would run for eight sessions and target the after school timeslot of 3.30-5pm.

Though this is different to how things are generally done in Australia, obviously things need to be tinkered with in development markets.

One of the key barriers to getting children involved in developed countries is that, more often than not, children are already committed to their traditional sports of a Saturday or Sunday morning when many Australians would expect clinics to be held. Therefore to get an initial participation of some longevity rather than one-off clinics a timeslot must be found that may capture enough interest.

On the 14th and 15th of March 2009, the New Zealand AFL will hold its Under 20 National Provincial Championships (NPC) in Christchurch at Westminster Park. The tournament will involve representative teams from Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury and has already created interest in AFL circles with several talent scouts to be in attendance.

From the players participating, a New Zealand talent squad will be selected and will compete as a team in the Senior National Provincial Championships in Auckland in October later this year.

The tournament favourites will be Auckland, who are expected to dominate the weekend due to the depth of talent available from a domestic league that boasts two senior grades and a stronger pathway for those looking to aspire to greater heights within the code. Over the past five years the average age of players in the competition in the Auckland region has dropped dramatically. The mix of a few experienced Australian expatriates and fit and willing New Zealand youngsters seems to be a recipe for success. Given the run-down from the teams that follows below, it appears Canterbury will finish second and Wellington will struggle to compete at all.

This recipe has resulted in an abundance of new, fresh faces from New Zealand’s shores eager to replicate the outstanding skills and intensity shown by very good Australian players. More and more players from minor leagues in Australia are making their way across the Tasman to participate in the New Zealand domestic competitions that start straight after the end of the Australian season.

Read on for a run-down of each of the competing sides.

The AFL and Oceania AFL have played their part in creating initiatives for younger players to increase their involvement in the game. AFL Oceania is organising an Under 15 tournament which could feature teams from New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Nauru and Fiji in November this year.

Andrew Cadzow, responsible for much of the junior driven development in PNG, is now certainly making his mark across the wider region with his responsibility for AFL Oceania. In preparation, the NZAFL will hold under 15 school based tournaments in Auckland, Canterbury, Waikato and Wellington in June 2009 all geared towards selecting a New Zealand team to compete in the Oceania tournament.

The selection of Amua Pirika by the fledgling Gold Coast Football Club, proposed for the AFL competition, has certainly raised awareness of the talent available in other countries. AFLPNG have continued their close relationship with AFL Queensland and the Suncoast Lions are the beneficiaries of four more talented New Guineans for this season, signing up 4 under 18s in Emmanuel Tupia, John Vogae, Peter Labi and Gary Kiele. Interestingly the Lions have also attracted a smattering of talented players from a variety of other sports, something those of us who are involved in international sport base our whole recruitment strategy around!

Read more on this topic at Power draw talent from afar.

In January the Kingdom of Tonga's first ever Australia Day Challenge took place with Tongatapu (the largest island) defeating Vava'u in a tough match at Teufaiva Stadium in Nuku'alofa, the nation's capital. The following is based on information courtesy of Michael O'Shannassy.

The Australian High Commissioner H.E. Dr. Bruce Hunt watched the entire game enthusiastically along with a crowd of about 100. He greeted the players beforehand with a handshake and afterwards as well as posing for photos with the Vava'u team. His speech recalled how Aussie Rules was founded 151 years ago and it was between two teams just like today. He also said he hoped it would be the start of many more games, especially on Australia Day.

The game was played in tough conditions - the ground was hard, grass uncut and a very strong wind blowing to one end. In the end Tongatapu won out (61-55), however Vava'u probably kicked themselves out of the game in the last quarter with many missed opportunities. The game was played in great spirit with plenty of the famous "Tongan Sidestep" to keep the players honest.

AFL Oceania's Andrew Cadzow has put the call out for interested parties to contact him with a view to forming a steering committee to create AFL Fiji, "to be put in place to assist and guide the structure and growth of AFL in Fiji". Early thoughts include Auskick (or Fijikick), Recreational football, community and life skills programs and talent development, with a theme of "Let’s give everybody a go".

There has been plenty to recommend Fiji recently. There has been the athleticism of Fijian-Australian Nick Naitanui (drafted to West Coast at number 2 a few months ago), the ongoing success of David Rodan and Alipate Carlisle with Port Adelaide, and the International Scholarship listing of Inoke Ratu and Solomoni Loki by the Western Bulldogs following a recruitment camp in Suva and Labassa in Fiji.

There's also some history, with Fiji footy gets the ball rolling. Unfortunately that faded out (see Fiji suspends football development), in part due to in-country political problems. But there are good early signs for this new program, with Cadzow saying "Interest is at an all time high and opportunity exists to take the game to Fiji. Already school clinics, talent search and small game blocks have commenced irregularly throughout the Country".

AFL Oceania are looking for people in both Australia and Fiji to get involved, saying "The more the merrier. Exciting times ahead". Interested parties can contact Andrew Cadzow, however we're always reluctant to list email addresses due to "spambots" so we'll be deliberately obscure. The general contact for AFL Oceania is afloceania@aflq.com.au

The East Devonport Swans, who play in the Northern Tasmanian Football League, have scored an early coup in the lead-up to 2009’s NTFL season by signing two exciting players from Papua New Guinea.

Emmaus Wartovo and Willie Aisi were among the stars for the PNG Mosquitoes in last year's AFL International Cup grand final against New Zealand. The pair also played in Queensland last year on international scholarships, but returned home to PNG during the summer. According to an article by Martin Agatyn in local paper, The Advocate, “They are expected to arrive in Tasmania by mid- February, once details of their sporting visas are finalised. It is believed the signings will be the first time PNG nationals have played football for a Tasmanian club. Aisi is reported to be a speedy on-baller, while Wartovo is a handy forward who can kick goals.”