2019 Euro Cup Team Previews: Part One

Just under three weeks now until the 2019 AFL Europe Euro Cup, and this year the tournament will be held in Norrtalje, Sweden for what is set to be a thrilling day of football as national teams from 16 different European countries field their nations best players and over 350 players battle it out for the Cup.

This year’s edition of the Euro Cup will see all the games take place on Saturday the 29th of June. As part of the buildup, AFL Europe will be previewing all the teams competing. In our first edition of team previews, we will be taking a closer look at the Croatian Knights and Austrian Avalanche in the men’s side of the competition and in the women’s the England Vixens.

Men’s Competition:

Austrian Avalanche

Coach: Dan Shinners

Captain: Michael Jud

What has your preparation been heading into the 2019 Euro Cup?

We had a very good and intensive training camp and want to get fine-tuned for the Euro Cup, with last weekend’s CEAFL tournament at home helping us prepare.

How many clubs are represented in your national team?

Only one club is represented and this is the team from Graz, the Styrian Downunder Dogs.

How many of your players are going to be making their Euro Cup debuts?

There is just one Euro Cup rookie, but he has already attended the Champions League twice, so although first time to this event his is still an experienced player.

What can we expect to see from your team this Euro Cup?

A lot of passion, a lot of fun and I hope that after a moderate performance last year, we hope we will be back to our best again this year.

What does competing in the Euro Cup mean to your team?

The Euro Cup is the highlight of the sports year. Everybody is trying to be in the best shape at that time and we can’t wait to compete with Europe’s best teams again.

What are your expectations for the Euro Cup?

It depends on the draw but with so many top teams and wanting to improve on previous years we want to finish in a top 10 spot at least.

Who are the players in your team that we should be watching out for?

Bernhard Voller is in great shape again. He plays in the ruck and has the ability to decide a match alone. Besides that he is already the 4th player in the team with double-digit Euro Cup appearances, meaning we will have some much-needed experience in our side.

Do you have any extra bits of information about the team, like past years funny/interesting stories?

Oh yes, but what happens at the Euro Cup stays at the Euro Cup.

The Austrian Avalanche will be remembered in the 2019 Euro Cup for…

Being the surprise package of the tournament.

Croatian Knights

Coach: Ivan Molnar

Captain: Tomislav Đuran

What has your preparation been heading into the 2019 Euro Cup?

The preparation for the Euro Cup lasts three weeks and in that time we aim to create a positive team atmosphere and to sharpen our skills. The players are in good form because they compete in the Croatian league and in the Central European Australian football league, so this is definitely a positive side of having Euro Cup before the summer break.

How many clubs are represented in your national team?

This year we have two clubs represented in our national team. Due to mainly financial reasons, it is hard for us to send the team to both Euro Cup and the European Championship in the same season, so we had to adapt to that.

How many of your players are going to be making their Euro Cup debuts?

We will have eight players who will be making their Euro cup debuts, we have had to adapt.

What can we expect to see from your team this Euro Cup?

From Croatian Knights, you can always expect a passionate and quality game. Regardless of the odds, we are always going for the win.

What does competing in the Euro Cup mean to your team?

It is hard to describe what competing in the Euro cup means to us. This is still the most massive competition in Europe and it is here that Croatian Knights have made their name. We have won the Euro Cup two times and are one of the most successful countries. It is extremely hard to stay among the best for so many years and we are really looking forward to another challenge.

What are your expectations for the Euro Cup?

Our expectations are to be the best that we can be.

Who are the players in your team that we should be watching out for?

As always it is the strength of the team that will decide our destiny, but I would definitely point out Josip Motik who is in great form this season.

Do you have any extra bits of information about the team, like past years funny/interesting stories?

There are always funny stories, last year after Euro Cup in Cork, five of us went from the south to the north of Ireland visiting our Irish friends. It was unforgettable but the funniest thing was that we were driving a little Toyota Aygo and we are not small boys, enough is to say that all squashed in the back we bonded a lot.

The Croatian Knights will be remembered in the 2019 Euro Cup for…

Hopefully for at least one of the reasons being a good overall result in the tournament!

Women’s Competition:

England Vixens

Coach: Rob Fielder
Captain: Laura Turner-Ramadan

What has your preparation been heading into the 2019 Euro Cup?

After having the two selection days in February and March, we have met every month since to ensure we’ve had ample time together to grow as a squad. The London Allstars team and GB Swans have provided some tough opposition in our three training games, allowing us to test ourselves, our structures and our game plan before the tournament.

How many clubs are represented in your national team?

We have six clubs being represented; four from the AFL London league and two from the SEWARFL CNE League. Our highest contingent of players come from the Nottingham Scorpions and North London Lions.

How many of your players are going to be making their Euro Cup debuts?

It’s a very different team from previous Euro Cups and there are a lot of new faces in the team. In total we have seven ladies making their England debut.

What can we expect to see from your team this Euro Cup?

Eight of our players come from a Rugby background so we are hoping to bring a physical presence to our games. Complementing the physicality, we have a number of experienced and nimble players who will get their hands on the ball and look to attack at every opportunity.

What does competing in the Euro Cup mean to your team?

It means a great deal. The England Vixens have an accomplished history in this tournament, we have won the competition twice and come runner up on the other three occasions. This team knows that they have to put every effort in to uphold that reputation so that we can still regard ourselves as one of the best teams in Europe.

Who are the players in your team that we should be watching out for?

We have our feisty forward Sophie Todd who loves to jostle with her opponent to get front spot to receive the ball. Sian Crewe is a cool head at the back who isn’t afraid to run it out of defence, and she can even slot a few goals with her sweet left foot. Finally, someone who you should maybe listen out for rather than watching out for is our Captain Laura Turner-Ramadan. Laura takes the game very seriously but can still have some banter and crack out a one-liner or two as she goes along.

Do you have any extra bits of information about the team, like past years funny/interesting stories?

We like to have a bit of a theme for the after party and this year we have chosen Polka Dot. We learnt a few years ago that beige really isn’t a good colour to go out in!

The England Vixens will be remembered in the 2019 Euro Cup for..

Being a strong but fair team that plays good footy.