2022 Champions League Team Previews: Part One
After a long, Covid-induced hiatus, AFL Europe’s Champions League, hosted in tandem with AFL Netherlands, is finally returning to Amsterdam. As always, some of Europe’s most talented Aussie Rules outfits will be putting their best footy on display as they compete for club champion status across the continent.
This year marks the sixth edition of the tournament, and the 9-a-side matchups will all take place on Saturday the 9th of April in what will be an action packed day of competition. With the event less than a month away, AFL Europe will be previewing all the teams competing. For part one of our team previews, we take a look at Northern Ireland’s Mid Ulster Scorpions, the Netherland’s Amsterdam Devils and Croatia’s Sesvete Redlegs.
Men’s Competition:
Mid Ulster Scorpions
How did you qualify for this year’s Champions League?
We managed to win the inaugural Northern Ireland league.
Have you been involved with any pre-season tournaments? If so, how did that go? If not, have you had the chance to play any other teams recently in preparation?
Yes, we have been involved in multiple in-house games as a way of trying to keep the skills up for the big Champions League tournament. Our manager, Ryan ‘Ninga’ McCloskey, has been putting us through our paces and keeping us on our toes. Most recently, we enjoyed playing in the Lep Cup in Belfast which was a full day together and saw some exciting footy on display.
What can we expect to see from your team this Champions League?
We will be pushing for a good finish but most of all, with a lot of the lads new to AFL Europe events, we want them to really enjoy themselves. We have some top end veterans which know what to expect, but it’s the younger guys who will need to step up and that will determine how far we go.
Any particular players to keep our eyes on?
Again, the obvious choices would be the seasoned lads who’ve played all around the world but my eyes are on Sean Lynch. He’s progressed very well and shows great ability, so my guess is he will take the next step into the elite bracket. Same goes for men like O’Hara & Purvis. Overall however, we’re mostly excited about all the raw lads who have only been playing in Europe a short while like Tony O’Hagan, Ultan Clancy, Jack O’Dolan and Dan O’Neill.
What’s the key strength of your team?
A good mix of age. Generally, the older guys love hard nut footy but are starting to slow down so with all the youth coming in it’s good to see a bit more speed around the contest and some funky flair.
Where do you rank competing in the Champions League in the AFL Europe calendar and what does it mean to the team?
This comp is for the best of the best. It’s no doubt that every club in Europe will class this competition as the one that you would want to win.
Do you have any extra bits of information about the club, like past years funny/interesting stories?
Stay tuned for some really eccentric boots, facial hair and shirts. Certain lads like to wear outrageous stuff – it will make for a terrific spectacle.
Amsterdam Devils
How did you qualify for this year’s Champions League?
We won the Dutch AFL League last year beating the Delft Blues in the final. It was the highest quality game we’ve seen in the league to date, with Delft up at 3/4 time but the Devils coming back at the end to win the flag.
Have you been involved with any pre-season tournaments? If so, how did that go? If not, have you had the chance to play any other teams recently in preparation?
We’ve had a Covid-interrupted preseason like most teams but have been away on our yearly training camp to the beach in Zandvoort and are playing Hamburg two weeks before the CL. Competition for spots is very fierce at the moment.
What can we expect to see from your team this Champions League?
As the reigning premiers we’re aiming to go back-to-back. We know how tough it is having lost in finals before, but we’ll be hard at the footy, give it a good crack and celebrate with all the teams after the tournament. Looking forward to hosting everyone again at the Sportpark de Eendracht and praying for some Dutch sunshine.
Any particular players to keep our eyes on?
Australian-wise it’s either the reigning B&F Dave ‘Hollywood’ Hall or our very own Silk, David Xian. On the international side we have hulking ruckman Maarten Oude-Lansink or twinkle-toed Irishman Joe Mooney.
What’s the key strength of your team?
We’ve had a consistent core of players over the last few years who have grown (old?) together so we know our gameplan well and believe in each other.
Where do you rank competing in the Champions League in the AFL Europe calendar and what does it mean to the team?
It’s arguably the biggest day of the Devils’ year. We train in the freezing cold for three months to step up for it and embrace the competition. Plus, we love hosting a great day out for all the teams who we hope feel welcome in Holland. Although it’s hard not to enjoy yourself in Amsterdam.
Do you have any extra bits of information about the club, like past years funny/interesting stories?
None too repeatable but most shenanigans seem to happen in yearly trips to Paris. Dave Hall will also down a beer on request and did a shoey in front of the Australian ambassador last CL in 2019.
Women’s Competition:
Sesvete Redlegs
How did you qualify for this year’s Champions League?
After winning the Croatian Aussie rules league for the third time in a row.
Have you been involved with any pre-season tournaments? If so, how did that go? If not, have you had the chance to play any other teams recently in preparation?
Unfortunately not yet, but we will be playing the Croatian Cup on the 19th of March which will be good preparation for the Champions league.
What can we expect to see from your team this Champions League?
We set our goals pretty high – this year and we’re looking to finish second in the group phase. That being said, we know that there are a lot of good teams and every match will be a hard fought one.
Any particular players to keep our eyes on?
I’d say the players to look out for are Antonia Kablar who will be playing in the forward line and Tea Tomasek who will be in the midfield.
What’s the key strength of your team?
Our main strength is quick transition from defence into attack. The girls want to see how good their tackling skills are against some Europe’s best teams so that is something that should be interesting as well.
Where do you rank competing in the Champions League in the AFL Europe calendar and what does it mean to the team?
Due to COVID we weren’t able to play the Champions League before, so this is a big deal for us. We all want to know how much we’ve progressed in the past couple of years and playing against some excellent teams will give us a lot of motivation to be even better.
Do you have any extra bits of information about the club, like past years funny/interesting stories?
A fun fact is that of our standard 14 players in our club, 6 are medical nurses and 6 are in finance, we still don’t know what the other two do for a living and they’ve been playing with us for 3 years now.
