IC17 Team Announcement – Great Britain Bulldogs
Over the next month AFL Europe will be taking a look at the teams travelling to the International Cup in Australia this August. First up we’re checking in with the reigning European Champions, the GB Bulldogs, who will be looking to push deep into the finals after multiple mid-table finishes in previous tournaments.
What’s been happening since European Championships in 2016?
The GB Bulldogs were crowned European Champions in August last year after a convincing victory over the Irish Warriors. They kept their 18-a-side football rolling following with hit-outs against the Dutch and a rematch against the Irish over in Dublin.
They had a number of players in the Euro Cup in Lisbon with England finishing third and the Welsh and Scottish having solid tournaments.
Trials at the start of March provided players to showcase their athletic abilities.
What’s scheduled/planned for the months leading up to IC17?
Over the next couple of months, the Bulldogs will have a competitive hit-out in the London Footy Carnival against the visiting Canadian Development squad.
They will also be training as a squad twice per month in the lead up.
Who’s impressed on the training track/trials?
All players selected have impressed in the categories required by the coaches. Below are some of the top results from the March trials compared to the combine held by AFL NZ.
Vertical Leap: 84cm vs Ryan Spivey 79.3cm
20m Sprint: 2.91s vs Ross Denton 2.90s
Agility Test: 7.89s vs Andy Walkden & Marc Cashman 8.34s
Beep Test: 14.10 vs David Hastie 15.7
Coach’s thoughts?
Hear from GB Bulldogs head coach, Dean Thomas, from his interview on aflengland.org.
http://www.aflengland.org/?p=1837
The Squad
Ross Ashman – Manly Warringah Giants
Luke Booth – Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club – Vice Captain
Chris Britton – Manchester Mosquitoes
Marc Cashman – Wimbledon Hawks
Andrew Cochran – Manchester Mosquitoes
Jack Coughlan – North London Lions
Adam Coxsell – Caulfield Bears
Ross Denton – North London Lions
George Dibble – Wolverhampton Wolverines Australian Rules Football Club
Ryan Floyd – Fitzroy Football Club
David Hastie – Wimbledon Hawks
Jason Edward Hill – Wimbledon Hawks
Douglas Houston – UTS Bats And Shamrocks Football Club
Myles Hudson – Wimbledon Hawks
Mark Ireland – Sheffield Thunder
Mini Alex Markham – Caulfield Bears
Luke Matias – Caulfield Grammarians Football Club
Dominic Mitchell – Powerhouse FC
Luke Murchie – Caulfield Bears
Alex Overton – Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club
Owain Ryland – South Cardiff Panthers
Ryan Spivey – Sussex Swans Australian Rules Football Club
Michael Sharp – North London Lions
James Talbot – North London Lions
Andy Walkden – Manchester Mosquitoes
Sean Walton – Caulfield Bears – Vice Captain
Alex Watson – The Wandsworth Demons
Sam Willatt – Sandringham Zebras
Will Worthington – The Onkaparinga Valley Football Club – Captain
