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Around the Grounds

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St. Petersburg Cats claim Unity Day Cup

On a freezing day of November 4th three Russian teams played the final tournament of 2016 – Unity Day Cup – on the Moscow State University pitch. It was a home ground for two capital city teams – “Slavyane” & “Lazy Koalas”, and the third one came from Saint-Petersburg – “St.Petersburg Cats”. It was a snowy day with -2°C on the thermometer, but the competitors were ready for such unpleasant weather.

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In the opening minutes of the first game (Slavyane vs Cats) the home team got a quick 7 points, scoring a goal and a behind. The Cats, however, found strength to fight back and dominated the rest of the match, scoring a goal every 3-4 minutes and playing a decent defensive game. After two periods of 15 minutes the final score was 66 to 9 in favour of St. Petersburg squad.

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The second game of the tournament was played between Koalas and Slavyane. Both teams were playing hard, but luck was against Slavyane this day, they conceded several goals, and Koalas calmly finished the match with the score of 72 to 13. The last game was a part of long-lasting rivalry between two cities; Moscow and St. Petersburg. There were three cups previously in 2016: Koalas celebrated the victory in April, Cats got their revenge in May, and Koalas were stronger in September tournament. But during this cold day the luck was on the side of guest team. The Cats started the game with four goals and a couple of behinds, then Koalas narrowed the gap to 10 points. But shortly after the team from St. Petersburg maintained the control on each part of the pitch, locking up everything in defence, dominating in the middle, delivering quick passes and converting them into points. The final score was 54 to 26 in favour of the Cats, and they were declared the winners of Unity Day Cup. The 2016 season of Australian football in Russia is over, but teams continue to conduct training’s on a regular basis, constantly improving their skills and preparing for a next season.

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Thanks to Alex Andryushin for the review of the Unity Day Cup

CNFA Wrap

The ALFA Lions will enter the rest of the CNFA season a real sense of confidence after convincingly beating CNFA powerhouses the Paris Cockerels. The conditions were tough with heavy rain pouring throughout the game. The Lions held their composure and ended up with a resounding victory with the final scores 85 to 11.

In the other match in the CNFA over the weekend, the Paris Cockatoos made amends for their big brothers after they snatched victory from the Bordeaux Bombers in the final minutes in the Capital. The final score in the match was 90 to 79.

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Great work to all sides who played over the weekend. The CNFA season is shaping up to be a nail-biter.

Clapham Cubs

The Clapham Cubs held their November training session on Sunday in the beautiful sunshine at Clapham Common. The session was attended by several juniors and was well run by the coaches in what is fast becoming a real presence on the Common.

The Cubs are on the lookout for any potential sponsors as they look to purchase their first ever playing kit. If you’d like more information on the Cubs, please email claphamcubs@gmail.com

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Port Malmo winter training

The Port Malmo Football Club have got their winter training up and running for another year. If you’re in the area and wish to join in for the session they run on Tuesday evenings from 6:20-8:30pm at the Latinskola Sports Hall.

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If you want any more information feel free to email coach@portmalmo.com for more details

GB Bulldogs name their Preliminary Squad

The Great Britain Bulldogs have named their preliminary squad for the International Cup in Melbourne next year. Head Coach, Dean Thomas, named the 52-man squad after a solid International season for the GB side who claimed the European Championships in August.

The boys will be doing all they can over the off-season to get their name onto the final squad list to take part in IC17 in Melbourne. Congratulations to those who have made it this far.

Check out the full press release on the AFL England page:

www.aflengland.org

Around the Grounds

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Welcome to Aussie Rules, Eksjo Bulldogs!

AFL Sweden has a new member in its footy family. The Eksjo Bulldogs were officially welcomed to the AFL Sweden competition when they took part in their first intra-club game at the weekend. The Port Malmo Maulers travelled to Eksjo to help with numbers for the session.

Congratulations on playing your first intra-club match Bulldogs, we’ll follow your progress closely and wish you all the best going forward.

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CNFA Wrap up

The second day of the CNFA Championships took place at the weekend. The ALFA Lyon took on the Toulouse Hawks and dominated from start to finish. They ended up amassing a huge 175-points to the Hawks 40.

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In the other match the Bordeaux Bombers hosted the Paris Cockerels in picture perfect conditions. In what was a close game the Cockerels came away with the all-important four points with a 90 to 59 final score.

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The final game of round 2 takes places this weekend with the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes taking on the Perpignan Tigers. Stay tuned for more news on that game later in the week.

Euro Cup flashback – Rob Fielder assists Russia

It’s been a few weeks since the Euro Cup but we’ve come across this gem of a photo from the tournament:

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That’s England Dragonslayers coach, Rob Fielder, giving up his time following his teams game to help a coach-less Russian side during one of their hit-outs. What an absolute legend! No surprises that he was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to AFL England.

Simple gestures like that are what footy in Europe is all about. Great stuff Rob.

Ireland hold on to beat a fast finishing Bulldogs

The highly-anticipated AFL Europe Championships final rematch took place at the weekend in Dublin. The GB Bulldogs, with a host of changes, were hoping to further develop their talent pool prior to the International Cup in 2017. For the Irish, along with a lot of changes themselves, were seeking some redemption following a terrible performance on the mainstage at EC16.

The Warriors jumped out of the blocks early to dominant possession. Coupled with their frantic pressure they registered the first three goals of the match. Going into the first change 15-points up was a great start for the Irish boys and they continued this in the second to go into the main break with an 8.5. 53 to 4.4. 28 scoreboard advantage.

It took a half of football for the Bulldogs to finally switch on and it was the ever-dependable Myles Hudson and Alex Overton that led the charge from the backline. For the Warriors, Roch Hanmore and David McElhone were influencing the play from midfield.

Despite the improved efforts of the Bulldogs the third term ended with the Warriors registering three goals to the Bulldogs two, leaving a 27-point margin going into the final quarter.

The five-goal margin didn’t deter the reigning European Champions and they started the last term with a bang. A yellow card to an Irish player further aided the GB charge as they closed the gap to within 7-points late in the quarter. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs that’s as close as they came as the final siren gave the Irish Warriors a little bit of redemption for their loss two months earlier. Final scores reading 12.6. 78 to 10.11. 71.

Goals:

Ireland: R. McCloskey 4, C. Lordan 3, P. O’Connell 2, L. Burns, S. Guing, M. Bell

GB: A. Walkden 4, J. Hill 3, J. Coughlan 2, C. Britton

Tuesday Around the Grounds

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Hawks make history and raise funds for St Barnabas House

The Wimbledon Hawks made history at the weekend at their annual Ladies Day. The Hawks took on the North London Lions across all three grades which saw their Premiership and Women’s sides getting the victory and their Social men’s drawing. These results confirmed all three sides making the finals for the first time ever at the same time.

Massive congratulations to the Hawks who also raised an astonishing £800 for St Barnabas House as part of the Ladies Day. A great achievement both on and off the field for the Wimbledon club.

Wimbledon Hawks

Berlin Crocs prove too strong for the traveling Lions

The first round of the AFLG Premiership saw the Berlin Crocs dominate the Rheinland Lions finishing 109 point victors in the Capital. A seven goal to zero opening term all but put the game on ice for the Crocs with forward Luke Edwards finishing up with 8 goals to his name. The final scorecard reading 18.12. 120 to 1.5. 11.

The AFLG Championships also kicked off at the weekend with a huge win by the Hamburg Dockers over the Dresden Wolves, as well as the Frankfurt Redbacks flexing their muscles against SpVgg Freiberg Taipans/Stuttgart Emus.

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New Scottish sports star on the horizon

She may have moved from Scotland at the age of 9 but we’ll claim her here at AFL Europe. Jemma Abbott is an up-and-coming AFL Queensland Youth Academy member who has her eyes firmly placed on a spot in one of the AFL Women’s league sides when the national league kicks off next year.

Having represented the Queensland Youth Girls Academy at the National titles in Melbourne earlier this year Jemma could light up the Gabba in the years to come.

Read her full article here:

http://www.aflq.com.au/from-scotland-to-the-gabba/

Jemma Abbott

Bloods share the top with Giants in SARFL

It’s heating up in the Scottish Australian Rules Football League (SARFL) with the Edinburgh Bloods knocking off top placed Greater Glasgow Giants by 80 points at the weekend. This result puts the Bloods level on 16 points with the Giants, with only percent separating the two.

It’s going to be an interesting last couple of weeks in the SARFL with the final makeup of the top four yet to be determined.

Check out the ladder below (as of 9/7/16):

SARFL Table

AFL Europe Umpires Course comes to Sweden

On the 23rd of July AFL Sweden in conjunction with AFL Europe are putting on an Umpiring Course to aid those aspiring to become accredited umpires. Shane Hill will be making the journey from London to run the day which comprises both theoretical and practical elements.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in developing their knowledge of the game and is not to be missed. For further details, jump over to the official Facebook event linked below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1621615481500922/

 

 

AFL Europe Match of the Round

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Swedish Cup – Norrtälje Sportcentrum 11/6/16 8am

The Swedish Cup is AFL Sweden’s annual, one day tournament. The 2016 tournament will be hosted by Norrtälje Dockers and played in a 9-a-side, round robin format to determine the premiers of AFL Sweden.

The 2016 edition of the Swedish Cup this year is promising to be the biggest and best yet, with men, women and juniors all participating. The men will play 5 group games, all playing each other before a top of the table clash in the final. The women will play 4 matches throughout the day and combine for the final, while the Juniors will play one match to showcase the growth of the sport at a grass roots level.

The men’s teams participating are the Port Malmö Maulers, Södermalm Blues, Oslo Crows, Årsta Swans, Norrtälje Dockers and a mixed team made up of players from Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Bromma and Solna. Whilst the women will have a two team format with the Port Malmö Lynx and a combined Stockholm/Oslo team.

The Port Malmö Mauler’s Jonas Lovén, is getting himself ready for a big day with the Maulers looking to keep a firm grip on the cup as reigning champions. “We’re all looking forward to a great tournament in Norrtälje and especially to defend last year’s title. After some tough games drinking beer from the cup is always the goal of the mighty Maulers”

The Maulers participate in the Danish league due to their location but are still very prominent in the Swedish competition. Coach of the Maulers and the national Swedish team, Brett Petersen is excited to coach the team in tomorrow’s tournament, “Coming off 2 big wins in the DAFL, Maulers are looking to be a strong force in this Swedish cup. Maulers leading goal kicker Ben Polmear is one to keep an eye on in this tournament”

Ben Polmear is ready to defend the title although, “we’re missing a few players from last year’s tournament the team of hungry beasts making the trip up to Norrtälje this year are more than capable of defending our title as Sweden’s top 9-a-side footy club.”

Södermalm Blues participated in this year’s AFL Europe Champions League coming 8th in the prestigious tournament. A few players to watch in the Blues would be Mick Larsson, Rob Njoku (better known as Mr T) and Dylan O’Keefe. The much anticipated return of Ivan Rexed will also add depth to the Blues as they fight for the title.

The Oslo Crows have frequented the Swedish Cup in the past years. Winning the Cup in 2013 and 2014, the Crows unfortunately displayed a disappointing performance in 2015 due to lack of inexperience and numbers. Back with a vengeance, Amund Lundesgaard is ready and bringing a fighting group to reclaim the Swedish Cup.

The Årsta Swans have a few guns to watch out for during this year’s tournament. Chris Murr, Che Ramirez, Rob Young, Mattis Kvarnström all add strength and well tuned skills to the Swans team making them strong contenders.

The mixed team will be made up of players from Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Bromma and Solna giving the team a great chance at a shot at the title. This mixed bag could well and truly take out the title with their pick from these 4 strong clubs. Experience will be the key here with the ageless Andreas Svensson, now in his 40’s, Svensson will be playing along side his young son.

The Norrtälje Dockers are proud to have the Swedish Cup tournament back in Norrtälje at the premier Australian Rules sporting facility in Sweden. Norrtälje have had their best start to a premiership season since their creation in 2012 and will be looking to continue that trend in the Swedish Cup. A strong showing of players will ensure that all matches against the Dockers will be hard fought and there is surely not to be a repeat of the 3 draws at last year’s tournament.

The Port Malmö Lynx are extremely happy that the Norrtälje women’s team, made up of Stockholm and Oslo, will be at the Sweden Cup. The anticipation is high regarding the new players they will get to come up against. It’s also exciting to see what new talent could be on offer for the national team. Ryan Davidson, coach for the Port Malmö Lynx and Swedish Ravens will have a keen eye out for what talent he can bring to Lisbon for the AFL Europe Euro Cup this October.

Good luck to all the men, women and juniors involved! We look forward to seeing who takes out the coveted title. #AFLinEurope

Tuesday Around the Grounds

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International Cup (IC17) dates and location announced

The AFL has announced the 2017 AFL International Cup (IC17) will be held in Melbourne, from August 5-19.

It will be the sixth International Cup and will include both men’s and women’s competitions.

The AFL’s head of community and international development Grant Williams said he expects the 2017 carnival to be the biggest yet.

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Finland AFL’s 2016 Season kicks off

Finland AFL (FAFL) started this weekend with both Round 1 & 2 being completed in a Round Robin format.

Despite being hosted by the 2015 Premiers the Helsinki Heatseekers, the Turku Dockers came out guns blazing to beat both the Heatseekers and the Vaasa Wombats.

Results:

Helsinki Heatseekers 1.1.7 def. by Turku Dockers 5.6.36
Turku Dockers 10.2.62 def Vaasa Wombats 3.1.19
Helsinki Heatseekers 6.8.44 def Vaasa Wombats 5.6.36

 

AFL Head of Community and International Development visits AFL Europe

AFL Europe was fortunate enough to have Grant Williams, Head of Community & International Development for The AFL, visit Headquarters in Australia House for a few days of planning and strategy discussions.

We are excited about the way forward in terms of developing fledgling nations, women’s footy, and youth development.

 

Ex-AFL London player, Jess Edwards, represents South Australia 

Ex-AFL London and Wandsworth Demons player Jess Edwards played in the South Australia v Northern Territory friendly, that took place on Saturday night at The Oval in Adelaide.

The South Australian’s wowed with a 27-point win over Northern Territory, managing to keep them to one point after quarter time.

Edwards was the leading goal kicker slotting 2 of the 6 majors.

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100 of the Best from Port Malmo veteran 

Aaran Higgins notched up his 100th game for the Port Malmo Maulers at weekend with a convincing 178-38 win against Helsingborg.

The fearless midfielder, who is the current President of the Maulers, has been at the club since 2008 and spent three at the helm as senior coach.

Congratulations Az, a great achievement.

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GB Bulldogs announce first 18 for AFL Europe Championships.

The Great Britain Bulldogs have announced their first 18 players after a training camp in Manchester this weekend.

The first 18 so far comprise of players from the Huddersfield Rams, London Swans, Manchester Mosquitoes, North London Lions, Wandsworth Demons, West London Wildcats, Wimbledon Hawks and Wolverhampton Wolverines. Head Coach has been named as Dean Thomas.

#BackTheBulldogs

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Auskick programme is introduced in Malta

Head of Community & International Development for the AFL, Grant Williams met with Sport Malta and the Australian High Commission to introduce AFL into the winter sports programme.

The initiative aims to promote Aussie Rules amongst girls and boys from a young age, teaching them the skills of the game.

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Excitement brews a week out from Amsterdam

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Here at AFL Europe headquarters we had a chat to three of the ten qualifying teams participating in the Champions League in Amsterdam next Saturday 21st March.

On behalf of the West London Wildcats, Nathan Costley, was able to shed some light on the excitement down at the club. The Wildcats are bringing probably the most diverse team of the bunch, with nationalities ranging from Welsh, Irish, Kiwi and Australian. This variety could mean some fierce competition en route to Amsterdam next week!

With similar excitement Zagreb Hawks President, Josip Kraver, enlightens us that the Hawks are coming off a turnover of players due to the unique and specialised draft/trade system in Croatia and is ready to showcase some fresh legs and talent. A special mention to young gun and Croatian National, Tomislav Cvetko, who has returned to his local club the Zagreb Cvjetno Dockers. The Champions League is giving this Croatian team a good opportunity to show their skills and head back to Croatia to continue their domination of the SANH.

Finally, William English and The Malmö Red Eyes are excited to be joining us in Amsterdam after having dominated The SAFL for the past 6 years. Forming in 2006, the Red Eyes won 5 straight SAFL premierships then their 6th in 2014. The Red Eyes will be the first team from Skåne to participate in the AFL Europe Champions League!

Count down is on! One week to go!

 

Sarah Ongarello

Oslo Crows win the 2014 Swedish Cup

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By Jeremy Darke

It was the Oslo Crows who outlasted the competition, stealing the silverware and taking home the 2014 Swedish Cup on a picturesque day for Australian Rules football in Jonkoping, on Saturday.

Players and clubs from Sweden and Norway came together in a jam-packed day of footy, delighting all the families and fans with a display of strength, skill and endurance in this unfamiliar sport that has captured the hearts of so many Swedes.

“It is great to see that so many players made the effort to be a part of this fantastic spectacle of footy in Sweden,” said Swedish Elks manager, Ryan Tucker.

“The weather turned on for us and made it once again another unforgettable day for aussie rules in this beautiful country.”

After four round-robin matches against the Norrtalje Dockers, Helsingborg/Karlstad Eagles, Sodermalm Blues and Arsta Swans, the Oslo Crows powered through their semi-final against the Sodermalm Blues, to take on Arsta Swans in the final for the Swedish Cup.

In what was a brutal final match in the burning Swedish summer sun, the Crows dominating the proceedings, taking away what was rightfully theirs on the day, the Swedish Cup, beating the Swans, 5.3 (33) to 2.3 (15).

Oslo showed up all of their Swedish rivals with their pristine football skills and ability to dig deep for each other when the going got tough and their legs began to tire.

“On such a day like the Swedish Cup you have got to play four or five games, it is going to be the team that is willing to stick in there and break through the pain barrier and really go for it.”

“It feels good. We gave it everything we got, continues Oslo acting coach Adam O’Toole.

“We are pretty sore now but it is always easier to handle the pain when you go home with a win.”

Rob Young from the Arsta Swans was voted the tournaments player’s player, consistently being a handful for his opposition throughout the day, getting his hands on the ball as often as possible and dictating his sides offensive play.

The annual event was once again a big success, bringing together players from Skane, Stockholm and Oslo to celebrate the game that is loved by everyone involved, making all of the volunteers, families and friends inconceivably proud.

The match results were:

Swans 5.5 (35) vs. Eagles 1.6 (12)

Crows 6.6 (42) vs. Dockers 1.0 (6)

Blues 3.2 (20) vs. Swans 5.4 (34)

Eagles 0.6 (6) vs. Crows 5.4 (34)

Dockers 3.2 (20) vs. Blues 3.5 (23)

Swans 6.4 (40) vs. Crows 4.3 (27)

Eagles 6.3 (39) vs. Dockers 2.1 (13)

Blues 2.4 (16) vs. Eagles 1.4 (10)

Dockers 2.0 (12) vs. Swans 4.6 (30)

Crows 7.6 (48) vs. Blues 2.2 (14)

1st Semi-final

Swans 7.0 (42) vs. Eagles 5.3 (33)

2nd Semi-final

Crows 4.5 (29) vs. Blues 1.3 (9)

Final

Crows 5.3 (33) vs. Swans 2.3 (15)

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Swedish Elks Player – Hampus Olsson

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By Jeremy Darke

Five years ago, Australia Rules Football was unknown to Hampus Olsson, just like it still is for most Swedish people.  But after his first touch of that unusual oval-shaped ball, just after the 2009 season, he was then hooked for life.

Hampus has proven to be the biggest up-and-coming talent within Sweden, impressing so much when in the limelight that he was awarded a position in the European Legion in their recent contest with the Australian Institute of Sport AFL School Boys, in London in April.

At the age of just 21, Olsson has now become one of the key figures in the Swedish Elks team heading into the International Cup 2014, the young footy gun stepping up his game off the field to move into a leadership role with the team.

Olsson has come a long way since the first offseason between the 2009 and 2010 season, where he spent hours upon hours, watching Auskick videos on YouTube to learn correct technique in anticipation of taking the field for his debut.

After that nerve-wracking day he has never looked back, but it wasn’t just the hard-hitting physicality of AFL that he fell in-love with, it was the Aussie mateship and camaraderie that the sport embezzles within its roots.

“AFL is fast, hard and skilful, but what really made me continue was the sportsmanship between players, as well as the fans,” said Hampus Olsson. “It is the toughest sport on the field but everyone can shake hands, smile and have a chat afterwards.”

“In my first match, even though I was new, I was given chance after chance, my teammates really wanted me to have a crack while I was playing my first game, giving me a lot of easy goals.

“That particular day also scared me in a good way and made me fall in-love with the sport, making me want to do whatever it took to get better.

And got better he certainly did, working so hard in his early development years that he made the Swedish Elks squad that travelled to Australia for the International Cup in 2011, in just his second full season of AFL footy.

The International Cup 2011 experience only made the bond stronger between Olsson and the sport of Aussie Rules, the European Legion representative saying that it was his best footy experience yet.

“The two weeks we had in Sydney, living across the street from Manly beach in apartments with a view of the lot, and getting to play footy at the same time was the best ever.”

Three years on, the Swedish Elks and Hampus Olsson are now preparing for another International Cup, although this time the bustling midfielder will have more than just his own game on his mind as he takes the step up into the leadership group within the team.

Elks Coach Dan McClaer has recognised and developed the potential of Hampus Olsson whilst in the national team and now believes that the time is right to move him into a leadership role, an honour that doesn’t faze the mature, young gun.

“My on-field game will stay the same as always. It shouldn’t change for any given reason, because you should always play at your top level every game,” explained Olsson.

When asked how he will lead his team and guide his players, Olsson said he will just try to set the example for all of the younger players in the Elks.

“Talk, show and listen. Lead by example and have fun no matter what we are doing, it is easier to learn more if you have fun while you are learning.”

The Elks will be looking to improve on their 11th placing in IC11, when they head to Australia in August for IC14, but the important thing for the Swedish team will be to take in the whole experience and make sure that they all give it a good Aussie crack.

“My goals and expectations for the IC and the Elks are pretty high. We’re a good team coming down.”

“But the most important part for me and the team is that we all have a real crack at it.

“So when we all come home we can talk about our trip to Australia, and all the fun we had, for the next three years, as I still do about my last trip three years ago.”

#elksweek #IC14

AFL Europe Easter Series