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Farum Cats hold of Copenhagen Barracudas in DAFL Grand Final

Valby Park played host to the DAFL Grand Final at the weekend between the Farum Cats and Copenhagen Barracudas.

On what was a stunning Saturday afternoon it was the ‘Cudas who had the better of the early exchanges. Unfortunately, their inaccuracy in front of goal hurt them as the Cats kicked three majors to their five behinds. The 1st quarter ended with both sides locked at 31-points apiece.

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The Farum side turned it up a gear in the 2nd with a five goal to one term giving them a 22-point lead going into the main break. League Best and Fairest, William Andersen, was starting to get into the game and was really causing headaches for the home side.

The premiership quarter proved just that with the Cats piling on a further six goals. It was all but sewn up going into the last but the Barracudas had other ideas. They kept their opponents scoreless in the final term whilst they clawed back two goals. It should have been more for the boys from Copenhagen but their inaccuracy again hurt them.

The Farum Cats had done enough and claimed the coveted prize of DAFL Premiers. The final scorecard reading 16.10. 106 to 10.18. 78. Congratulations Cats, we’re looking forward to seeing you at the Champions League next year.

Goals

Farum Cats: W. Andersen 4, M. Norlander 4, M. Kjoge 4, M. Biron 2, C. Andersen, T. Ottesen

Copenhagen Barracudas: M. John 4, D. De Nardi 4, R. Sorensen, C. Kere

Best

Farum Cats: W. Andersen, J. Overgaard, M. Norlander, M. Kjoge, M. Biron, J. Secher, T. Lauritzen

Copenhagen Barracudas: M. John, D. De Nardi, J. Petersen, A. Hill

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Norrtalje Dockers knock off reigning champs the Sodermalm Blues in SAFF Grand Final

The Norrtalje Dockers have stormed home to claim the title of SAFF Premiers. They were up against it early with the Blues kicking a goal within the first 30 seconds of play.

They continued to have the better of it in the opening exchanges and it didn’t take long for them to extend their lead to 13-points.

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The Dockers couldn’t buy a goal early on kicking four straight points. Eventually Norrtalje broke through with the Swedish national ruckman, Buster Sund, putting through the Dockers first major.

Sodermalm went into their shells for a while and the Dockers capitalised piling on a number of goals. Dockers, Ryan Tucker and Steven Howard were proving a real handful for the Blues and their superior skills were on display.

The Dockers had given themselves a handy buffer and ultimately they couldn’t be caught. The final siren sounded and the Norrtalje Dockers were the new champions of SAFF – A great achievement by the club.

Final score card reading 12.12. 84 to 7.4. 46. Steven Howard of the Dockers was awarded the Ryan Kingsley Medal for best on ground in the final. Well done Steven.

Goals:

Norrtalje Dockers: M. Schulte 6, N. Innacone 3, B. Sund 2, S. Howard

Sodermalm Blues: M. Rappoccio 2, J. Briscoe, C. Tancredi, A. Cherry, L. Hagberg, J. Dahlberg

Best:

Norrtalje Dockers: S. Howard, B. Sund, R. Tucker, N. Innacone, M. Schulte, N. Jonsson, J. Sund, J. Darke

Sodermalm Blues: A. Cherry, M. Barton, J. Holm, M. Larsson

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Check out the full-match replay from BarTV Sports below:

 

The Flying Dutchmen make their 18-a-side International debut

On a makeshift football field in the middle of Battersea Park, London, The Dutch national side made the journey to compete against the reigning European Champions, the GB Bulldogs, in what their first full format International match.

The match started very evenly with a hot footy and big tackles being laid. Running with the breeze it was the Bulldogs who jumped out to an early three goals to one 1st quarter.

As the match wore on the superior fitness and team cohesion of GB proved too much for the Dutchmen who fought valiantly all day. The Bulldogs ran out convincing winners to continue their solid run on the international stage.

Regardless of the score line it was a monumental day for footy in Europe. Massive thanks must go to Neil Cooke of the Dutchmen and team GB manager, Jason Hill for arranging the hit-out.

Let’s hope more games like this continue to fill the AFL Europe calendar in the years to come.

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Manchester Mozzies celebrate 10 of the best

The Manchester Mozzies named their ‘Team of the Decade’ (2006-2016) at their recent awards night. It’s a great achievement to be recognised for your contributions to a football club both on and off the field.

Congratulations to all those who were named in the team.

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AFL Grand Final time!

It’s the Sydney Swans vs the Western Bulldogs in this weekend’s AFL Grand Final. Where ever you are in the world be sure to tune in.

Tag us in your Grand Final party photos and if your struggling for places to watch the game, follow the link below to find your perfect Grand Final party.

http://www.afl.com.au/tv-radio/overseas-gf-party-finder

 

Match of the Round

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Holland vs Great Britain – Battersea Park, 10:30am

This Saturday the 24th of September will see Holland make the journey to London where they’ll be making their 18-a-side debut against newly crowned AFL Europe Championship winners, the Great Britain Bulldogs.

The match provides both teams with invaluable experience with the Bulldogs preparing for the International Cup in 2017 and the Flying Dutchmen continuing their rapid development as an AFL playing nation.

Battersea Park with be transformed into a full AFL oval allowing both teams to gain further knowledge of players and tactics in the year leading up to IC17.

The Flying Dutchmen will be bolstered by a couple of Australian’s who reside in Amsterdam, along with a handful of players from Oxford and AFL London to fill out a full squad of 22. Getting a squad together is a great achievement by all involved in Dutch football. They’ve been incredible hosts of the AFL Europe Champions League over the past two years and the DAFA 9s was a great success in season 2016. The Dutchies will be a strong opponent for the Bulldogs and despite going into this game as underdogs the punters might fancy the boys in Orange.

The Bulldogs have selected a slightly changed side from the European Championships with coach Dean Thomas looking to gain further insight into other eligible players in the build up to Australia. Craig Degville, Ryan Cawley, Dominic Mitchell, Charlie Steel, Tomos Wyn-Jones, Ian Mitchell, Spike Kilheeney and Josh Keeney join the squad. The remaining EC winners are Chris Britton, Michael Sharp, George Dibble, Lewis Gedney, Alex Overton, Jack Coughlan, Owain Ryland, Andy Walkden, Luke Booth, Myles Hudson, Jack Wood, James ‘Ryan Crowley’ Talbot, Matt Warwick, David Jordan, David Hastie and Andrew Cochran.

Bulldog’s Team Manager, Jason Hill, had this to say:

“It’s great to be able to get another fixture on the back of a successful EC and Neil Cooke has been pivotal in putting together a Dutch side to make their debut at this level. Great Britain AFL and the DAFA share a very positive relationship and we will do what we can to help grow their game and compete at this level. This gives us more valuable time on the pitch in preparation for IC and gives coach, Dean Thomas, a great chance to view more players within his system. We’re looking to be the most prepared Bulldog’s team of all time and believe that games like this will help us achieve that. I look forward to welcoming the Dutch to London now and in the future”.

The match is a great initiative and is something AFL Europe is be aiming to help facilitate more of in the near future. With a 10:30am bounce and at beautiful Battersea Park be sure to stop in and watch some full format Aussie Rules.

 

 

 

KONINGSDAG CUP WRITE-UP

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Koningsdag, or Kings Day in the Netherlands is a big deal. The country turns out in their thousands, wearing orange and ready to party. So what better excuse is there to host a match to celebrate this special day on the footy field! This year the Dutch Australian Football Association (DAFA) hosted the inaugural Koningsdag Cup, which saw the Netherlands National team, the Flying Dutchmen, take on the Aussies from the Amsterdam Devils. The lines were being marked an hour before the first bounce with hail crashing down from the skies and the Flying Dutchmen were licking their lips at the prospect of taking on the Aussies in truly unpredictable Dutch weather. Unfortunately for the Dutchies the sun split open the clouds like a free-flowing Hawthorn passage of play and the game was on with sunny skies and a slight chill in the air. 
 
The Aussies started the game strongly, turning early possessions into goals and the scoreboard was ticking over nicely. The Dutchies were struggling to get into the game until late in the first quarter when a number of turnovers and possessions turned into three quick goals. The first quarter finished up with the Aussies in front by 14 points, 3.1.19 to 5.3.33 and this was as close as the Dutchies got for the rest of the game. The Aussies let their experience and skills do the talking, kicking another 33 points in the second quarter, 34 points in the third and a whopping 49 points in the fourth quarter. The score at the final siren was 7.4.46 to 23.11.149 and the Aussies from the Amsterdam Devils lifted the inaugural Koningsdag Cup. 
 
With the sun still putting on a remarkable show, the lads pulled out the BBQ for the first time this season and finished the day off with a delightful selection of burgers, hot dogs and potato salad, washed down with a few chilled beers. 
 
The inaugural Koningsdag Cup was a success, and the Dutchies will be looking for revenge on May 21 when the sides meet again.
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Written by Neil Cooke for AFL Europe