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3 November 2012 Elastoplast AFL European Challenge | 3

WELCOMET he AFL is excited to

be back in London for today’s Elastoplast AFL

European Challenge match between Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.

It follows one of the AFL’s most successful seasons on record, which culminated in a Grand Final that attracted almost 100,000 people and was watched by a peak national audience of more than 6 million people. It was also broadcast in over 200 countries and territories.

The AFL is committed to capitalising on the game’s status as the No. 1 sporting competition in Australia by continuing to grow participation and fan interest internationally and playing today’s Elastoplast

AFL European Challenge is a key part of this international development strategy.

Europe is an important region for the AFL’s plans and reprising this match is a reflection of the continued growth of the game outside of Australia with more than 100,000 participants internationally.

Over the past two years, we have held testing combines in the Pacific, Ireland, China and the United States as we seek to establish pathways and accelerate the flow of international athletes into the elite AFL competition.

In 2012, 10 international players took part for the first time in testing at the NAB AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne held the week after the Grand

Final. They joined the best 100 under-age players in a week’s testing in the lead-up to the 2012 NAB AFL Draft.

It’s pleasing that various competitions in Europe are developing well under the leadership of AFL Europe and we saw the results of that development when Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland and Sweden took part in the International Cup in Sydney and Melbourne in 2011.

We trust you’ll enjoy the Elastoplast AFL European Challenge and will continue to support Australian Football in Europe.

ANDREW DILLONGeneral Manager, International and National Development, Australian Football League

In September, AFL Europe held its third Euro Cup (previously known as the EU Cup) with teams representing Croatia, Ireland, England, Italy, Spain, Wales, France, Scotland, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Czech Republic and Norway. Ireland defeated Denmark by one point in the Grand Final.

The tournament, played at the University of Edinburgh, also featured a women’s match, with the Irish Banshees defeating the European Crusaders.

Last month in Melbourne, two Irishmen, Emmett Bradley and Sean Hurley, took part in testing at the NAB AFL Combine. Emmett and Sean both played against the AIS-AFL Academy squad earlier this year and were standouts in the AFL Combine held in Dublin back in February. We look forward to following their progress.

Thanks to all those involved in AFL throughout Europe who continue to promote this great game.

CHRIS DOWChairman, AFL Europe

the fans who have travelled here from all over Europe to watch an exhibition of what we all know is the most exciting game in the world.

In addition to the main game today between Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs, there will be an All-Star curtain-raiser between two European teams that will showcase the best players from the continent.

AFL Europe (established in 2009 as the European Australian Football Association) is run by a commission of volunteers and supported financially by

the AFL.Our mission is to help develop and grow Australian Football in Europe in a structured and united manner. Earlier this year, two European

representative teams (the Legions and the Titans) played the touring AIS-AFL Academy squad in games in London and Chantilly, just outside Paris. The AIS-AFL Academy will return next April to play matches in Copenhagen and London.

This program is published by AFL in conjunction with AFL

Europe and Australian Times

Content: AFLImages: AFL MediaAdditional images: Duncan Gray, Kolja Koracak of Locker Room 51Production: Bryce LowryDesign: Jackie LampardPrinted by: Wyndeham Heron

© Copyright 2012: All rights reserved, AFL

AFL House140 Harbour EsplanadeDocklands VIC 3008

GPO Box 1449Melbourne VIC 3001

Part of Blue Sky Publications, Australian Times showcases Aussie news, sport, business and culture in the UK. Get the weekly London newspaper, visit

the website and subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter for free using this QR code.

Brent Renouf thrills with a one-handed mark

A FL Europe is thrilled to be involved in

the Elastoplast AFL European Challenge. We welcome the

clubs and players from Australia and


The AFL enjoyed another successful season in 2012, with the Sydney Swans winning the premiership. Essendon captain Jobe Watson won the Brownlow Medal as the competition’s fairest and best player. Games were played in every state and territory, with total attendance of more than 6.7 million people.

For the second straight season, the competition – which started in 1897 with four clubs based in Victoria and progressively grew to 12 by 1925 – was expanded with the Greater Western Sydney Giants becoming the AFL’s 18th club. The previous year, the Gold Coast Suns joined the 16 clubs. Both new clubs have exciting young playing lists and are expected to

seriously challenge the established power clubs in the next three-to-five years.

The addition of the Giants and the Suns into the growing Western Sydney and Gold Coast markets is another step in the national expansion of the game, which started when South Melbourne moved to Sydney in the early 1980s and started playing as the Sydney Swans. The club has won two premierships in the past eight seasons and is considered one of the best-run in the AFL. The broadening of the game continued with the addition of teams in Perth and Brisbane in 1987 and Adelaide in 1991. A second Perth-based team joined in 1995 and Port Adelaide entered the competition in 1997.

TODAY’S ENCOUNTERThe Elastoplast AFL European Challenge match between Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs marks the return of Australian Football to London which has played host to several exhibition games. The Power were involved in the last game here, in 2006, when they took on Geelong.

Today’s game features

two of the AFL’s young, developing clubs, with both aiming to build on their 2012 seasons and start moves up the ladder. The Power and the Bulldogs each won five matches this season, showing glimpses of excellent form (see team stories starting on page 13) and they should provide fans with a terrific contest.

EXPANSION AT HOME

AUSTRALIAN RULES: THE GREAT GAME

SKILLS

Kicking is the most important skill in Australian Football. Different types of kicks include the drop-punt (for accuracy), the torpedo (for length) and the banana kick (for, you guessed it, bending it).

Handballing is the other way a player can legally dispose of the ball. To handball, the ball is held in the palm of one hand and hit with the clenched fist of the other.

Marking is when the football is caught by a player from a kick that has travelled 15 metres or more. Players can either mark the ball on their chest (by hugging it to their body) or in their hands.

Tackling is another essential skill. A legal tackle is one placed between hips and shoulders of an opponent who is in possession of the ball.

Bouncing the ball has become increasingly necessary as the game has intensified in pace. Players must bounce the ball every 15 metres while running with it.

SCORING

The winner is the team that scores the most points by the end of the game. There are two ways to score – by either a goal or a behind.

A goal is worth six points and is scored when the ball is kicked between the two goal posts (the taller ones in the middle) without touching them. The ball does not have to go over the line on the full but can’t be touched by any other player. A goal is signalled by the goal umpire with both hands, followed by waving both flags.

A behind is worth one point and is scored in several ways. It can be scored if the ball touches the goal post; the ball passes over the line between the goal post and one of the smaller behind posts; the ball is touched by a player before it crosses over the line, or is carried over the line by a defending player. A behind is signalled by the goal umpire with one hand followed by waving one flag.

Don’t know the difference between a goal and a behind? Take a crash course on the basic skills and scoring in Aussie Rules Football.

Daniel Cross defies gravity to get the handpass away

Bulldogs Luke Dahlhaus and Daniel Giansiraucsa

3 November 20126 | Elastoplast AFL European Challenge

The United Kingdom has a thriving Australian Football community,

with five leagues, 40 clubs (six in London) and more than 2000 players.Venues such as Hyde

Park, Clapham Common and Motspur Park have the distinct AFL goalposts up on weekends from April to August and while Australian expats feature in every team, many locals have fallen in love with the game.

This is part of a broader European footprint, thanks largely to the work of AFL Europe and its European affiliates which share the common goal of growing the game in the region.

Playing a game in London is part of the AFL’s broader plans to continue building the code at all levels internationally. The late Irishman Jim Stynes is perhaps the greatest example of an international making a name for himself in Australian Football. Stynes, who passed away in Melbourne on the eve of this season after a battle with cancer, will live on as one of the game’s greats.

He won the Brownlow Medal in 1991 as the competition’s fairest and best player, was a warrior on the field for Melbourne (playing an AFL record 244 consecutive matches) and a champion of underprivileged youth off it. A medal in his name is awarded to Australia’s best player in International Rules Series matches against Ireland. In 2012 the AFL introduced an annual award in his honour recognising a player for his service to the community.

Another Irishman, Tadgh Kennelly, also made his mark in the AFL, giving the Sydney Swans tremendous service over two stints. He played in the club’s 2005 premiership and continues to promote the game in Australia and abroad in his role as international talent ambassador.

This year, Canadian rugby player Mike Pyke was one of the Swans’ best players in their premiership victory, just four years after seeing the game for the first time.

The likes of Stynes, Kennelly and Pyke have opened the doors for other internationals and the AFL continues to

AFL MAKING ITSMARK OVERSEAS

support programs in Europe and other parts of the world aimed at identifying future players.

Those running and linked to Australian Football have long desired to have a presence internationally.

During World War I, Australian troops organised matches across Europe. Records also indicate that during World War II, games were played in England and south-east Asia. From the 1960s, exhibition and pre-season games have been played internationally in cities including Honolulu, San Francisco, London, New Delhi,

Singapore, Athens,

Yokohama, Vancouver, Miami, Toronto, Portland, Wellington, Los Angeles, Cape Town, Dubai, and Shanghai with plans for a match in Mumbai.

Next year, the historic first game for premiership points will be played in New Zealand, with St Kilda meeting the Sydney Swans in Wellington, on April 25, ANZAC Day.

This is a really exciting time for the game as we seek to push the boundaries like never before.

Go to AFL.com.au or AFLEurope.org for more information.

TONY WOODS International Development Manager,

Australian Football League

Sydney Swans’ Mike Pyke proudly Canadian on Grand Final day

Croatia vs Sweden at Euro Cup 2012 in Edinburgh

Shaun Higgins

Patrick Veszpremi

Easton Wood

Clay Smith

Ryan Griffen

Fletcher Roberts

Liam Jones

Daniel Pearce

Tom Liberatore

Dylan Addison

Jordan Roughead

Zephaniah Skinner

Will Minson

Tory Dickson

Christian Howard

Michael Talia

Alex Greenwood

Ayce Cordy

Liam Picken

Jason Johannisen

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Senior Coach Brendan McCartneyActing Club Captain: Shaun Higgins

TEAM LIST

MitchWallis

LukeDahlhaus

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Cameron Hitchcock

NickSalter

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Ben Newton

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Aaron Young

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Nathan Blee

Andrew Moore

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Paul Stewart

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Matthew Broadbent

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CameronO’Shea

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Matt Thomas

21



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Jackson Trengove

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Senior Coach Ken HinkleyActing Club Captain: Hamish Hartlett

TEAM LIST

Mathew NichollsField Umpire #15AFL Debut: 2003176 AFL Games

Chris KamolinsField Umpire #19AFL Debut: 2005111 AFL Games

Troy PannellField Umpire #28AFL Debut: 2005

105 AFL Games

Robert HaalaBoundary UmpireAFL Debut: 2004

195 Games2012 AFL Grand Final

Boundary Umpire

Chris MorrisonBoundary Umpire

AFL Debut: 2003165 AFL Games

Michael SaundersBoundary Umpire

AFL Debut: 200980 AFL Games

Chelsea RoffeyAFL Goal UmpireAFL Debut: 2004

122 AFL Games2012 AFL Grand

Final Goal Umpire

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I t certainly was a challenging season for Port Adelaide on

and off the field, but the appointment of Ken Hinkley as coach and a restructure at board level provide impetus for a brighter future.

Hinkley, who played 132 matches for Fitzroy and Geelong and was an assistant coach at St Kilda, Geelong and Gold Coast, is widely admired in the industry. He is expected to make an immediate impact at the club.

“I have great confidence in what I do,” he said. “I’ve been involved with six premierships and other successes and just recently

A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR PORT ADELAIDE

at Gold Coast I’ve seen what it takes to build (a strong club). “I understand what it takes to be successful.”

Joining Hinkley at Port are former Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton assistant coach Alan Richardson (director of coaching) and former Socceroos and Liverpool fitness guru Darren Burgess (high-performance manager).

Hinkley said he and his staff want an environment that creates belief.“The boys need to start to feel like the direction is going up and that’s what we’re about,” he said.“Anyone who plays for Port

Adelaide needs to believe in where we’re going – that’s a real key ingredient to our success.“This club’s in a renewal stage, there’s no doubt about that.“We know what we’ve got to do and we know where we’ve got to go.”

The appointment of David Koch as club president has also been welcomed across the industry. Koch is co-host of Channel Seven’s breakfast program Sunrise and has a background in finance journalism. He was the Power’s No. 1 ticket holder in 2012.

The Power struggled with injuries to key players (including Robbie Gray and Jay Schulz) and won just five matches in 2012.

They parted ways with coach Matthew Primus late in the season and in September the club suffered a devastating blow when young player John McCarthy died while holidaying with teammates in the United States.

Veteran Kane Cornes won the club’s best and fairest award following a consistent year, but it will be up to the young brigade to take the club forward.

“We’ve got a huge amount of talent…It’s a very good list and injuries and suspensions and all those sort of things hurt us, so at some point in time we’re going to get the list together, play together, and you’ll see the benefits of that,” Cornes said.

Port’s best win of the year was in round eight, at home, when it came from more than four goals behind early in the last quarter to beat North Melbourne.

“We played some really good footy in patches, (but) our problem was not being able to sustain it,” Cornes added.

The form this season

of 21-year-old Matthew Broadbent and ex-Eagle Brad Ebert was a positive, while talented youngsters Chad Wingard and Pittard showed snippets of what they might be capable of at the elite level. Andrew Moore and Aaron Young also showed good signs.

Travis Boak’s re-signing was a major coup for the club and he, along with Ebert, Hamish Hartlett, Matthew Broadbent, Cameron O’Shea, Young and Wingard, represent the future at Alberton.

Prior to leaving for London for the Elastoplast AFL European Challenge, Port Adelaide made several changes to its list. The club signed Essendon midfielder Angus Monfries after midfielder Danyle Pearce joined Fremantle and defender Troy Chaplin signed with Richmond.

The squad arrived in Europe last week, spending time at the AIS high-performance facility in Varese, outside Milan, and visited AC Milan soccer club. They are looking at this game to kick off a fresh start under the guidance of new coach Ken Hinkley.Kane Cornes won his fourth John Cahill Medal

– Port Adelaide’s Best and Fairest – in 2012

New coach Ken Hinkley

3 November 201214 | Elastoplast AFL European Challenge

WESTERN BULLDOGS BUILD WITH YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE

T he 2012 season was primarily about development for the

Western Bulldogs, who won five matches under first-year coach Brendan McCartney.

McCartney is definite in his approach: he believes he and his assistants are coaching the right way to develop players who can perform consistently at AFL level. With so many youngsters, the philosophy is that it’s all about quality people, education, patience, time and incremental improvement.

Several of the team’s youngsters were impressive at times and provided something for fans to get excited about. Mitchell Wallis had a stellar year and will be a prominent leader of the Dogs’ midfield brigade, while the exciting Luke Dahlhaus continued to show glimpses of brilliance. The Dogs blooded eight players, including first-year draftees Clay Smith, Daniel Pearce, Fletcher Roberts and Michael Talia, and rookies Tom Campbell, South African-born Jason Johannisen and Lin Jong, the first AFL player of

East Timorese and Taiwanese descent.

One of the club’s best performances came in round 12 following the death of club legend Charlie Sutton. Just 48 hours after the memorial service for their only premiership coach, the Bulldogs defeated Port Adelaide by 38 points in a rousing display of club pride.

They also were impressive in scoring an 18-point win over North Melbourne in round seven, and in pushing Geelong, Collingwood and Adelaide.

Adam Cooney showed he could still be a meaningful contributor despite having to manage a chronic knee problem, while Ryan Griffen confirmed his status as one of the game’s elite midfielders. Stopper Liam Picken was also a star in 2012.

The Bulldogs will be looking for a key forward in the NAB AFL Draft and more support for gutsy skipper Matthew Boyd (who won his third best and fairest award and second in a row) and fellow veterans Bob Murphy, Daniel Cross and Daniel Giansiracusa.

“There were patches where we were playing the way we wanted to play, but we just didn’t do it for long enough, and later in the year we fell away pretty dramatically in the second half. We just weren’t able to hang in there and fight it out,” Giansiracusa said.

He said he was confident McCartney was teaching the Dogs “the right way to play footy” and that style would stand up in finals. How quickly that happens will depend largely on the development of their youngsters, he added: “The improvement guys are making on the track probably wasn’t reflected on game-

day, but I’m really confident it will. And hopefully it’s not too far away.”

Before leaving Melbourne for the Elastoplast AFL European Challenge, the Dogs re-signed ruckman Will Minson, who enjoyed a strong 2012 season, for two years and secured exciting youngster Lachie Hunter, the son of former Bulldog Mark. They also traded veteran full-back Brian Lake to Hawthorn.

The club believes it is well placed to add more young talent via this year’s draft, with six picks in the first 50.

“The accumulation of

(these) picks presents the opportunity the likes of which this club has not seen before to recruit the core list around which we will build the future,” list manager Jason McCartney said.

The Bulldogs arrived in London earlier this week. They have spent time at the Fulham Football Club and met local players at an AFL Europe All Star training session. The club is keen to use its time in London to prepare for the 2013 season and sees the game against Port Adelaide as a significant test to set the tone for the year ahead.

Bulldogs veteran Robert Murphy played 21 games in 2012

Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney

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