Following recent media coverage of the state of footy in Tasmania, and statements about the subject by a number of high profile Tasmanians and other passionate football identities, AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan today visited Hobart where he met with the Premier of Tasmania Will Hodgman and AFL Tasmania CEO Trisha Squires.

The following statements were made by McLachlan following the meeting.

 

Standing in the eastern goal square at the Holloway’s Beach Sporting Complex, located on the northern beaches of Cairns, former Melbourne Demons’ champion Aaron Davey simply points to the other end of the field and says, “look at that!” He is referring to a football field chock full of kids of all ages – girls and boys – kicking footballs, laughing, listening to coaches, showing off to their team mates and generally having a blast.

It showed all the health and vitality of a strong club going places – part of the vision that new senior coach Davey has for his new team. “That’s the future” he adds. He is right. Davey knows only too well that for the Cairns City Lions to rise from the depths of a forgettable 2017 and sustain strength and success into the future, the club has to now foster the young kids who will take over when Davey and others have moved on.

AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wishes to advise it has come up with two plans to try and see through the remaining eight grand finals for the 2017/18 TIO NTFL season.

Based on the most recent advice received from Power and Water Corporation we are hopeful of having power restored to TIO Stadium and surrounds, plus safe drinking water and debris cleared by early this week.

After meeting with Darwin Buffaloes Football Club, Southern Districts Football Club and other stakeholders on Sunday morning, it was apparent all parties want a result, so the plan has been formulated with that in mind.

However, added complexities of new weather events do not make anything certain and a second plan has also been created.

Collingwood put an end to the Adelaide Crows season, as they broke away in the second half of the match to run out 21-point victors at the Olympic Park. It was a great second half by the Pies who ended the Crows 2018 AFLW season and broke the Crows hearts. The Pies finished their season on a high and the big dance is decided the Dogs will meet the Lions in the 2018 AFLW Grand Final.

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With the passage of Tropical Cyclone Marcus striking Darwin today, the AFLNT has postponed the grand finals further. Having already made the decision to postpone from tonight to Sunday, the damage from the Category 2 cyclone has forced further postponement.

The NTFL has released a statement regarding the decision.

AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wishes to advise that it has postponed the 2017/18 TIO NTFL Men’s Grand Final Day after receiving strong advice from Power and Water Corporation and NT Police that was not conducive to going ahead.

 

 

No decision on rescheduling the eight finals has been made yet and AFLNT Executive, football and operation staff, will meet with stakeholders tomorrow morning to plan the completion of the season.

The Western Bulldogs won by two points, after goal sneak Brooke Lochland booted through the sealer to put an end to the Melbourne Demons season in an absolute classic game of AFLW at the Whitten Oval.

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The Fremantle Dockers were 11-point victors over Carlton in an extremely physical game of AFLW played by both sides at the Fremantle Oval. Both teams tackled exceptionally well and gave it their all in the game, today in the west. It was a great entertaining match of football by two sides who were trying to avoid the wooden spoon.

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The Lions won by a whopping 40 points over the Giants up in Sydney at the Blacktown International Sports Park and there hopes of making the 2018 AFLW Grand Final are well and truly alive. All night the Lions were a class above the Giants who could not do anything to stop the strong momentum shown by a Lions outfit where everything fell right into place in tonight’s match for them. The six goal first stanza set up the win for the Lions who scored ten goals and kept the Giants to three goals for the entire match. 

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The Southern Districts Crocs have reached the 2017/18 NTFL Grand-Final by defeating the Nightcliff Tigers in last night’s Preliminary Final at Darwin’s TIO Stadium. The result sets up a dream decider with two teams that have endured premiership droughts that go back twelve years for the Darwin Buffaloes (2005/06) and eleven years for Southern Districts (2006/07). Regardless of next weekend’s result, one team will break a drought; the other will have to start all over again for another crack next season.

The Nightcliff Tigers used their better accuracy to advantage early against the Crocs, holding a narrow quarter-time lead of three points after kicking five straight goals for the quarter. Two goals to Cameron Ilett helped give Nightcliff a good start, but the Crocs hit back hard in the second quarter to kick five goals to two and open up a 17-point lead at the main break.

 

It was the six goals to zero first quarter from Melbourne that helped set up the 35 points thumping win for them over Carlton at Ikon Park. The Dees scoring in the second and third quarters dried up, because they only scored two goals in the second half of the match. This win now has the Dees sitting second on the AFLW ladder and all they have to do next week is beat the Dogs and they are into the AFLW Grand Final. The Dees came out all guns blazing in the opening quarter of the match and were a class above the Blues, as they kept the Blues scoreless and kicked 6 goals of their own. They were on fire in their forward 50 and midfield, which caused headaches for the Blues who could not get their hands of football.  

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