Sarah Black reports on the www.afl.com.au website that the Western Bulldogs are casting a recruiting net globally in a bid to develop their own list, and by extension women’s football. There are also positive ramifications for women across the world who may find their way onto an AFLW list. Whilst the Bulldogs’ initiative is looking for just one rookie spot, the concept will be looked at by all clubs, and especially those yet to be granted places in the AFLW as they look to grow future lists.

AFL Women's premiers the Western Bulldogs are casting their net around the world in the hunt for a rookie to add to their list for the 2019 season. 

The Bulldogs have partnered with international AFL bodies such as AFL England, AFL Ireland Women's, AFL Europe and AFL Canada to promote its international rookie program 'CrossCoders'. 

The definition of an AFLW rookie has changed from season to season, but for 2019, an AFLW rookie would not have played Australian football in the past three years or been involved in an AFLW high-performance program.

It is only a few more months before the new NTFL season gets underway in Darwin. However, the Territory is abuzz with the prospect that the retired Hawthorn great, Cyril Rioli will line up for a club he is poud of –St Marys – for the looming 2018/19 season. The following story from Marc McGowan at the www.afl.com.au  website looks at the likely event and frames Rioli within a pantheon of great footballers from the Northern Territory who have graced the game. 

RETIRED superstar Cyril Rioli's first stop in the AFL after-life will be to visit his father in Alice Springs before honouring him by wearing his No.1 for St Mary's.  

Rioli's dad suffered a near-fatal heart attack in Grand Final week last year and required surgery, the first and most critical in a series of events that caused the brilliant Hawk to call it quits this week.

Back in 1987 when legendary Richmond midfielder (called a centreman back then), Maurice Rioli retired, he left a hole in football. He raised the bar on what indigenous footballers could bring to our game and many wondered if we would ever see his ilk again. Then in 2008 Cyril Rioli arrived. No one can absolutely measure who was better - uncle or nephew - but Cyril lit up the game in ways reminiscent of Maurice - maybe not in style, but certainly in impact. Cyril's announcement yesterday to retire as a Hawthorn player and AFL great brings to an end another great Rioli career - though it will not surprise to see the id from the Tiwi Islands return to the NTFL with his former club - the "Green Machine", St Mary's.

Here is a video clip from the AFL showing the top ten highlights of Cyril Rioli's wonderful career.

 

Prologue: It was 2009 and a nine year old girl, Elisha King, was playing for Hambledon State School in their first ever girl’s carnival. Almost three years younger than most of the other girls on the field, Elisha had to be given special consideration to be allowed to play. Thankfully, she was allowed and was by far the best Hambo girl on the field, with three goals on the day, as the team finished runners-up to St Joseph’s school by a solitary point. 

It was the start of my own three-year period of coaching Elisha in school teams, but more significantly, it was another step on a journey that has seen Elisha selected by the North Melbourne Kangaroos AFLW team. The girl who promised so much back when women’s and girls’ footy barely existed has made it to the highest level of the game – and that makes a great story. 

Jodi King is one proud mum. It is almost certain that without incredible family support, Elisha would most likely not have made it this far. According to Jodi, “Elisha’s journey has been very long. She started at the age of six with Auskick.  [Elisha’s early footy saw her] playing alongside [older brother] Hayden and watching [older brother again] Aaron play.  At the age of nine, Elisha also got involved in basketball and hockey. It was very hard for Elisha to stay with footy and she was making rep teams in both hockey and footy.”

Back in 2012, World Footy News interviewed four indigenous teenagers about their football journey and where they might want to be one day (see From Paradise To The Pinnacle Of Success). With the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round of AFL football to take place this weekend across Australia – at grassroots level and the highest in the and – one of those young men looks back at his journey: in football and life, through indigenous eyes.

Josh Kyle now lives and plays footy in Melbourne – seemingly a million miles away from his spiritual and geographical home. His journey has been fascinating, yet it is one that many young indigenous players take to live a dream, and many more want to.

He is a born and bred Cairns boy, from Far North Queensland, first playing Australian football for Pyramid Power in the AFL Cairns competition and being a part of their Under 16 premiership team in 2013. But there is a strong sense that his journey could yet take him further than he ever dreamed.

With the commencement of the AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round this weekend, the following videos provide the perfect opportunity to be "standing together to celebrate indigenous excellence" - the binding statement that sums up the identity of the round.

This first video looks at highlights from some of the greatest indigenous footballers to have ever played the game. As a highlights reel, it is an absolute showcase of what makes our game so special. The second video looks at one of the legendary indigenous footballers in Graham "Polly" Farmer, who changed the game forever and forged a path for future indigenous footballers to follow.

With the weekend's Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round about to kick off, the AFL has released the magnificent club jumper designs. The following link takes you to the AFL's website http://www.afl.com.au with a specific page dedicated to the designs and stories that go with each club's jumpers.

Included in the snapshot are the design pictures, the name of the artist who deigned them and a small explanation of the symbolic story lines attached.The round starts tomorrow in Sydney when the Swans take on Carlton. The feature match of the weekend will see the Essendon Bombers take on the Richmond Tigers in the match billed as "Dreamtime at the 'G".

To see the designs, go to: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-05-29...r-revealed

The following article from the AFLNT website details an historic curtain-raiser match on Sunday to the clash between the Melbourne demons and Adelaide Crows in Alice Springs. Whilst much of the focus will centre on the Round 10 AFL Premiership match, the match between the Redtails and the Storm will instil great pride and excitement in locals and all Territorians.

AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) is pleased to announce the teams for XYZ game, which will be played as a curtain-raiser to the Toyota AFL Premiership Round 10 blockbuster between Melbourne and the Adelaide Crows in Alice Springs this Sunday. 

The two teams consist of some of the best talent Territory football has to offer, with players from Alice Springs and Darwin being joined by their remote teammates from regions such as Galiwin'ku, Gove, Groote Eylandt, Hermmansburg, Katherine, Lajamanu, Papunya, Tennant Creek, Ti-Tree, Tiwi Islands and Wadeye. 

It would have to be the promoter’s dream for AFL Cairns – a match that will feature four ex-Cairns players in the one match. Three on one team, one on the other. Fans from the northern Australian city know the game is coming north – just a little too far north. Shanghai, China, to be exact.

When the Gold Coast Suns run out onto Jiangwan Stadium on Saturday, mathematically, one seventh of the team (give or take) will hail from the Far North Queensland city. It is a city that has hosted premiership matches at Cazalys Stadium, as well as plenty of lesser games pre-season games prior to that. Along the way, local talent has threatened to make an impact, but this weekend will see the biggest representation of Cairns talent to date.

The names of Long, Rioli, Motlop, Davey and others have graced AFL lists for decades. Each year, players from the Northern Territory are making their way onto the biggest stage. Last year’s draft saw Zac Bailey from Southern Districts selected by the Brisbane Lions at Pick 15, whilst St Mary’s ruckman Tony Olango was grabbed by the West Coast Eagles at Pick 27 in the Rookie Draft.

The following AFL Northern Territory Press Release looks a four NT prospects as they set themselves for the 2018 FL National Draft in November.

Four NT standouts selected for national Allies squad           

 

After a competitive showing at this year’s Under 18 Academy Series, four NT Thunder players have been chosen for the national Allies squad and will vie for the opportunity to play against the next crop of AFL draftees, while also putting themselves in contention for a spot on an AFL list.