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University Blues win Auckland AFL Grand Final

Dec 8 2004 The University Blues are the Auckland AFL's Premiers after beating the Mt Roskill Saints by 18 points in what most punters are describing as the best Grand Final in many years. Auckland AFL Grand Final University Blues  8.1.(49) d Mt Roskill Saints 4.7.(31) In front of a healthy crowd of over 350 people, the University Blues overcame a determined Mt Roskill side in the last quarter to win it's third Premiership in succession. The Saints got off to a solid start and were very hard at the contest which seemed to unsettle the skilful Blues team. Saints Ruckman Matt Callaghan set the tone for the day with some brilliant work in the centre square. Little players such as Peter Boyce, Richard Ault and  Ben Jansen were on top of their Blues counterparts early in the match. When the Blues did venture into their forward line, the Saints half back line stood tall, rebounding strongly. Chris Blyth started well for the Blues and was gathering plenty of uncontested ball through the middle of the ground. The second quarter saw the Saints continue to apply colossal pressure to their much fancied opponents. Dion Nash was playing an outstanding game in defence in only his eighth game of Aussie rules. The former Black cap was almost singlehandedly keeping the Saints in the match. Veteran forward Steve Fairweather was providing a great target up forward for the Saints, leading well and kicking truly. Fairweather was harshly dealt with by a Blues player during the quarter. The end result was a free kick to a Blues player and Saints player David Kay been sent from the ground by umpire Ian Bull. This incident was pivotal in terms of the Blues gaining ascendency. The Saints should have scored, however the Blues rebounded and kicked a goal. At the other end of the ground, David Kuss was playing the game of his life on dangerous Blues forward Steve Froggatt. Blues defender David Cory-Toussaint was his teams best player in this quarter. Playing across half- back, he was simply inspirational with his attack on the ball and ability to read the play. Cory-Tossaint has an enormous future as he is athletic, tall and possesses enormous courage. Some of his marking was reminisent of the great Carlton player Ken Hunter. The third quarter saw the Blues spring into action. Young forward James Monaghan became more invloved and in addition to setting up a few goals with some clever assists, he kicked a miraculous goal from the forward pocket. Matt Callaghan continued to underline his rapid improvement with his clever positioning across half back where he assisted Dion Nash in repelling many of the Blues forward moves. The scores were deadlocked on 31 points each at the last break. The last quarter saw the Blues overun a gallant Saints team. Williams, Calleju, Taverner and Blyth, who had been consistent all day, stepped up a gear and ran all over their tired opponents. Two goals through a 50m penalty and a crued late tackle by a Saints player allowed the Blues to move away. The Blues never looked pack, kicking 3 goals to the Saints none in the last quarter. One of the features of the Blues game was their accuracy in front of goals, kicking 8.1 with nine scoring shots as opposed to the Saints who had 11 scoring shots. Todd Taverner and his team are to be congratulated for another outstanding season. The current Blues team have now won 35 games on the trot which is a great record in any league. Peter Boyce, Greg Cairns and the Saints team proved that they are very close to the mark.With a young team that will only get better, the Saints could be set for a very strong period in their history over the coming years. Blues midfielder, Murray Wiliams was awarded the "Wells" medal for the best player on the ground. His work rate and linking defence with attack was a feature of his game. Reserves Grand Final - McKay Rogers Shield North Shore Tigers 7.2(44) d Mt Roskill 1.4.(10) Best on Ground - Ben Browne (North Shore)

The Cougars win the 2004 CAFL Grand Final

Nov 2 2004 The University of Canterbury Cougars are Premiers of the Canterbury AFL after defeating the Eastern Blues 7.11.(55) to 4.12.(36) on Saturday at QE11 Stadium, Christchurch. The Cougars proved too strong for the Blues after a closely fought match. In cold but clear conditions, the Blues went into the match without star forwards James Bowden and Richard Bradley. The Blues kicked with the strong wind in the opening stanza and started brilliantly with Ross McWhinnie (1 goal) and Jason Lanyon (1 goal) providing good tragets up forward. Kieran Fitzpatrick, Shaun Allison and Rano Legulau were dominating in the middle of the ground for the Cougars however this dominance could not be converted into scoreboard pressure, with the Blues holding a 20 point margin at the the first break. The second quarter saw the Cougars bounce back into action with Fitzpatrick continuing to dominate. Pat Orchard kicked three goals in this period for the Cougars and when Joseph Hendry snapped a fantastic goal mid way through the term, the Cougars looked very strong. The Cougars went into the main break 8 points up. The third quarter was a tough affair with the Blues attacking the goals, creating many scorng opprotunities, however only managed to kick 8 points. The Cougars on the other hand worked the ball well into the wind and scored a great goal (as a result of a 50 m penalty). Going into the final quarter, the Cougars held a 6 point lead. The final stanza saw the Cougars come home strongly with the wind and add 2 goals to the Blues 1 goal. When Joe Mildenhall kicked truly at the 20 minute mark of the quarter, the game was effectively over with the Cup heading to the Cougars. Final Score University of Cougars 7.11.(53) Eastern Blues 4.12.(36) from nzafl.co.nz

NZ senior National Falcons Squad announced

Oct 5 2004 Following the recent NPC held in Christchurch, the NZ Falcons training squad was announced in preparation for the 2005 International Cup in Melbourne. NZ Falcons coach Jim lucy said that he was excited with the initial training squad as it represented a good mix of expereinced senior players with a healthy injection of a number of quality young players. All selected players will work under the guidance of their provincial coach with the first training camp to be held in January 2005. NZ Falcons Squad Auckland - Todd Danks, Andrew Congalton, Caleb Stick, Morgan Jones, Craig Ashton, Paul Robinson, Tristian McArley, Louie McLennan, Matt Callighan, Paul Gunning, Grant Conway, Kyle Wiltenberg, Jason Campbell, Steve Froggatt, James Monaghan, Jeremy Blythe, Marcus Jones, David Cory-Tossaint, Jason Pocock, Marco Di Cesare. Wellington - Guy Ferguson, Rob Willis, Colin Jones, James Kerse, Vince Serci, Paul Mason, James Kusel, Al Hunter, Bryon Roff, John Jackson, Shane Wahl, Tim Stevens, Joe Fui, Nathan Rose, Mike Severinsen, Bruce Malcolm, Dean Ellis. Canterbury - Geoff Thomas, Jo Mildenhall, Mike Mullins, Alban Beaumont, John Aramowicz, James Bowden, Richard Bradley, Jason Everson, Shaun Allison, Daniel O'Keefe, James Aitken, Ross McWhinnie.   Waikato - Chris Eyes, Luke Kneebone, Dougal Henderson, Ryan Lucy, Bevan Morris, Ryan Spooner, Moss Doran, Adrian Harwood.

Aussie Rules helps All Black Nic Evans

Aug 31 2004 It was a heck of a comparison, but then Nick Evans has made some job of his first Super 12 season. Whether his form leads to an All Black trial will not be known until this month, but if Tony Brown's assessment of the young utility back is borne out, New Zealand rugby will have something to celebrate. Brown does not make outlandish public statements, he has a measured approach to match the lengthy contribution he has given to rugby as a five-eighths in the Deep South.   So when he declared that Evans was the closest player New Zealand rugby had to compare to the Wallabies' Stephen Larkham, the judgment carried some weight. Evans' Super 12 contribution has already created some ferment in the transfer market. Otago are keen to secure him to replace Brown, who is leaving for a contract in Japan, and North Harbour want to roll over their NPC contract with Evans. Whatever those outcomes, the 23-year-old has produced the sort of impact others such as Royce Willis, Ron Cribb, Mark Robinson, Andrew Hore, Keven Mealamu, Danny Lee, Corey Flynn, Sione Lauaki and Mose Tuiali'i have when they shifted or were drafted away from their local franchises. A national sevens player who first represented Harbour in 2001, Evans had a sharp NPC last season when he filled in at first five-eighths for the injured Luke McAlister. When it came to Blues selection, Evans missed out to Orene Ai'i and Tasesa Lavea, and went into the draft-player pool where he was recruited by Highlanders coach Greg Cooper. "We had a decent look at two or three players, it was kind of a risk analysis in a way, and Nick Evans has really vindicated our decision to take him," Cooper said. Evans covered five-eighths and fullback, he was quick, a strong defender and goalkicker and, in an irony, replaced his former Harbour team-mate Willie Walker. "There just looked to be a spark about Nick and we have been delighted to watch his contribution to the Highlanders where he has been a strong decision-maker and made good assessments under pressure," Cooper said. "He has good vision for the game and his flair is being able to think quickly and under pressure. The things he achieves in a game are not luck but a product of his skill range." Cooper agreed that any comparison of Evans with Larkham was high praise, but he liked the judgment. Like Larkham, Evans was starting his Super 12 career at fullback but the Highlanders coach felt his long-term position would be first five-eighths where his broad base of skills would allow him to control matches. For a while it appeared as though Evans' sporting talents would be invested in Australian Rules. He played for the Westlake Boys High first XV in 1998 at first five-eighths when that team won the North Harbour competition. But he also dabbled in Aussie Rules after being inspired by a group talking about that sport at school assembly. "We played it over summer and it was better than fielding at fine leg at cricket," Evans recalled. Evans graduated to the NZ under-21 and senior Rules sides, competed against Australian state teams and was offered a trial with the Sydney Swans. "It is some game - they say some of the guys in the centre run about half a marathon each match," he said. "The tactical kicking is clever and I learned to drop punt and spiral better, so I put about 10m on every kick." Although Rules intrigued Evans, he was only going to reach a certain level, while there was a chance he could make more progress in rugby. His real advance has come this season and, after he was pitched in for his first start as fullback against the Bulls in Pretoria, Cooper has persevered. "Nick has shown us he has a great temperament and he is able to balance praise with pressure. He has the ability to go all the way," his coach, a former All Black, said. Evans damaged his hip last week in the dramatic win against the Waratahs but, as a qualified physiotherapist, was certain he would be in top condition for tomorrow's Eden Park rendezvous with the Blues. "I would not want to miss this for the world," he said. "There will be pressure to perform, I come from North Harbour but have not played for the Blues - only their development squad. Being around home this year would have been the best option, but I have loved Dunedin and the Highlanders have given me a rugby chance." Evans had enjoyed the solidarity shown by the southern rugby public and a team culture which extracted the best from each player. "People like Anton Oliver teach you to be your own person and that has been great. They all graft hard and much of the learning has been about life-skills and making decisions." Nick Evans Born: August 14, 1980, North Shore. Height: 1.78m. Weight: 84kg. Representative: NZ Sevens, NZ Colts. Super 12: Debut v Reds, Invercargill, February 20, 2004. Tries: 4. NPC: North Harbour.

NZAFL Website Relaunched

Aug 31 2004 The New Zealand AFL have launched their new website, so check it out it has information on all their different leagues as well as news and results.

New Zealand teach Japan a lesson

Aug 2003 A New Zealand Invitational side mainly made up of young potential stars of the future have beaten a fast and fit Japanese side 17.12 (114) to 2.2 (14). "The 100 point trashing of Japan was mainly due to NZ's superior skills and system of play and was a great team effort!" according to coach Jim Lucy. Goalscorers for the game were: Elrick 4,O'Keefe 3, Gawn 2, Jones 2, Harvey 2, Blythe 2, Ferguson 1 and Bowden 1. Best players were O'Keefe, Gawn, Bowden, Thomas and McWhinnie.