This weekend, the fledgling Gold Coast Football Club takes another stride forward as they contest their TAC Cup Under 18s Elimination final against the Northern Knights.
The squad thrown together has preformed promisingly. Who knows just how many will be drafted or at least rookie listed, not only by Gold Coast FC themselves, but by other clubs?
Already, Queensland local, Josh Thomas, has indicated that he wants to try his luck in the national draft – like Dayne Beams previously.
For the record, the squad includes (based on state of birth):
QLD 14, Vic 6, NSW 3, Tas 3, SA 3, PNG 2 and NZ 1.
For an elite under 18s AFL squad, this is a pretty interesting mix.
Michael C
Roar Guru
btw - back to the GCFC , the TAC side had a solid win on the weekend, and progress deeper into the finals.
Michael C
Roar Guru
5 years and never, it's all depends on how competitive one wants the game to be, but, then, so long as you can get 18 on the field and a bench, it's a bit redundant how much 'depth' you have sitting on the sidelines watching a once off game. over the years, Tassie had a glorious victory on June 13th 1960 over the 'second' string Big V, and likewise, in 1990 when a motley collection of NSW players got over the 'second' string Big V team. The important factor though is that unlike the more negatively geared games with off-side and other impediments to free scoring (RL with no forward passes by hand, and soccer with goalies and a x-bar etc) - Aust Footy is very unforgiving of a talent gap. A PNG rep team might be a very, very good side, but, still get down by 20 goals.
gazz
Roar Pro
the game in PNG?
bever fever
Guest
Fair enough Westy.... have never lived up there so i will take your word for it. My family (before i was born) lived up there on manus island in the early 60s and the code of choice was dependant on where the majority of servicemen came from (south or north OZ), which could change from year to year (postings)
westy
Guest
bever fever I have little problem with the facts quoted as to the current success of the AFL in PNG.i do have aproblem with a rewriting of history that is all. There are about 188000 in West New Britain less in the 70's. Kimbe the regional capital has about 16000. PNG has about 6 million people and from my visits there from the 70's onwards rugby league was dominant before the exclusive broadcasts. I saw as many rugby union games as Australian rules. The type of games in some areas were more dependent on expats . There was more local participation" in PNG" playing rugby league not in QLD but at home. I am not trying to pick a fight nor am I querying your assertion about West New Britain but it does need to be put in the proper perspective of total population. The future for Aussie Rules is good there is however no need to create apast that does not accord entirely with reality. i was working on Australian aid projects all over PNG and the history put by some in the AFL never accorded with my observation of it ever being the major participatory sport. The missionaries I worked with were mainly catholic brothers and sisters from NSW and QLD and were primarily skewed towards rugby league and rugby union and this was also reflected by the young boys they cared for . The Vic blokes i worked with were there for others and just went with the flow even if it was against the grain.
bever fever
Guest
I dont know if australian football was ever the dominant footy code overall in PNG, but it was certainly the dominant code in some parts of PNG, West New Britain was one such area. PNG used to have teams in the old under 17 Teal cup up untill the early to mid 80s, but with PNG getting TV from Brisbane RL was a big winner. I have played against a PNG side whilst in the Navy up in PNG and our ship got beat, i imagine that these games still go on. Pretty exciting times for followers of international footy, we are getting some really good players coming through from PNG and AFL QLD seems to be doing a great job, Essendon just recently rookie listed one http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20090812091105174
Norm
Guest
speaking of dwindling masterless you still haven't explained the melbourne game's international implosion.
Norm
Guest
I'm not quite sure why you would accuse me of being facetious. My question was directed at finding out from you when the best of Aust aussie rules would take on the best of PNG aussie rules because that's what is already happening in rugby league. So if the melbourne game really is on the rise in PNG that is a match up I would expect to eventually see. And your answer seems to suggest somewhere between 5 yrs & never.
westy
Guest
Timmuh I really do not have a problem with most of the poster's input. on here. However it would be highly inaccurate to ever describe Australian Football as the NO 1 code in PNG at any time in the past. This is just a falsehood pure and simple. That more Aussie Rules was played in the 70's may be true but it never ever was the No 1 code. We all have our biases including me but this is a gross distortion. Rugby league was commenced in PNG before WW2 amongst expats but reinforced by the large number of QLD and NSW soldiers there during and after the war. These troops played there natural game not Australian football. That exclusive broadcast of rugby league into PNG in the 70's /80's /90's obviously reinforced rugby leagues position and affected Australian football. I think Australian football will grow but to in any way insuate that rugby league was not the dominant code from 50's onwards is a gross distortion of historical reality. As a visitor to PNG from the 1970's I find such assertions highly unrealistic to say the least.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Norm - Kangaroos vs Kumuls?? I guess you're being facetious, but, I will continue to show more respect than some posters perhaps deserve and provide a decent answer: Well, firstly, the PNG national team is the Mosquitos. We've seen them get past the NZ Falcons, the South African Lions, the US Revolution and Canadian Northwind, the Swedish Elks and the Finland Icebreakers, the Danish Vikings etc etc. Just what the Australian National AFL team would be called.....dunno. The Galahs is a nice traditional name of sorts. And kinda works. At any rate - the PNG national team, given that the successful 2008 IC side included a wide number of 16-20 yr olds, and variously around Australia many of these lads are playing quite good standard footy - - including as mentioned previously, 1 rookied to Essendon, and 2 up at GCFC TAC squad. Well - that implies that over the next 3-5 years - we could expect to draw together a very damn useful PNG national team. Good enough to take on the Australian full AFL team......nah.....the Indigenous all stars.....nah, the Tassie or NSW-AFL 'origin' teams - - quite possibly. Add another 5, 10 or 15 years and you just never know. BTW - all this is using IC eligibility rules, i.e. the Mozzies only using 'native' PNG talent. There are and have been PNG born AFL players and using the more expansive RU,RL or Soccer World Cup eligibility criteria based on parentage etc - means that many of the IC better teams could be 'bulked up' a tad with Australian born/raised talent......but, the Aust Footy fraternity hasn't gone down that path (yet - - there'd be no real point.....but, perhaps sometime soon it might be??)
The 1 and Only Master
Guest
Whatever the numbers of members, there is certainly 1 guarantee and that is the new Gold Coast Football club will draw a lot more people than the dwindling soccer can draw.
Westcoast929406
Guest
We spelt it out pretty clearly we thought - The use of the word NOMINAL places those members in the right context. To repeat - Some of them may get on board the AFL Express - To put it in plain english they "may" join the new club. Nowhere does it say" All of them".
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Not sure - but a few of them might like Australian Football.
Dave
Guest
Are you suggesting that all the social members of the pokie palace that is Canterbury leagues are all rabid Bulldogs followers?
albatross
Guest
Are you suggesting that all the social members of the pokie palace are all rabid kick 'n' giggle followers?
Dave
Guest
if we stop saying it out loud, maybe it wont happen.
Norm
Guest
When can we expect to see the afl equivalent of Kangaroos v Kumuls?
Westcoast929406
Guest
In another significant move the very wealthy AFLQ Club The Southport Sharks have tipped in 11 million bucks to the new Gold Coast Club. No this is not AFL spin or hysteria just plain facts. Apparently this with the GCFC main sponsor will put them in a solid position. There will be some crossover memberships between the two groups and it seems the Sharks have a nominal 50,000 members - Note we said nominal for club entry purposes. Some of them may get on board the AFL Express that is rolling into the Gold Coast. As the man said " Its all good". Link to article-- http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/09/04/133715_gold-coast-afl.html A brief note on AFL Mt ISA - Our old friend Joseph Gutnick ex AFL Melbourne Demons has agreed to tip in 100,000 to the AFL Mt ISA league. This puts them at the top of the tree in that town they say. Gutnick has mining interests in the region.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Interesting to see a kid like Josh Thomas up there elect to enter the draft. A bit like Dayne Beams - it illustrates how 'staying/playing at home' is only so attractive to so many kids.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Norm - partially correct, the non existent comment re the current situation is quite false. It's exciting times ahead for AFL in PNG and Pac Islands.....finally. The AFL had never shown interest before, but, is finally showing......some! If RL is number 1 in PNG, the recent disclosure of their 'numbers' actually illustrates that Aust Footy in PNG is coming along very nicely, thankyou very much. btw - in September, the national regional junior champs will be held in PNG (in Lae), with U13s, U15s, U17s and U15 girls. The AFL-PNG talent regions are Highlands, Islands, North and South. This is important obviously because it A. shows a healthy junior base that is continuing to grow, and B. shows an organisational ability to actually run and make work such tournaments in PNG (a country with it's own challenges). And this year in NZ, we've had the National Provincial Championships for juniors, the big thing is again, getting into schools and getting new regions/cities into the 'network'.