This week Hawthorn Football Club plays host to Trent Croad Scholarship holder Kurt Heatherley, 15, and his brother Jason, 18.

Kurt, the first AFL International Scholarship player from New Zealand to be listed with the Club, is on one of his regular visits to train with the Hawks in Melbourne as part of his commitment to the Club.

 The AFL’s Community Development department have recognised the need for a world’s best practice online community football destination with the development of www.aflcommunityclub.com.au. The website provides information targeted at:

• Club Administrators
• Coaches
• Players
• Umpires and Umpire Coaches 
• Volunteers

AFL Community Club continues to evolve and provides:

• Club help
• Online learning 
• Videos and photo galleries
• Training and advice
• Forums

A fantastic effort from the Sth Pacific team in the Australian Under 16 Cahmionships. A narrow loss to Queensland by just 15 points in comparison to the 70 pt drubbing the Queenslanders handed out to NSW, would see signs that New Zealand could be as an effective breeding ground for talent as NSW after only 6 months of involvement in the development of that age group.

After two rounds of the Australian Under 16 Chamionships held in West Sydney, the South Pacific side featuring six New Zealand players has featured a win against the World team and a narrow loss to Queensland.

The 15 point loss to Queensland puts in perspective the potential success of the South Pacific and New Zealand teams, partciularly when New South Wales was defeated by the Queenslanders by 70 points.

The first of the Hawthorn Football Club’s HANZ-UP! clinics occurred during the split round, with players Shane Savage and Jarrod Kayler-Thomson joining HANZ-UP! Ambassador Trent Croad on a three day visit to New Zealand.

Check out this weeks instalment in the Friday Super Sport section of the New Zealand Herald

A copy of Friday June 25th article has been provided below.

Check out this weeks instalment in the Friday Super Sport section of the New Zealand Herald

A copy of Friday June 18th article has been provided below.

The Hawthorn Football Club has incorporated comprehensive details of the HANZ UP! Programme on their website.

The new intiative will see a substantial increase in the awareness of Game Development in New Zealand. With over 50,000 members, the Hawthorn website will open new opportunities.

Players from Australian Rules Football Club Hawthorn will visit a number of schools around New Zealand next week as part of the Hawks’ HANZ-UP! AFL Program.

Hawks Premiership defender and New Zealand born Trent Croad will lead a group of players and Hawks staff in a series of skills clinics and school presentations as the Hawks continue to raise awareness and participation of AFL in New Zealand.

Each week the New Zealand Hearld will feature an article devoted to AFL in its Friday Super Sport section. The article will be utilsed to showcase other media outlets currently providing AFL coverage as well as providing updates for both the AFL competition and the local New Zealand AFL scene.

A copy of Friday June 11th article has been provided below.

An article written in 'The Australian' by Nicole Jeffery, outlines the success of 'Talent Transfer' within Australia.  To some extent, AFL within New Zealand undertakes this process with the recruitment of every new player. The result is a bright future that involves athletes willing to take a chance on a new sport. The AFL New Zealand seasons late Spring early Summer positioning within the calendar, ensures that Rugby Union, Rugby League and Soccer players can have the best of more than one sport.

Inglis Next?

AFL New Zealand Chairman Geoff Dickson appeared on TVNZ sports programme "SKODA Game On". The Interview was focussed on the recent signing of Rugby League star Israel Folau.  Geoff Dickson mentioned that targeting talented athletes from other codes was not a new initiative by the AFL.

A link has been provided to watch the interview.

Israel Folau's association with AFL is yet to be finalised but interest from the press in regards to cross code footballers is getting healthier by the day.

Discussions continue to mount in regards to the next AFL Match to grace New Zealands shores.

Interest is growing in an AFL fixture in New Zealand with Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams providing an article as follows;

"I THINK it is important that we continue to look for ways to improve the game. Here are two ideas I have had recently that I think could help the fans have more fun and grow the game."

THE Hawks found him playing for New Zealand in a junior basketball tournament in Tasmania. He was 14, had never seen or played Australian football and knew nothing about this strange game played across the Tasman.

AFL New Zealand CEO Robert Vanstam was interviewed by Adelaide radio and internet programme 'KG and the General' on Thursday evening regarding the prospects of an ANZAC Day clash to be played in New Zealand.

For access to the interview click below with the interview commencing at the 14 minute 45 second mark and continuing for approximately eight minutes.

The Hawks Active television programme will air 10.30am every Sunday morning on Prime television as part of the Sports Box programme. The programmes target audience is children and so AFL New Zealand wil endeavor to promote the show and its scheduling times at all AFL KiwiKick centres through out New Zealand. The Hawthorn Football Club will work towards content suitable for New Zealand audiences.

SKY Programme link below

The World XVIII and South Pacific squads have been named for the June 2010 NAB AFL Under 16 championships in Australia.

Following on from last years successful visit to Auckland, the Victorian Amatuer Football Association will once again play New Zealand Hawks Under 20's in two matches over the October Labour Day weekend on October 23rd and 25th.

AFL today announced the appointment of a full time AFL International Development Manager. Former Fitzroy, Collingwood and Hawthorn player, Tony Woods, takes on the role.

New Zealand Hawks Under 20 representative Campbell Rawson has recently signed with Sth Adelaide Panthers in the strong SAFL competition. Campbell from the University Blues Club in Auckland played two preseason games with the club before being invited to make the move to Adelaide.

The Under 20 National Provincial Championships were held on the weekend of March 13^th and 14^th in Wellington at Hutt Park. Four teams competed in the tournament including Under 20 teams from Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington as well as the New Zealand Hawks Under 16 team. The new facilities at Hutt Park provided the teams with a fantastic surface and amenities care of Hutt City Council and Stop Out

The recent affiliation agreement between Hawthorn FC and AFL New Zealand has inspired other clubs to seek out opportunities in New Zealand.

Geoff Dickson AFL New Zealand Board Chairman stated, "AFL New Zealand encourages any AFL Club to consider the game development opportunities in New Zealand alongside of their own vested interests."

Following on from the Under 16 Oceania Tournament held in Fiji in December last year, Auckland New Zealand will host the inaugural Senior Oceania Tournament in mid November later this year.

 NZ Senior and Under 20 Coaches

Justin Davies           Lachlan Keating

AFL New Zealand are hopeful that there will be six nations attending including Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Nauru, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand in a tournament that will include the weekend of November 13^th and 14^th and will run for five or six days.

New Zealands weekend tabloid 'The Sunday News'. recently completed a two page spread on AFL's development in New Zealand. "AFL chases Kiwis in tight shorts.", is another example of the growing profile AFL is being afforded within New Zealand.

AFL Chases Kiwi's in Tight Shorts

The feature ran along side two side bar articles with links below.

"The Real Deal by 2011."

"Brutus is a gladiator without a home crowd'"

The Wellington AFL Grand Final held on Sunday 13th December saw Eastern Bulldogs win their third consecutive flag over Hutt Valley Eagles.

Score: Eastern Bulldogs 8G 14B (62) d Hutt Valley Eagles 4G 8B (32)

Scorers: Ambrose Plaister(2),Danny Morgan (2), Wayne Harvey (2) Pete Halstead,Mike Severinsen

AFL New Zealand announced at the Oceania Cup the opening of an AFL New Zealand Academy in March 2010.

Newly appointed chief of AFL's High Performance, Jason McCartney was supportive of the initiaitive announced by Oceania chief Andrew Cadzow at the opening ceremony of the Oceania Cup in Fiji recently.

Rhys Panui-Leth, the first inductee

AFL New Zealand has targeted 100 first choice athletes to drafted into the academy by the end of 2012 with the hope of preparing suitable candidates for AFL International Scholarships.

The recent Oceania Cup held in Fiji was no doubt, a cultural experience beyond anything the participants could dream of.

The coming together of five nations, to play a game that most have never been exposed to only two months ago, was an amazing experience that brought out the best in individuals attending.

New Zealand Hawks captain, Sami Tuitupou should be congratulated for the rousing speech he gave at the opening ceremony.

After the first ever youth Oceania Cup Jason McCartney and scouts from four AFL clubs assisted to select an initial Oceania training squad.

"The standard, ability and attitude of the players was a highlight. No doubt they have great athletic capabilities and a real appetite and appreciation, even respect for this new game of AFL. They will be part of a very competitive World squad for 2010." McCartney said.

Eight New Zealanders were announced in the initial squad with PNG and other continents still to be added.

Tonga is the shock winner of the inaugural AFL Oceania Cup for Under 16s. Going into the tournament PNG was favoured but pulled out with visa and flight issues, leaving New Zealand to carry favouritism.

After both Tonga and NZ went through Day One undefeated it looked like their first up clash on the Sunday morning would decide the winner, and it did, but not before more thrills.

David Fusitua and NZ Hawks Captain Sami Tuitopou meet with the Tongan team

The Under 16 New Zealand Hawks accounted for both Samoa and Fiji on the first day of the Oceania Cup held in Suva Fiji this weekend. The Hawthorn scouts present would have been very pleased with their recent international scholarship signing, Kurt Heatherley, as he was named best for New Zealand in both games.

Perennial champions, the University Blues, faced off against the ever improving Waitakere Magpies who are yet to achieve a flag since their formation in 1990. (Report from World Footy)

The Blues, Premiers in the past decade 7 times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) had steam-rolled their way into the finals with a crashing win by 112 points over bottom of the table Takapuna Eagles in Round 10 before smashing usually tough competitors, the Mt Roskill Saints, by 181 points in the Second Semi Final to go straight through to the big one.

The New Zealand Under 16 team will depart for Fiji on Thursday to take on five other Oceania nations in the inaugural Oceania Cup.

The team has been finalized with former Collingwood AFL player Fatui Ataata, coaching the side and current New Zealand Senior player, Andrew Crighton as his assistant.

The team has representatives from 14 different schools and the four major playing regions of Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Waikato are all represented.

The latest story covering Australian Football from "Herald on Sunday".

"Australians are invading but in a sporting way"...

The Bulldogs’ maiden premiership is testament to the tenacity and determination of Steve Langridge to make the move from the University Cougars in 2006 to form the Bulldogs. In 2007 the Bulldogs struggled for numbers, in 2008 they stepped up to be a competitive team and in 2009 have taken all before them and gone through the competition undefeated. With 9 teenagers in the premiership team the future looks bright in the Bulldogs kennel.  Bullogs View

Kurt Heatherley became New Zealands first AFL International Scholarship holder when he was signed by the Hawthorn Football Club. He also becomes the first recepient of the Trent Croad Scholarship through the Hawks signing. Kurt will compete for the New Zealand Hawks Under 16 team at the Oceania Cup in Fiji December 2009 where the New Zealand team will gain exposure to a myriad of AFL scouts and hopefully further signings.

The newly formed partnership between AFL New Zealand and the Hawthorn Football Club now has a dedicated web page that will find its way to a massive Hawthorn membership base of over 50,000 people.

New Zealand has been provided with excellent pathways for those wishing to be associated with the game but awareness and marketing is the number one challenge. The current base of those involved with the game is tiny in comparison to 4,000,000 people yet to understand or be alerted of just how good the opportunities are with the sport.

Owen KIng, Jeff Krause and Zac Maio. Victorious Hawks Cup Captains.

AFL New Zealand and the Hawthorn Football Club officially launched the HANZ UP! programme for player development within the country. ‘HANZ (an acronym of Hawks Australia New Zealand) UP!’ is a programme instigated between the two bodies which is truly multi-faceted and simply one of the greatest events thus far in the promotion and development of football outside Australia.

Whilst press is hard to come by within New Zealand, Australia's largest selling paper, "The Herald Sun", recently featured an article on the HANZ UP! Programme.

Hawks Cup Finals were played in three regions on Wednesday 4^th and Thursday 5^th of November to decide champions for the regions but also to assist with selection of the inaugural New Zealand Hawks Under 16 team to travel to Fiji in December to compete for the Oceania Cup.

Winners Edgecumbe College (Eastern North Island Champs), St Peters College (Upper North Island Champs) and Onslow College (Lower North Island Champs) were all presented with a gleaming Hawks Cup in a competition that drew teams from twenty schools  across the North island.

Onslow College 2009 Lower North Island Hawks Cup winners

Victorian Amateur Under 18 were victors in both matches against the New Zealand Under 20's in Auckland over the October Labour Day long weekend but the figures dont tell the whole story.

The weekend was a great success and a fantastic follow on effect from the inaugaral Under 20 NZ, National Provincial Championship held in Christchurch 6 months earlier. The New Zealand Under 20 team was selected from three regions incorporating Canterbury, Auckland and Wellington regions.

The AFL today announced it would introduce a World XVIII team of international-born players to compete in the 2010 NAB AFL Under 16s Championships, with the aim of further developing the talent pool for the game and the medium-term aim of producing AFL-standard players.

AFL General Manager of Development David Matthews said the World XVIII, which would allow the best international youth players the opportunity to be showcased and developed at NAB AFL Under 16s Championships and would therefore incentivise international affiliates and AFL Clubs to identify talent. 

The Wellington Tigers have broken Aucklands seven year hold on the National Provincial Championship with three wins from as many games at Parrs Park over the October long weekend.

In the closest championship on record all four teams competed at a level that could have seen any one of the teams take 2009 honours.

Captain James Kusel                                                          Coach John Jackson

Twenty two teams from three regions battled out the first round of the Hawks Cup, searching for both school supremacy as well as the opportunity of representative honours and New Zealand selection.

We now have six teams remaining to play off for the Hawks Cup in three regions throughout New Zealand.

Hawthorn Football Club in conjunction with AFL New Zealand have established a competition within Secondary Schools in New Zealand entitled the Hawks Cup.

In its inaugural season, the competition has already had a massive impact on the development of AFL within New Zealand with the likely sanctioning of the sport by New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council.

VIEW PROMOTIONAL POSTER

This will place the sport on the secondary sports calendar allowing every secondary school within New Zealand, the opportunity to have access to and compete in the Hawks Cup, a competition that Hawthorn Football Club provides in excess of $50,000 in resources towards and targets participants specifically in years 9 and 10.

This years senior National Provincial Championships to be held at Parrs Park Oratia Auckland, will see not only the four league competing for representative honours but also two matches between Victorian Amateur Under 18's against New Zealand Under 20's.

The four senior leagues from Auckland, Canterbury, Waikato and Wellington will compete for national honours for the first time since September 2007. The past three tournaments have seen Auckland as victors and a healthy reserve grade competition has been an advantage they have secured over the same period.

Meanwhile Victorian Amatuers have commenced an inaugural competition involving the Under 18 grade and will send a representative team from the age group to play New Zealand Under 20's in two matches over the weekend.

Appointed Director

New Zealand Australian Football League.

The Board of the  AFL New Zealand is seeking to fill a board vacancy.  The position is for an Australia Football League Appointed Director.

The AFLNZ Board is responsible for overseeing the governance, promotion and development of the sport of Australian Football in New Zealand and to provide opportunities for all New Zealand residents to enjoy this exciting football code.  A dedicated team that reports to the Board through the CEO undertakes the day-to-day promotion and development of the game

Coverage of the 2009 AFL Grand Final will commence on SKY 3 Saturday 26th September with the Grand Final Breakfast at 10.00am and the match itself at 4.30pm.

10 Hours of Footy on television in New Zealand. Thanks SKY!!!!

There are various Grand Final Parties taking place. Click here for venues supplied to date.

Christchurch Bulldogs have taken out the Mackenzie Shield in the challenge match held on August 22nd defeating the Otago Riot 11 12 78 to 7 9 51.

The Bulldogs match report is supplied below.

The three New Zealand Under 20's Andriu Sucu, Carl Williams and Daniel Trifunovich selected to represent Oceania against North Queensland penned a concise summary of their 4 day trip describing their experiences and highlights.

The Oceania Youth Cup will be held in Fiji on the weekend of December 11th and 12th later this year.

The project driven by Oceania Manager Andrew Cadzow is another fantastic leap forward in creating a High Performance pathway for the Oceania Region.

AFL New Zealand have scheduled a secondary school tournament structure to be held on a national basis which will commence on October 21/22/23 with an aim of providing a talented NZ team that will also provide representatives for the Oceania team to be selected and to hopefully play in the 2010 Australian Under 16 Championships.

Saturday August 22^nd will see a new type of ball flying around Strathconan Park in Fairlie when the Christchurch Bulldogs take on the Otago Riot in a game of Aussie Rules.

Footy Programme

The Pacific Islands won a tightly contested match over the North Queensland All Stars in Cairns tonight to take out the inaugural Pacific Islands Forum AFL Challenge Cup.

New Zealands Carl Williams was player of the match.

Three New Zealand Under 20 players have been selected to represent Oceania against a North Queensland Under 23 team in Cairns on Wednesday August 5^th.

Carl Williams in action

The AFL has named Ian Francis as the successful candidate for the Appointed Director position on the AFL New Zealand Board. Ian is currently the Games Development Manager with New Zealand Tennis and highly involved with the successful Grasshopper Programme currently utilised to develop junior tennis within New Zealand.

AFL Oceania have once again committed to sending AFL KiwiKick training manager Jamie Briody to New Zealand for a whirl wind tour of four regions to assist with the growth of the successful AFL KiwiKick after school programme

New Zealand Falcons representative Liam Ackland has secured a trial with the Glenelg Under 18 team next month. Glenelg is part of the South Australian Football League.

To assist in fundraising efforts for Liams trip the Mt Roskill Club are holding a golf day on 26th July at Onewhero Golf Club. Please contact Club President Greg Cairns at greg@mjl.co.nz for more details.

Australian Football in New Zealand has a new name. At a Special General meeting last night a decision was made to see the governing body referred to as AFL New Zealand. The name change will utilise the strength of the AFL brand as its major drawcard,

From humble beginnings, the programme focusing on motor skills for children aged between 5 and 12 is now in the process of opening its ninth AFL KiwiKick centre with another eight areas on a waiting list to open centres over the next month. AFL KiwiKick has been underway in New Zealand for a little over two months now and the interest it is generating is providing a number of development opportunities across the New Zealand Australian Football landscape.

The Senior National Provincial Championship will be played at Parrs Park Oratia in Aucklands western suburbs this October 24th and 25th 2009.

There is no scehduled matches at this stage for the senior New Zealand team in 2010 but the NZAFL remains hopeful of providing an itinerary for a senior team to be selected from the tournament.

Once again Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Waikato are expected to attend. In a new intiative, they will be joined by the New Zealand Under 20 representative team who will also compete in the tournament.

The AFL has launched its campaign for the 2009 season with a great new clip.

The NZAFL is happy to announce that SKY Television will provide live coverage of the 2009 AFL season. All live matches will be shown on SKY 3 whilst the one hour highlights package will once again appear on both SKY 1 and SKY 2 channels.

The season will start with a blockbuster on Friday March 27th 9.30pm with a 2008 grandfinal replay between the Geelong Cats and the Hawthorn Hawks.

A seasons schedule of matches has been provided and is subject to change with delayed telecasts in some cases. Please check programme guides for details.

Scheduled Matches                               Sky Programme Guide

Auckland have won the inaugural National Under 20 Provincial Championships played in Christchurch at Westminster Park on March 14^th and 15^th. The Auckland team were undefeated in their four games and were deserved winners against the spirited opposition of Canterbury and Wellington.

Talent scouts from four AFL clubs attended the weekends matches in an event that would have provided thoughtful insights into the games current development status as well as what potential opportunities may exist in the future.

International Cup hero Moss Doran is making an impact in AFL Queenslands major competition. Doran recently transferred from the Hampden League in Victoria to the major league based at Brisbane club Mt Gravatt Vultures. Under the guidance of coach David Lake, Moss Doran is hoping to create his own career path with out the assistance of the International Scholarship Programme.  Latest report

Recruiting staff from Hawthorn, Geelong, Sydney and North Melbourne are heading to Christchurch this weekend to watch an under-20 carnival, with the 2008 premier keen to recruit players via the establishment of an international scholarship program.

On the 14^th and 15^th of March 2009, New Zealand AFL will hold its inaugural Under 20 National Provincial Championships in Christchurch at Westminster Park.

The tournament will involve representative teams from Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury and has already created interest in AFL circles with several talent scouts to be in attendance. The AFL will also conduct fitness tests on all players competing.

The Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs banked their third title in four years when they crushed the North City Demons 85-34 in the Wellington AFL grand final at Elsdon Park in Porirua yesterday.

The North Shore Tigers won their first premiership since 1998, defeating University Blues 15 15 105 to 13 2 80 in a fantastic game of football. The Tigers reversed a 119 point loss in the semi final to the same team only two weeks ago to win a match were once again they were under the pump twice in the game, trailing by four goals only to retain the lead and eventually a well deserved victory.

North Shore Tigers 2008 AAFL Premiers

The Otago Australian Rules Football Club has officially arrived on the New Zealand AFL scene with the staging of a game against the Canterbury Cobras.

Calling themselves the “Riot” and consisting entirely of students from the University of Otago, the 20-strong squad that made the trip up from Dunedin had trained several weeks in the leadup to the contest.

A maximum of $10,000 per annum is available for academic fees. Tuition fees, student services fees, student association fees and building levy fees are eligible but not other fees such as late or penalty fees. The NZAFL will endorse applications from all players that have represented  New Zealand in the past 12 months. Applications are due by Decemebr 1st 2008.

Canterbury AFL will host the inaugural Under 20 National Provincial Championships in Christchurch on March 14th and 15th early next year. The event will be open to the CAFL, WTAFL, AAFL, WAFL and  if the tournament criteria can be met, a special invitation will go out to the Otago Region.

Who will be our next Falcons?

Mt Roskill and New Zealand Falcons midfielder LIam Ackland will travel to Canberra and the Australian Institute of Sport at the end on November to take place in a week long camp.

The NZAFL would like to announce the appointment of a new Director on the NZAFL Board.

Cory Williams is based in Auckland and is Managing Director of Calcium Software following on from his involvement as CEO of both ‘The Optima Corporation’ and ‘The ICE Angels’.

The Eastern Blues have beaten the University Cougars in the 2008 Canterbury Australian Football League grand final to extend their winning record to three on the trot.

Otago won a cricket trophy for the first time in 20 years in February, then nearly welcomed back the Chatham Cup when Dunedin Technical made the club soccer final last month.

Now it's the turn of the province's Australian Rules football team to try to bring some silverware back to Dunedin.

At the recent 2008 International Cup, Richmond Football Club writer John Green penned a story describing his thoughts on the International Cup Final between Papua New Guinea and the New Zealand Falcons.

Papua New Guinea are the winners of the 2008 International Cup after defeating New Zealand 8 12 60 to 8 4 52. The Mosquitoes finished strongly after being behind for most of the game with their pacey onballers and forward line the most telling feature.

World Footy News will provide comprehensive updated coverage of the 2008 International Cup in Melbourne. Please click here for updates.

The NZAFL offices will be unattended from August 23rd until September 8th.

Falcons Itinerary

The AFL has released the 2008 International Cup Draw with New Zealand scheduled to play Japan, India and Samoa in the preliminary rounds. The beauty of International Australian  Football is its uncertainty. Who knows who will make the semi finals? The Falcons will continue to work hard in their preparations with the hope of winning their preliminary matches and competing in the finals.

Japan                      India                      Samoa

International Cup Draw

New Zealand Falcons Itinerary 

World Footy New Story on the draw

The newly selected Falcons were no match for the seasoned campaigners from the Maffra Football Club losing 13 13 91 to 3 1 19. Read on for both the New Zealand and Maffra perspectives.

The New Zealand Falcons will play Maffra Eagles at Mountfort Park Saturday August 2nd at 2.00pm. Conditions will be very trying after the two massive weather bombs that have hit Aucklnad in the past week. This will have no effect on the endeavour of both teams to take home winning honours.

Click on read more for a printable version of the programme.

"Moss Doran could be the X Factor which helps New Zealand to international success on the football field come September." A news article has appeared in an Australian paper "The Standard" , outlining Moss' potential impact on the International Cup.

On Saturday August 2nd 2008, the Maffra Football Club will travel from Victorian Country to play the New Zealand Falcons at Mountfort Park Manurewa Auckland, in a lead up match to not only assist the Falcons in their lead up to the 2008 International Cup, but also continue the strong relationship that has developed between the two associations.

Turn up the volume and click here

The New Zealand Falcons will travel to the 2008 International Cup in Melbourne on August 23rd for a two week period.  As the event gets closer so does the public and media interest surrounding the Falcons quest to win back to back tournaments.

Click on the articles below

Western Bulldogs Site - Kiwis Keen on Cup Defence

World Footy News - NZ Falcons progressing well

AFL - Team Profile: New Zealand Falcons

A article penned by Rod Schaw discussing the state of play in New Zealand has recently appeared on the World Footy News website and now the AFL website.

"New Zealand Football Ticking all the Boxes."

The Hurricanes might be seasoned pros in rugby union, but when it comes to Aussie Rules, they could still use a few pointers. In slightly wet conditions at Elsdon Park, Porirua, the Hurricanes squad went down 53-37 to a Wellington Tigers AFL selection.