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Information About

Australian Football International Cup




The goal of the competition is to promote the sport outside Australia.
The tournament is the largest international Australian Rules Football event and the only one that is open to Worldwide senior competition.

Although Australia , the home and world's strongest nation in the game, does not participate, Melbourne, Australia has hosted all past tournaments.

The competition emerged as Australian Rules Football quickly grew in the 1990s.
Successful international competition at the Arafura Games between pacific nations led to the concept of an International Cup.

The inaugural competition was held in 2002 (in conjunction with the International Australian Football Council ), with 11 countires competing including Canada , Great Britain , Denmark , Ireland , South Africa , Japan , New Zealand , Nauru , Papua New Guinea , Samoa and the United States . Ireland defeated Papua New Guinea in the final.

The second Cup was held between August 3 and August 13 , 2005 in Australia. Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Samoa, South Africa, Spain and the United States competed. Papua New Guinea were again runners up, this time defeated by New Zealand by 7.8 (50) to 5.2 (32).

Competition is also planned for 2008, with up to 20 nations competing. Possible new qualifiers include Germany , Sweden , Tonga (unlikely as focussing on juniors), France , Argentina (unlikely) and Scotland (who are currently represented by the ''Great Britain'' team - this is likely to remain the case in 2008) and China .


INTERNATIONAL CUP COMPETING TEAMS & NICKNAMES



Current Competing Teams



Past Competing Teams



2002 RESULTS

Final standing from the inaugural competition were:
#Ireland
#Papua New Guinea
#New Zealand
#Denmark
#USA
#Great Britain
#Samoa
#Nauru
#Canada
#Japan
#South Africa


2005 RESULTS


Round 1 results, 2005

  • Japan 13.10.88 def Spain 2.5.17

  • Ireland 4.7.31 def Canada 3.5.23

  • USA 9.8.62 def South Africa 4.10.34

  • New Zealand 8.8.56 def Great Britain 3.4.22

  • PNG 8.11.59 def Samoa 6.6.42

  • Round 2

  • USA 2.5 (17) defeated Ireland 1.7 (13)

  • New Zealand 15.15 (105) defeated Spain 0.3 (3)

  • Papua New Guinea 5.11 (41) defeated Canada 4.3 (27)



Round 3 - Sunday 7 August 2005

  • Ireland 10.9 (69) defeated South Africa 1.4 (10)

  • USA 5.11 (41) defeated Spain 2.0 (12)

  • New Zealand 11.13 (79) defeated Japan 1.0 (6)

  • Samoa 7.4 (46) defeated Canada 6.6 (42)

  • PNG 8.11 (59) defeated Great Britain 2.2 (14)

  • Round 4 Tuesday 9 August 2005 at Wangaratta

  • Ireland 7.11 (53) defeated Japan 1.0 (6)

  • Great Britain defeated 3.7 (25) defeated Canada by 3.5 (23)

  • Papua New Guinea 7.5 (47) defeated USA 7.4 (46)

  • New Zealand 16.2 (98) defeated Samoa by 4.3 (27)



Semifinals

  • New Zealand 10.4 (64) defeated USA 7.4 (46)

  • PNG 5.4 (34) defeated Ireland 3.7 (25)



Qualifying finals round

  • Canada won by forfeit against Spain

  • Great Britain 9.9 (63) defeated Japan 3.5 (23)

  • Samoa 7.8 (50) defeated South Africa 3.3 (21)



Minor placing finals

  • Samoa 3.9 (27) defeated Britain 2.3 (15)

  • Canada 4.5 (29) defeated South Africa 2.6 (18)

  • Japan 11.7 (73) defeated Spain 2.1 (13)

  • USA 10.5 (65) defeated Ireland 4.6 (30) (for third place)



Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

  • New Zealand Falcons 7.8 (50) defeated Papua New Guinea Mosquitoes 5.2 (32)

  • The Best and Fairest medal was awarded to New Zealand's James Bowden.



2005 Australian Football International Cup All Stars Team

Like the All-Australian Team in the Australian Football League , a team selected from the best players in the International Cup was selected.


PNG

  • Navu Maha

  • David Gavara-Nanu

  • Stanley Tapend

  • Alister Sioni



NZ

  • Richard Bradley

  • Andrew Congalton

  • Craig Ashton

  • James Bowden

  • Todd Danks



USA



Japan



South Africa

  • Mtutuzeli Hlomela

  • Steven Malinga

  • Ireland

  • Clifford Richardson

  • Mike Finn (Ireland)

  • Great Britain

  • Rob Burgess

  • Spain

  • Jose Francisco Lorente

  • Samoa

  • Fia Tootoo

  • Mateta Kirisome

  • Canada

  • Rob McEwan

  • Paul Loghanne



Tournament Best & Fairest Winners

  • Fia Tootoo (Samoa)

  • Navu Maha (PNG)



RANKING AFTER THE 2005 AFL INTERNATIONAL CUP


  • 1st - New Zealand

  • 2nd - Papua New Guinea

  • 3rd - USA

  • 4th - Ireland

  • 5th - Samoa

  • 6th - Great Britain

  • 7th - Canada

  • 8th - South Africa

  • 9th - Japan

  • 10th - Spain


(Denmark and Nauru competed in 2002 but withdrew from the 2005 tournament for financial reasons)


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