The 2014 AFL Sydney Representative program has been confirmed and will see AFL Sydney field three representative sides with the Senior and Development Squads of last year joined by our first ever AFL Sydney women’s team.
2014 will see AFL Sydney reignite their rivalry with AFL Canberra when both the Seniors and Women’s team travel to the nations capital to do battle for the Carter – Jesaulenko Shield while on the same day the Men’s Development Squad will travel up to Newcastle to take on the Black Diamond League.
2009 was the last time our men’s side took on AFL Canberra with AFL Sydney taking the honours 15.12-102 to 12.6-78 at Blacktown International Sportspark. There has been significant change to the landscape of these two leagues since that match with the introduction of the NEAFL competition so an intriguing match is ensured with plenty of feeling which will hopefully produce a great rivalry for years to come.
The women’s match will be the first time a representative game against AFL Canberra has been played under the AFL Sydney banner however both sides will be well aware of each other having very similar sides play regularly under their State banners in recent years. While the two sides did not play each other in 2013, the year prior saw the ACT defeat the NSW side (made up essentially of AFL Sydney Women’s players) in all three games of their series however all matches were very tight. 2014 will give AFL Sydney the opportunity to claim bragging rights in what will be a two match series.
The Development Squad will once again take on the Black Diamond and will be looking to continue their dominance over their northern neighbours. 2011 was the last time the two leagues met which saw a comprehensive victory to AFL Sydney however Black Diamond are a vastly improved league in recent years and a very tight match is expected.
"Its an exciting year ahead for the representative program with three AFL Sydney teams all re-igniting rivalries against sides we haven’t met for a few years", AFL Sydney Football Operations Manager Matt Graham said.
"There will be a great deal of interest in all matches and I am sure the players will be very much looking forward to getting out there to represent their league and showcase their skills", he continued.
"It really is a big year for the representative program and I am confident that the planned changes to the program in terms of training and selection along with the confirmed opposition will see great buy-in from the leagues players and coaches. It will be a significant year in terms of the relevance of representative football for AFL Sydney in the future."
Match Details
Saturday 7th June (Queens Birthday Long Weekend)
AFL Sydney v AFL Canberra (Men’s and Women’s) at Star Track Oval, Canberra – Times TBC
AFL Sydney Development Team v Black Diamond at Newcastle Showground – Time TBC
Saturday 5th / Sunday 6th July
AFL Sydney v AFL Canberra (Women’s only) in Sydney – Venue and times TBC
The full details of training / squad selections etc are still to be confirmed (with coaches input) however there will be key changes and these details will be provided shortly.
Next week a request for applications for all coaching and assistant / manager positions for all three teams will be advertised with the intention to have these positions filled well before the start of the season to allow coaching personnel to work closely with club coaches and players.
Last Modified on 07/02/2014 11:12
