Welcome to the new website of the Canterbury Australian Football League!
Our thanks go to Callum McNair from The Sporting Pulse for his tireless assistance in developing the site.
We hope that the new site will help the league and clubs to promote themselves and to further establish Aussie Rules in the Canterbury region.
All and any feedback is welcome to be sent to vtanderson@paradise.net.nz
CD's available featuring over 2000 of the history of AFL in Canterbury
Our intrepid photographer, Steve Nolan, has prepared a CD of photographs taken over the past four years of CAFL action. The CD contains over 2000 action shots featuring almost every player that has put on a club jumper. Cost: $15. Text Steve on 027 285 1485 or phone on 358 9915
This will be something to show your kids in the years to come. Steve will put the photos of your choice on the CD cover.
2007 Grand Final a carbon copy
The stage may have changed and a few of the actors had been replaced, but you would have been forgiven for thinking that the script hadn't changed. It goes something like this:
The Cougars start well out of the blocks, kicking early goals, including an important goal into the wind. The more fancied Blues are wasteful in front of goal and head into the main break trailing by a small margin, thanks to a swag of behinds. They come out in the third quarter and despite the aid of a wind, barely manage to take the lead at the last change. The Cougars, tiring by now and lacking creativity, fail to capitalize on the wind in the last quarter, only matching the Blues, who also kick a goal into the wind.
Throw in a nice pack-mark by Jamie Day who converted truly, the odd umpiring controversy and a score line that has the Blues winning with one goal less than the Cougars and you would be thinking "deja vu".
Well done to both teams for putting on a grand display and let's hope that some new actors are written into a new script in 2008.
Eastern Blues 4 17 (41) def Uni. Cougars 5 7 (37)
Mid-Canterbury Eagles win first final!
Forget 2005 when they beat a fledgling Bulldogs in nothing more than a scratch match, this was a real win in the "big time" for the league improvers. The game was fast and furious and played in good spirit. The Eagles, with the tallest list in the CAFL, also have pocket rockets in Stanley Chung and James Kelly and it was their leg speed which prevailed over the gutsy Bulldogs. The Eagles were rewarded for all the hard work they've put in on the training track, whereas the Bulldogs will need to lift this aspect of their preparation if they are to avoid the wooden spoon in 2008.
Mid-Canterbury Eagles 9 17 (71) def Christchurch Bulldogs 3 6 (24)
Season Awards
Best on ground in Grand Final: Shaun Allison (Cougars)
CAFL Best and Fairest 2007: Darryl Cochrane (Bulldogs) 12 votes
Equal Runners-up: James Bowden and Geoff Thomas (Blues) 9 votes
Last Modified on 09/03/2008 05:21