Croatia crowned CEAFL champions

Kolja Koracak
6 May 2008

On Saturday May 3, 2008 Croatia confirmed itself as an emerging force in Australian Rules Football as it comfortably beat all opposition in the Central European AFL Championship held in Zagreb.

Austria and the Czech Republic journeyed down to the Croatian capital in an attempt to grab the Central European title but the Croatian boys were simply too strong on the day and deservedly took the trophy. The ever growing interest in Aussie Rules in Croatia actually allowed the hosts to form 2 teams for the tournament!

The day kicked off with the game between Croatia A and Austria. A 5 goal first half gave Croatia A a 27 point lead at half time which was extended to 44 points at full time. Croatia B then grabbed an early lead against the Czech Republic before running away with the game in the 2nd half to win by 56 points.

The 2 Croatian sides met in the next game, with the A side winning but it's worth mentioning that the B side actually won the 2nd half! The Czechs then led Austria by only 8 points at half time in what was the closest contest of the day. A strong 2nd half performance by the Czechs saw them finish the game 21 points in front.

Despite playing again after a very short break, the Austrians led for most of the first half in the game against Croatia B. The Croatians controlled the 2nd half though and ended up winning by 36 points.

The final game of the day saw Croatia A totally control the first half against a tired Czech side, opening up a 76 point lead by half time. To their credit, the Czechs increased their effort in the 2nd half to score 3 goals straight but Croatia A won the game by 97 points.

Some nice weather, together with the BBQ, Australian wine and beer supplied by the hosts, allowed the spectators (and players) to enjoy the day and look forward to the next opportunity of playing Aussie Rules in Zagreb.

Big thanks to the sponsors of this event: PB Grupa, Arsenal Zadar, Eventus Produkcija, Bin19, hostel Lika, Oleum Viride and Studio Flyer.

Our next event is the 3 Nations Cup on June 7th in Vienna.

RESULTS

Game 1
CROATIA A 58 d. AUSTRIA 14

Game 2
CROATIA B 65 d. CZECH REPUBLIC 9

Game 3
CROATIA A 78 d. CROATIA B 27

Game 4
AUSTRIA 33 d. CZECH REPUBLIC 54

Game 5
AUSTRIA 36 d. CROATIA B 72

Game 6
CROATIA A 115 d. CZECH REPUBLIC 18

Final Table
1 CROATIA A
2 CROATIA B
3 CZECH REPUBLIC
4 AUSTRIA