CROATIA NEW CENTRAL EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS

Croatia yesterday 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 Czech’s 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 Czech’s 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 Czech’s 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 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.

Game 1
CROATIA 'A' 8 10 58
AUSTRIA 2 2 14

Game 2
CROATIA 'B' 10 5 65
CZECH 1 3 9

Game 3
CROATIA 'A' 12 6 78
CROATIA 'B' 4 3 27

Game 4
AUSTRIA 5 3 33
CZECH 8 6 54

Game 5
AUSTRIA 6 0 36
CROATIA 'B' 11 6 72

Game 6
CROATIA 'A' 18 7 115
CZECH 3 0 18

FINAL TABLE
CROATIA 'A' 12
CROATIA 'B' 8
CZECH REP. 4
AUSTRIA 0

Best & Fairest - Srećko Bošković (CRO)
Top Goalscorer - Renato Babić (CRO) - 10 goals
Best Defensive player - Michael Fraeth (CZE)