Most Successful International Cup For Canada

September 5, 2008 by Salvatore Capoferri | View Comments (5)

MELBOURNE, Australia. - Two Northwind players were last night named to the World Team for the 2008 International Cup, capping off a successful tournament for the team from Canada. Big ruckman, Emmanual Matata & up and coming star forward Scott Fleming were named Ruck & Forward Pocket respectively. Canada finished the tournament in 6th place, their highest ever ranking.

Northwind General Manager, and Broadview Hawks head coach, Martin Walter was beaming with pride as two of his players accepted their awards last night at the AFL International Cup Gala in Melbourne. The players received their Team jerseys from Australian football legends Kevin Sheedy & Ron Barassi.

In the Northwind's final match today at Royal Park in Melbourne, it was Nauru who came out on top, but not before the Canadian boys put up a strong fight. Tired legs from playing 5 matches in 9 days caught up with the squad, as the speed of the Nauru team was too much for Canada to overcome.

Coach Mark Block had only praise for his players after the match, knowing they had given their all over the past two weeks. Both Block & Walter deserve a lot of credit for the Northwind efforts in this year's International Cup, having created a real team environment over the past few months, where all players played for each other and the jersey every time they took to the field.

Team Canada was one of the most professional squads of all the 16 teams competing in the International Cup, with another reason being their Team Manager Helga Cunning, who worked tirelessly to give the team every opportunity to enjoy this experience and get the best out of themselves.

The Canadian squad heads for home on Sunday knowing they have put their country on the AFL's radar after a strong showing here in Melbourne. With a junior program in full development in Vancouver, The Northwind is positively looking to the future as the program now reaches it's most exciting stage in its history. Canada has moved up in the rankings and unleashed some new talent to the team that should carry this group forward for many years to come.

Captain Stefan Leyhane, who has been the backbone of the squad for many years, was chaired from the ground after the match, the players appreciating his efforts for the program over a long period of time.

The final score was Northwind 7.7.49 to Nauru 12.8.80

Goal kickers for Canada: Scott Fleming 2, James Maitland 1, Chris Buczkowski 1, Murray Lovett 1, Mario Pareja 1, Chris Cunning 1

Best players: Kevin Minaker, Frank Luisser, Mario Pareja, Matthew Lowden, Scott Fleming, Andrew Garth, Tasos Dimacakos, James Maitland, Stefan Leyhane, Dale Simnett, Rhys Harris, Manny Matata

Reported By Daniel Eddy