The AFL Canada Cup has been run and won for 2023 with the combined Burnaby Eagles, and Calgary Kookaburras team (The Keagles!) coming out victorious after a dominant weekend of Footy.
The 2nd Annual AFL Canada Cup was once again a great celebration of Women’s Footy played in great spirits by all teams, putting on a show for the spectators!
The Keagles went through the tournament undefeated and flexed their muscles in every game, with the highest score being posted against them in any game being 12 points.
Players were greeted by uninterrupted sunshine on Day 1 of the tournament as well as a lush field at Mohawks Sports Park in Hamilton, Ontario. Prime conditions led to some great footy being played in the 7 round-robin tournaments played on day 1.
Women’s Footy was the main focus but not the only attraction on Day 1, with a men’s exhibition game being played over the lunch break, the beer Garden in full swing in the afternoons, and vendors on site.
Conditions were a little chillier on day two with a cool breeze covering the morning games but it didn’t take long for things to warm up! After the final 3 round-robin games were played, the seedings were set for the finals.
Semi-Final 1 saw the first-seed Keagles, take on and defeat the fourth-seed Swaints, a combined team from Quebec and Ottawa as they were just starting to warm up.
Semi-Final #2 was a nail-biter with the 3rd seed Etobicoke/New Yor combined team, defeating the home Hamilton side by the smallest of margins.
The scene was set for a Keagles vs Etobicoke/NY final and the Keagles were up to the challenge running out as 45-point winners, and being crowned AFL Canada Cup Champions for 2023!
Scores for all games are available at this link
Each year two awards are given out to prominent players at the AFL Canada Cup including a Tournament MVP. This year, AFL Canada has elected to name the Tournament MVP after the first Canadian woman to be drafted to the AFLW – Kendra Heil. This tournament is doubly fitting to make this change, given it is being held in Kendra’s hometown of Hamilton.
Congratulations to the 2023 Tournament Individual Award winners:
- Kendra Heil Award for Tournament MVP – Anna Brancati (Burnaby Eagles)
- Rookie of the Tournament – Gurpreet Dhaliwal (Burnaby Eagles)
AFL Canada would like to extend a big thank you to the Hamilton Wildcats for hosting the AFL Canada Cup, as well as the umpires, all who volunteered, and all of those who came to support.
Also, thanks to tournament photographer Neville Newman for his work and you can check out all of the action at the link below:
