World Footy: Falcons and Dragons to battle for Middle East grand final berth

A berth in the Middle East AFL grand final is at stake when the Abu Dhabi Falcons take on the Dubai Dragons at the American International School in the UAE capital on Friday evening at 5 pm.

The Falcons are undefeated after wins on the road in Oman and Qatar but they face the all-conquering Dubai Heat in the final match of the home-and-away season, in Dubai. The Dragons have lost only one game this season – to the Heat in Round 4 by 55 points.

The teams that finish first and second on the ladder play-off in the grand final. The international nature of the competition – there are teams from four Middle Eastern countries – means it is not feasible to host a conventional finals system.

The key to the result is likely to depend on which team can win the ball in the midfield and get the ball to their respective leading goalkickers, Marc Peterson (Abu Dhabi) and Ian Munro (Dubai Dragons).

The Falcons will look to skipper Ben Williams (ex-North Shore, Sydney), solid ruckman Troy Patterson, and classy midfielder Brad Foat to send the ball into attack.

Mark Nancarrow and Matt Gribble will be the players to watch for the Dragons.

A bumper crowd is expected for the match which will be played under lights. An Auskick match will be played at half-time. There are more than forty kids involved in Auskick in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, the Doha Kangaroos and the Bahrain Blues will complete Round 6 when they clash in Qatar on 5 March.

Round 6 started with the Dubai Dingoes notching their first win of the season over the Muscat Magpies by 32 points at The Sevens rugby ground in Dubai last weekend.

Comments

  1. Go the Falcons !!

  2. Correct call Dips!

    The Falcons will be fielding close to, if not, the best side to front up all season for this one. Competition for places has been high with numbers at the final training session back up to the usual 20. (18 players max for a MEAFL team).

    The Dragons have a fair amount of talent other than those mentioned by Sheikh Rocket. As do the Falcons to be fair. I’m keen on watching the international boys (a couple of Irish, a South African, an American, and an Englishman) go. Have become a very important part of the team proving a lack of understanding of the rules is not critical to performance…

    gus,
    Chief Water Boy/Goal Umpire/Whatever required on the day

    ps also looking forward to the V8 Supercars at Yas Island next week. (Is that getting any coverage in the press back home?) Just ordered my tickets to the Coacktail Party to welcome the drivers…

    Should be a close game

  3. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rocket says

    Match details:
    Abu Dhabi Falcons 1.3.9 7.5.47 9.6.60 15.6.96
    Dubai Dragons 4.2.26 7.5.47 13.6.84 14.6.90

    Goal Kickers :
    Falcons
    Marc Peterson 9, Tom Williams 3, Ben Williams 1, Matt Wood 1, Mark Deverall 1

    Dragons
    Bester 7, Fife 3, Nancarrow 1, Munro 1, Unknown 2

    Best Players
    Falcons
    Ben Williams, Marc Peterson, Tom Williams, Brad Foat

    Dragons
    Bester, Fife, Danielson

  4. must have been a cracking game.

  5. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rocket says

    Worth crawling over broken glass through the sewers of New York to see!

  6. Falcons 96, Dragons 90. Peterson 9, Bester 7.

    Looking at those raw stats, I’m reminded of the 1991 Geelong-St Kilda Elimination Final:

    Geelong 104, St Kilda 97. Brownless 8, Lockett 9.

    That game was between 3rd and 4th and 1991 was the only year that 3rd played 4th with the loser being eliminated under the first version of the Final Six system. 5th played 6th with the loser of that match also eliminated.

    This was a travesty against the Saints.

    Sanity returned in later incarnations where 3rd played 6th and 4th played 5th with the losers eliminated. There was a bit of poetic justice about St Kilda (6th) defeating Collingwood (3rd) in 1992.

    Sorry for drifting a little of topic…

    Looking forward to hearing news of the GF, Rocket.

  7. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rocket says

    My sentiments re Saints are exactly the same as yours Gigs!

    Recall listening to the 91 elimination final on Radio Australia in a yogwan (small inn) in Seoul, Korea…

    The Grand Final will be a classic local derby Abu Dhabi v Dubai.
    Of course, Abu Dhabi now owns Dubai Inc.

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