Sunday, October 13, 2013

EDMONTON TAKES CROWN AS ANGELS FINISH 6TH

Angels 2013 Nationals Squad. Photo: Rob Colburn 
The Edmonton Emus have clinched the 2013 Women's National Title defeating the Calgary Kookaburras in Ottawa Sunday. For the Angels a heartbreaking 3 point loss to the Etobicoke Kangaroos in their last pool game relegated the team to a 5th place play-off against the Ottawa Lady Swans. Despite a fantastic effort from the Angels, the Ladies from the nation's capital proved too strong taking the win and consigning the Angels to 6th place overall.
Finals Standings:

1. Edmonton Emus (National Champions)
2. Calgary Kookaburras
3. Hamilton Wildcats
4. Etobicoke Kangaroos
5. Ottawa Swans
6. Montreal Angels
7. Toronto Central Blues
8. High Park Demons 

Saturday, October 12, 2013

CANADIAN NATIONALS DAY ONE RESULTS

Angel Kate Allbon Sargeant v Demons. Photo: Rob Colburn
It was an action packed first day at the Canadian Women's Nationals Saturday in Ottawa. The Angels split their results with a solid first up victory against the High Park Lady Demons before falling to the Edmonton Emus later in the day. Sister club the Ottawa Lady Swans were pipped twice, losing both their matches by 2 points. With the Edmonton Emus already locked in for a place in the final, Sunday's match-up between the Hamilton Wildcats and Calgary Kookaburras will determine their opponent.

The 8 teams are split into 2 pools, the teams that finish first in each playing off for the cup. The second placed teams will contest a playoff match for 3rd, third placed teams for 5th, and finally the bottom placed teams will fight out for 7th.

Sunday's prospects: It means a win for the Angels Sunday will see them finish second and play the loser of the Wildcats v Kookaburras match. A loss will see the Angels finish third and face a playoff for fifth against Ottawa provided the Swans can take the points over the Blues.

Results: Pool A - Emus 32 def. Roos 2, Angels 29 def. Demons 0, Roos 44 def Demons 7, Emus 49 def. Angels 0.

Pool B - Wildcats 29 def. Swans 27, Kookas 24 def. Blues 8, Kookas 33 def. Swans 31, Wildcats 48 def. Blues 0.



ANGELS HEAD TO OTTAWA FOR NATIONALS


The Montreal Angels will contest the 2013 Canadian Women's Australian Football National Titles this weekend in Ottawa. Along with seven other teams the gruelling tournament will be played out over two days, the Angels taking a squad of close to twenty to the prestigious event.


Aimee Legault will continue her role as head coach having orchestrated several punishing victories over both Boston and New York in the lead up to the championships.

First held in Alberta in 2009, Quebec won the right to host the 2010 Championship and pulled off a major upset when the Angels defeated the highly fancied Edmonton Emus in the final. After two years in recess the championship is back bigger than ever with 8 teams from three provinces competing. For more information on the Angels quest for their second National title visit www.ottawaswans.com.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Angels fly to Edmonton



AFL Quebec will be well represented on the weekend in the Canadian matches against the United States, with 9 players participating in the 49th Parallel Cup.
If anyone wants to check out the games they are going to be streamed live on youtube.

Live Stream: http://www.youtube.com/edmausfc

10am (Womens Development Team) : Emily Legault, Tara Cools and Kelsey Martin
12pm (Mens Development Team) : Sean Smallwood, Matty Payne and Bogdan Rotaru
2pm (Womens National Team) : Margo Legault
4pm (Mens National Team) : Ronan Shaughnessy

Aimee Legault, Assistant Coach for the women’s teams

All the game times are local Edmonton time so add 2 hours for Montreal time.

Go CANADA! Go Angels and Go Saints!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

ANGELS BLITZ IN BOSTON FOR TWO WINS

In sweltering conditions the Montreal Angels have stormed to two convincing victories in Boston. The Angels overcome a fierce Boston Lady Demons to claim the first win of the day 5.11 (41) to 1.2 (8). In game two the Lady Demons fought off a determined Magpies unit to claim their first win 4.7 (31) to Magpies 2.2 (14). In the final match the Angels hit their straps romping away to a massive 88 point win,   Angels 14.4 (88) to the Magpies 0.0 (0).

Full match reports coming soon.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

2013 BOSTON WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

The Montreal Angels return to Boston this weekend to defend their crown against the New York Lady Magpies and Boston Lady Demons in what has fast become one of the highlights of the women’s football calendar. The tournament will also double as round two of the North-East Women’s shield which adds another exciting dimension to the weekend.

2012’s tournament saw an epic battle for the moniker of tournament champion, the Lady Demons unlucky to be pipped at the post by the Angels with the last score of the day. This year’s battle will have the added flavor of a full squad from Montreal and regiment from Baltimore strengthening the Angel ranks, a monstrous Lady Magpies roster which is on the improve and the Lady Demons primed to make amends for last year’s defeat. We take a look at each team’s prospects:

Boston Lady Demons
(2012 Tournament: 1-1 2nd overall, 2013 North-East Standings: 1-1 (3pts) currently 2nd).
If there’s one given in life it’s that no one takes a win from any Boston team on home soil without a fight. The Lady Demons proved that last year, controlling the play in both matches for the entire day before a five minute lapse saw them slip up with literally sixty seconds on the clock. The Lady “Dees” form in the Montreal Preseason Cup was quietly impressive. Without some of their superstars the Dees managed to put together some outstanding passages of play and looked deadly through the midfield. With a full squad on the park the Demons will be expecting nothing less than outright champions for the day.

Players to watch: Second year player Holly Teufel is the current North-East Shield leading goal kicker. Her high flying marks and amazing boot make her a nightmare for opposition defenders. Expect Teufel to feature in both the Magpies and Angels key match-up strategies. Emily Reihl’s return to the line-up will be a major boost. The dynamite onballer oozes class and has the ability to win a game off her own boot. With outstanding agility and speed Brighde Sullivan has fast become a focal point up forward and a big threat in front of the big sticks. A much welcomed presence across the backline, Jen Vogel’s experience and deft touch will ensure that every opposition score is a hard earned one. Joining an already star-studded midfield brigade, rookie Sarah Morin’s ability to break up plays and create opportunities through the center adds yet another gold plated cog to the well-oiled Boston midfield machine.
North-East Shield Prospects: Two home victories could see Boston claim outright first on 7 points.

New York Lady Magpies
(2012 Tournament: 0-2 3rd overall, 2013 North-East Standings: 0-2 (0pts) currently 3rd).  
The Magpies have the makings of a champion team, the task ahead is now how they get those talented puzzle pieces to fit together as a consistent and cohesive unit. It was a tough day out in the 2012 Boston tournament, New York failing to register a goal. But promising early signs of the Lady Magpies version 2.0 were on display in Montreal when they seized an early lead against the Angels and dominated much of the play in the first half of game one. Now the challenge is to string those purple patches together for four quarters. The steps of progress are clearly apparent from the black and white army, don’t be surprised to see a giant leap from this team come Saturday.

Players to watch: As the Magpies develop and get the ball into their attacking half more expect to see much more from exciting second year forward Lissette Hinjosa. The pocket rocket has talent to burn and will be a key ingredient to the Magpies rise up the table. The Lady Magpies will also welcome back from injury 2012 rookie of the year Alison Vorsatz. Her sublime work across the backline and ability to do the job in the ruck making her a prized asset to the Magpies fortunes. Sam “the silent assassin” Wolf’s nimble footwork and ability to burn her opponents with her speed will ensure the rival coaches keep a close eye on the Magpies secret weapon.
North-East Shield Prospects: Traveling for the second consecutive round any away victory will ensure the Magpies are right back in the hunt for the shield.

Montreal Angels
(2012 Tournament: 2-0 1st overall, 2013 North-East Standings: 2-0 (4pts) currently 1st).
It will go down as the heist of 2012, the Angels playing five minutes of inspired football that literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Boston. The Angels of 2013 will be a very different team, former star player and avid Harry Potter fan Aimee Legault now in the role of head coach. At her disposal is one of the Angel’s finest emerging teams with a wealth of first and second year talent coming through the ranks. The Angels will head to Boston confident they can get the job done, but fully aware it will take their very best to do so.

Players to watch: One of the most exciting players to watch Tara Cools-Lartigue has quickly developed into an absolute ball magnet. Playing as a defensive midfielder Tara’s ability to make her mark on the game is never questioned. Rookie Robyn Graham was thrown into the deep end on debut in Montreal playing through the midfield. The cream always rises to the top is an understatement for Graham who was amongst the Angels best with plenty more to come. Not many players have the confidence to develop and trademark their own move, but Lindsay “Spinorama” Belzie has done just that creating a highlight reel with her goals up front and slipping into equal second for the North-East goal kicking table. Impressive in her 2012 Boston debut and improving at a thunderous rate is the Angels Kelsey Martin. Martin’s adaptation to Aussie Rules and football smarts make her one of the most important links in Montreal’s forward line. 
North-East Shield Prospects: Leading the table by the smallest margins it’s all or nothing for the Angels. Two wins will give the team plenty of breathing space while any loss will see them swallowed up by the pursuing pack.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

ANGELS IN ACTION SUNDAY FOR AFL QUEBEC

Several players from the Montreal Angel's roster will be in action this Sunday for AFL Quebec Round 2 being played at Parc Champetre in Montreal.

Always a factor in their team's chances to secure a win last week Lindsay Belzie (pictured) and Margo Legault opened their scoring accounts with a goal each.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

ANGEL-SWANS FALL IN OAFL SEASON OPENER

Photo courtesy of Rob Colburn.
Angels Tara Cools-Lartigue and Margo Legault in action.
Three Montreal Angels made the trek to Toronto this past Saturday to suit up for the Ottawa Lady Swans in the Ontario AFL opening round. The Lady Swans were the surprise story of 2012 finishing 2nd in the women's division before being bundled out of the finals in straight sets. 

Up against a new and improved Etobicoke Lady Roos team the Angel-Swans fought bravely but eventually lost a scrappy contest by 21 points.

The Ottawa Lady Swans next match is against reigning premiers the High Park Lady Demons at home in Ottawa on the 8th of June.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

ANGELS SIT ATOP NORTH-EAST SHIELD DIVISION

Action from Round 1 NE Women's Shield

AFL Quebec’s recent Preseason Cup tournament also served as the debut round of the North-East Shield, an exciting new women’s Australian Rules football competition contested between New York, Boston and Montreal. The league has introduced an innovative new scoring system in which 2 premiership points are awarded for a win and 1 point for a draw. In addition, any away team that secures a victory or draw on the road is awarded 1 bonus point.


The hometown Angels and New York Lady Pies squared off in game one, the visitors having the advantage of stiff breeze at their backs in the first half. The contest was a tight arm wrestle early, both teams’ defences holding up well under the pressure. Margo Legault was in everything for the Angels but it was the work of the Magpie army’s Licata, Hinojosa and Casillas that swung momentum New York’s way. It would be Andrea Casillas who eventually broke the drought, the talented utility slotting through a classy goal on the run to give the Magpies the early lead. The Angels threatened to snatch back the lead late in the half, rookie Angel Robyn Graham leading the charge showing glimpses of brilliance on debut, but Magpie defenders Ervin and Ridwan held the fort down back and New York held on to a hard earned 4 point halftime lead.

The Angels fought back strong in the second half, Elaine Gilmore unstoppable through the middle adding a goal and putting the Angels noses in front. Veronique Chasse had been a handful for the opposition all game and Margo Legault was providing the Angels drive through the midfield dominating the clearances, the purple haze slowly gaining ascendency in the match. Despite having all the play the Angels were wasting opportunities in front of goal. The Magpies were far from out of the match and rebounded the ball forward against the flow of play scoring a behind. With only a goal in it the final nail on the coffin was delivered by Angel Emily Legault, the star ruckman slamming home her first goal of the afternoon allowing the Angels to run out  12 point victors, Angels 2.5 (17) to Lady Magpies 1.1 (7).

Game 2 pitted arch-rivals Boston and New York against each other. The Demons launched out of the gate, a goal to the midfield machine Alysha Olson and two to Holly Teufel giving the Boston squad complete control of the match early. The Magpies fought back with some forward forays of their own, Samantha Wolf playing a lone hand up front trying to ignite a spark and managing two behinds for her efforts. The Magpies were working their way back into the game with some solid work from Karen Muiter and Alessandra Nolting, but the early damage was proving difficult to undo and the Demons held a commanding 17 point break at the half.

With their backs to the wall the Magpies came out fighting. Melissa Fudor continued her sublime work through the middle and Aiko Neligan threw herself fearlessly into every contest but it simply wasn’t enough. Boston had their tails up and Holly Teufel was putting on a clinic in front of goal booting her third for the match. With further great plays from Andrea Williams and Anna Belfore the Demons stormed home to a 35 point mauling of the Magpies. Demons 5.7 (37) to Magpies 0.2 (2).

Boston’s fierce victory over New York had pundits billing them as warm favourites over the Angels for game three, but with some of the team’s marquee players already looking on from the sidelines things were about to get worse. The Demons six goal victory had come at a price, and now two more of their stars were sitting on the sidelines nursing injuries. In no mood for mercy the Angels were about to move up a gear. Tara Cools-Lartigue had been one of the Angels best all day, her attack on the ball and ability to win the contested ball a key to Montreal’s repeated forward plays. Lindsay Belzie who had started off slowly was also finding touch. Dominating up forward the spearhead finally slotted her first for the day and the Angels were off and running. Lisa Arredondo refused to throw in the towel for the Demons and led the charge for a mini Boston revival. It netted a point to Olson before the Angels snatched momentum back, Emily Legault starting to make her mark on the game peppering the goal face with three behinds. As the siren sounded for halftime an inaccurate Montreal held an 8 point lead and the Demons were hanging on by a thread.

Having formed an absolute brick wall in defense all day alongside impressive rookie Melissa Saltarelli, Mimi Eboka’s push forward earned her a first ever goal and a valuable one at that, as Montreal sat on the verge of breaking open the match. Kelsey Martin continued her stellar afternoon causing havoc across half-forward for the Demons defense and when Lindsay Belzie added her second major of the game and Emily Legault finally broke through for her first after kicking five behinds the Angels had sealed the match cruising to a solid 29 point victory. Angels 4.6 (30) to Demons 0.1 (1).

The results of the round placed Montreal at the head of the table, but only by the smallest of margins. The race for the North-East Shield very much still up for grabs as the three teams get set to battle out round two in Boston on June 15.

Monday, May 13, 2013

FOR THE ANGELS, 2 OUT OF 3 AIN'T BAD

Robyn Graham was amongst the best on debut
The Montreal Angels made a solid start to their 2013 campaign winning two out of three games and finishing runner-up to the Ottawa Swans in the AFL Quebec Preseason Cup.

The Angels recorded victories over the New York Lady Pies and the Boston Lady Demons before falling to eventual winners the Ottawa Swanettes. There were many promising signs from the home squad including the exciting performances of three debutants, Robyn Graham, Melissa Saltarelli and Vero Chasse. 

Full match report coming soon.

Monday, May 6, 2013

WOMEN'S FOOTY TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN MONTREAL

Clockwise from top left: Swans, Angels, Demons & Magpies
The 2013 AFL Women's Preseason Cup will take place at Loyola Campus, May 11th from 11am.


Some of North America's most exciting Australian Rules footballers will take centre stage at the Loyola Campus in Montreal this coming Saturday in the fifth annual AFL Quebec Preseason Cup.

The "Big East" has been a factory for women's Aussie Rules talent in recent years. The four competing teams; Boston, New York, Ottawa and Montreal can lay claim to a top-two Ontario AFL finish, a Canadian National title and several U.S National Grand Final appearances between them. Furthermore,  all teams are home to United States and Canadian National team players. It sets the stage for a blistering day of Aussie Rules football.

The defending cup champion Angels will be without their star midfielder and Team Canada captain Aimee Legault and backline giant Kate Allbon Sargeant, the losses will put the heat on Montreal's new crop of rookies to rise to the occasion and throw the door wide open for the any one of the three challengers to claim the silverware come Saturday afternoon. 




Wednesday, March 27, 2013

AFL sees the light on women's footy

Story courtesy of the Sam Lane and the Herald Sun, Australia's leading newspaper for Aussie Rules Football. Click HERE for the original story.

A match under lights at the MCG in June will be a contest between two AFL clubs unlike any before.
In an historic curtain-raiser, women will play for Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs before a round-14 clash featuring more familiar male faces who play for the same sides.

Fast forward to 2020 - the year the AFL has set as the target for a nationally televised female competition - and the idea is that the elite league as we know it today will support both male and female teams.

This year's one-off women's game, approved by the AFL executive this week, is part of that grander plan. The extraordinary Saturday night fixture is the result of quiet but determined lobbying for the AFL to get more serious about women's footy. On Wednesday, the league will announce the unprecedented Melbourne-Bulldogs game as a feature of women's round - a themed week the AFL introduced years ago with the best of intentions, but which has tended to lack substance, until now.

Before the June 29 match, there will be a ''draft'' where the best female footballers will be ''recruited'' by Melbourne and Bulldogs selectors. The match will also promote other females forging careers in football - umpires, trainers, statisticians and teachers, such as the VFL's pioneering assistant coach, Peta Searle.

Melbourne, a club that can rightly claim to be an early-adopter where women's footy is concerned, asked the AFL last year for a home game in women's round with a female curtain-raiser in mind. The major sponsor of the Victorian Women's Football League, Melbourne has not merely noticed that women's footy is the fastest-growing area of AFL participation, it has acted.

''The vision is that the Melbourne Football Club will one day have a men's team and a women's team,'' club chief executive Cameron Schwab said. ''The same way that there used to be a men's team and under-19s or reserves team that all represented Melbourne. At the moment, 50 per cent of the community can't have the opportunity to play for their AFL club. Why have we stopped that?''

Debbie Lee, considered the greatest female Australian rules footballer given she has won three VWFL premierships, five Helen Lambert Medals (the equivalent of the AFL's Brownlow) and will continue to add to her 263-game career this year, has also been instrumental in bringing the dream of the first women's match between AFL clubs to life.

Significantly, Lee, who has worked as a community development manager at both the Western Bulldogs and now Melbourne, has also had the ear of AFL boss Andrew Demetriou in recent times through a league mentoring program.
''The AFL has a vision for 2020 of a national women's competition, and really this is the start,'' she said. ''This gives young girls and women the dream of playing for their AFL club, which is phenomenal. I grew up barracking for the Bombers, but I could never dream of playing for them.''

The Bulldogs can also claim a hand in championing women's footy, largely through the generosity of club director Susan Alberti who has donated thousands to help prop up the VWFL. Bulldogs chief executive Simon Garlick did not hesitate in agreeing to the match.

Monday, March 4, 2013

AFL Footy in Canada - SBS Radio Interview

Never far from the spotlight, resident Montreal Angel Aussie Rules Superstar Margo Legault recently gave an exclusive interview to Australian media outlet SBS on the rigours of playing the game from the land downunder in the 'Belle Province', Quebec. 

To listen to the interview click this link HERE.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

AUSSIE RULES INDOOR TRAINING BEGINS!

And so it is, after a long winter break of nothingness, FOOTY IS BACK. AFL Quebec 2013 season starts Monday 4th February 2013 at 8.30 at College De Montreal with our first official indoor practice of the year - And guess what? We want you to be there! And who is you? You, can be anyone. You can have played the game before for years or you may never even have heard of the sport before.

 Whoever you are AFL Quebec welcomes you to come train with us. Whether you want to learn a new sport, get fit, or even just come for the social side of things, we have room for you. After the great success of last years indoor programme where we introduced and taught the fantastic game of Australian Rules football to so many new people we have gone one bigger and better this year and booked both gyms at College de Montreal. We will also have some top quality coach’s on board as well as a lot of experienced players eager and willing to teach the game.

 So invite all your friends and family and mark down the following dates for what is sure to be a great experience.
 4th February 2013 @ 8.30pm
11th February 2013 @ 8.30pm
25th February 2013 @ 8.30pm
11th March 2013 @ 8.30pm
25th March 2013 @ 8.30pm
8th April 2013 @ 8.30pm
15th April 2013 @ 8.30pm
22nd April 2013 @ 8.30pm

Registration is $35 for all 8 sessions or $5 per session. Pre Register at www.aflquebec.ca (go to membership>registration tab). For more information contact ronan@aflquebec.ca Check out the facebook event http://www.facebook.com/events/326697337448825/?notif_t=plan_user_joined#!/events/326697337448825/ (Open in a new tab)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Celebrate Australia Day with the Angels

This year the celebrations will take place in the sands of Griffin Town and everyone's welcome! This party has everything from Footy, Cricket, Beach Volleyball, live DJs to pies from Tourtiere australienne. Even a Magic Photo Booth that will transport you to Australia!

Starts at 4pm until 3am

Entry fee is 15$ and all proceeds will go to support Australian Football in Quebec. 
Visit the event on facebook: Australia Day 2013