The inter-conference Championship match of the 2012 North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) will be played between Queanbeyan and the Brisbane Lions Reserves at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Saturday September 22, at 11:30am local time.
After winning only four matches in 2011, Queanbeyan topped the Eastern Conference table in 2012 and defeated the Sydney Swans Reserves by 30-points to claim the Eastern Conference premiership.
The Brisbane Lions Reserves went from last in 2011 to finish first on the NEAFL Northern Conference ladder in 2012. They won the 2012 NEAFL Northern Conference Grand Final with a 60-point win over reining NEAFL Champions the NT Thunder.
AFL National Second Tier Manager Simon Laughton congratulated Queanbeyan and the Brisbane Lions Reserves on their efforts in reaching the championship match and said that the NEAFL is continuing to improve the standard, profile and professionalism of second tier football in the Northern markets.
“A key focus of the NEAFL is to provide a pathway for young talented players to get drafted,” said Laughton.
“Last year it was pleasing to have 11 players added to AFL lists, including four mature age players and we are hoping that a similar number will again be picked up at the draft later this year.”
The NEAFL is the second-tier league introduced in 2011 which built upon the AFL Canberra and AFL Queensland state leagues and took the top division senior teams from Qld, NSW, ACT and NT.
The NEAFL consists of two conferences: the Northern Conference (Qld & NT teams) and the Eastern Conference (NSW & ACT teams).
Teams within each conference compete for premiership success within their own conference, with the winner of each conference going on to play in the NEAFL Championship match.
Some of the highlights of the 2012 NEAFL season include:
– Introduction of two new clubs, Sydney Hills eagles and Sydney University
– A total of 184 matches played, including 14 cross conference matches
– The introduction of live streaming of matches, an online TV show and an Iphone app.
– The appointment of two new full time umpire coaches
– The introduction of Champion Data statistics for all clubs
The NEAFL Championship match will be streamed live via www.neafl.com.au
