Wikipedia

AFL National Championships

(Redirected from Teal Cup)

The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. Since taking over as national governing body in 1995, the AFL has gradually restructured the competition into a primary junior pathway for its fully professional national club competition.

AFL Under-19 Championships
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 AFL National Championships
FormerlyTeal Cup (1953–1976), Australian Football National Championships (1977-1995)
SportAustralian rules football
First season1953
AdministratorAustralian Football League
No. of teams8
Most recent
champion(s)		Vic Metro
(2024)
Most titles(D1) Vic Metro (19)
(D2) Tasmania (8)
TV partner(s)Fox Footy
Sponsor(s)National Australia Bank
Related
competitions		AFL Women's Under 18 Championships

The National Championships grew out of the Teal Cup which began in 1953 as a junior representative competition between the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. It was rebranded in 1976 to reflect its expansion to include representative teams from each Australian state and mainland territory, rotated between host cities.

The current competition is contested as a hybrid representative format. The best players from the Academy competitions (AFL club feeder teams) combine to form an 'Allies' team in conjunction with South Australia, Western Australia and two Victoria teams—Metro (Melbourne Metropolitan Area) and Country—to contest the division 1 tournament.

History

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Originally known as the Teal Cup, it began in 1953 as a junior representative competition between the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. It was an annual match between the two states, the winners would possess a trophy donated by the Teal family of Queensland. Members of the Australian National Football Council, most notably Victorian representative Bruce Andrew, assisted in the establishment the competition in its early days.[1]

The Australian Capital Territory was the first other side to enter in 1973. With the addition of teams from each Australian state and mainland territory in 1976, the tournament was rebranded as the National Championships and rotated between host cities. The championships were split into two divisions with the strongest states including Victoria (later split into two sides: Vic Metro and Vic Country) comprising Division 1. Papua New Guinea was the first other country to field a team in 1979.

 
Under-18 All-Australian and WA's Most Valuable Player award winner Anthony Morabito from the 2009 championship.

In the absence of a national league, and less regular senior competition, it grew into one of the most important competitions in the country. Early on it was an Under-17 competition, however the age limit has been progressively increased and separate junior championships added for Under-15 level (commencing as the Shell Cup, now the AFL National Development Championships) from the 1970s onwards. It was a major talent pathway for underage players outside of Victoria to the VFL. As part of the AFL Commission's role as national governing body, the Victorian TAC Cup competition was restructured in 1992 to become the primary pathway to the AFL. As a result, representative development sides from NSW/ACT and Tasmania for a time have played in that competition instead. However, in recent years, the National Championships has regained its status as a primary AFL recruitment pathway as the growth of the sport outside Victoria has accelerated.

The division 2 competition was replaced by the Under-19 Academy Series in 2017, with teams from the 4 Queensland and NSW AFL clubs' academies in addition to Northern Territory and Tasmania state teams. The entire competition was changed to under-19s in 2021 (the competition has previously operated under-17s and under-18s competitions).

With the AFL Commission phasing out representative football at senior level since 1994, the National Championships are one of the few opportunities for players to play for their state or territory. Players typically share the senior team's guernsey (with the exception of Victorian teams, which play in variations of the state team guernsey—Vic Metro has a light blue Big V insignia, while Vic Country plays in a reverse white with navy Big V).

The best players from the academy competition then combine to form an 'Allies' team in conjunction with South Australia, Western Australia and two Victoria teams, Metro (Melbourne Metropolitan Area) and Country to contest the division 1 tournament.

The winner of the 2024 division 1 tournament was Vic Metro, defeating Vic Country 12.13.85 to 13.6.84.

Winners and awards

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Individual awards

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The Larke Medal is awarded to the best player in Division 1 of the competition. It is named in honour of a junior footballer, Michael Larke, who was killed in a bus crash while attending a trial match for New South Wales. The Hunter Harrison Medal is awarded to the best player in Division 2 and is named in honour of a former president and life member of the Northern Territory Football League, Hunter Harrison, who played a major role in the development of the AFL Youth Championships.[2] Each tournament, an underage All-Australian team is named; an MVP is also named for each team.

Past winners

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Year Division 1 Premiers Larke Medal Division 2 Premiers Hunter Harrison Medal Host/s
1953   Queensland[3] Brisbane, Queensland
1954-1962 Not contested
1963   Queensland[3]
1964   Queensland[3]
1965   Queensland[3]
1966   Queensland[3]
1967   Queensland[3]
1968   Queensland[3]
1969   Queensland[3] Brisbane, Queensland
1970   Queensland[3]
1971   Queensland[3]
1972   Queensland[3]
1973   Queensland[3] Sydney, New South Wales
1974   New South Wales[3] Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
1975   New South Wales[3] Brisbane, Queensland
1976   Victoria Mick Woods (Vic) Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
1977   Victoria Rodney Watts (Vic) Melbourne, Victoria
1978   South Australia Mark Weideman (SA) Brisbane, Queensland
1979   South Australia Grant Campbell (WA) Hobart, Tasmania
1980   South Australia Darryl Murphy (ACT) Perth, Western Australia
1981   Victoria Paul Salmon (Vic) Melbourne, Victoria
1982   Victoria Michael Phyland (NSW) Brisbane, Queensland
1983   Victoria Greg Anderson (SA) Darwin, Northern Territory
1984   Victoria David Condon (NSW) Sydney, New South Wales
1985   Western Australia Jason Kerr (NSW) Perth, Western Australia
1986   Victoria Stephen Lawrence (Qld) Adelaide, South Australia
1987   Victoria Steven Kolyniuk (Vic) Hobart, Tasmania
1988   Victoria Robbie Wright (NSW) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
1989   Vic Country Ray Windsor (Qld) Melbourne, Victoria
1990   Vic Metro Paul Williams (Tas) Brisbane, Queensland
1991   South Australia Robert Neill (ACT) Darwin, Northern Territory
1992   Vic Metro Daniel Southern (WA)   Vic Country Michael Voss (Qld) Melbourne, Victoria
1993   Vic Metro Shaun McManus (WA)   New South Wales Mark Ryan (NT) Adelaide, South Australia
1994   Vic Metro Daniel Harford (Vic M.)   Vic Country Michael Martin (Tas) Perth, Western Australia
1995   South Australia Luke Godden (Vic M.)
Ben Setchell (Vic C.)		   Western Australia Steven Koops (NT)
1996   Vic Metro Pat Steinfort (Vic M.)   Tasmania Matthew Bernes (Tas)
1997   Vic Metro Tim Finocchiaro (Vic M.)   Queensland Fred Campbell (NT)
1998   Vic Metro Garth Taylor (WA)  /  NSW/ACT Shane Young (Qld)
Derek Murray (NSW/ACT)
1999   Western Australia Paul Hasleby (WA)   Queensland Brad Green (Tas)
2000   Vic Country Kayne Pettifer (Vic C.)  /  NSW/ACT Ian Callinan (Tas)
2001   Vic Metro Sam Power (Vic M.)
Steven Armstrong (WA)		   Tasmania Tom Davidson (Tas) Melbourne, Victoria
2002   Vic Metro Byron Schammer (SA)  /  NSW/ACT Anthony Corrie (NT) Melbourne, Victoria
2003   Vic Country Kepler Bradley (WA)  /  NSW/ACT Jake Furfaro (Qld) Melbourne, Victoria
2004   Vic Metro Jesse Smith (Vic M.)   Northern Territory Richard Tambling (NT) Melbourne, Victoria
2005   Vic Metro Marc Murphy (Vic M.)   Tasmania Grant Birchall (Tas) Melbourne, Victoria
2006   Vic Metro Tom Hawkins (Vic M.)   Queensland Ricky Petterd (Qld) Melbourne, Victoria
2007   Western Australia Cale Morton (WA)  /  NSW/ACT Craig Bird (NSW/ACT) VIC, WA, SA, NSW
2008   Vic Metro Jack Watts (Vic M.)   Tasmania Mitch Robinson (Tas) VIC, WA, SA, TAS
2009   Western Australia David Swallow (WA)
Andrew Hooper (Vic C.)		  /  NSW/ACT Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT) National (excluding ACT)
2010   Vic Country Harley Bennell (WA)   Tasmania Sam Darley (Tas) National (excluding ACT)
2011   Vic Metro Stephen Coniglio (WA)   Tasmania John McKenzie (Tas) National (excluding ACT)
2012   Vic Metro Lachie Whitfield (Vic C.)   Northern Territory Jake Neade (NT) National (excluding ACT)
2013   South Australia Dom Sheed (WA)   Tasmania Liam Dawson (Qld)
Kade Kolodjashnij (Tas)
Toby Nankervis (Tas)		 National (excluding ACT)
2014   South Australia Christian Petracca (Vic M.)  /  NSW/ACT Isaac Heeney (NSW/ACT) VIC, WA, SA, NSW
2015   Vic Country Josh Schache (Vic C.)   Queensland Ben Keays (Qld) VIC, WA, SA, QLD
2016   Vic Metro Jack Graham (SA)  /  NSW/ACT Jack Bowes (Qld) National (excluding ACT)
2017   Vic Metro Oscar Allen (WA) (Replaced by Academy Series) Nick Blakey (Syd A.) VIC, WA, SA, NSW
2018   South Australia Sam Walsh (Vic C.) Tarryn Thomas (Tas) VIC, SA, QLD
2019   Western Australia Deven Robertson (WA) Connor Budarick (GC A.) VIC, NSW, SA
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[4]
2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[5]
2022   Vic Metro Will Ashcroft (Vic M.) (Replaced by Academy Series) Jaspa Fletcher (Bris A.) National (excluding Tasmania)
2023   Allies Ryley Sanders (Allies) Ethan Read (GC A.)[6] VIC, WA, SA, QLD
2024   Vic Metro Harvey Langford (Vic Metro), Leo Lombard (Allies)

Participating teams

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Current

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Division 1

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Division 2 (Defunct in 2017 now Academy Division)

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Since 2017, the AFL has replaced state and territory representative teams with an Academy division consisting of its QLD and NSW AFL Club sides: GWS Giants, Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns and Sydney Swans. The following sides still contest the U16 championships but not the U18 championships:

  •  /  New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory)
  •  /  Queensland (Queensland)
  •  /  Northern Territory (Northern Territory)
  •  /  Tasmania (Tasmania)

Full List

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Currently participating
Team Years participating Region/s represented Div 1 Premierships Div 1 Premiership Year/s Div 2 Premierships Div 2 Premiership Year/s Notes
Allies 2016- Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania 1 2023 See also Allies team
Australian Capital Territory 1973-1995   Australian Capital Territory [7][8] (later combined within New South Wales)
Brisbane Lions 2017- (club) See Brisbane Lions Academy
Gold Coast Suns 2017- (club) See Gold Coast Suns Academy
GWS Giants 2017- (club) See GWS Giants Academy
New South Wales 1953-1995   New South Wales 2 1974-75 1 1993 Previously governed by NSWAFL. Combined with ACT in 1996 by AFL NSW/ACT.
New South Wales-Australian Capital Territory 1996-2016   New South Wales and   Australian Capital Territory 8 1998, 2000, 2002-03, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 [9] Governed by AFL NSW/ACT
Northern Territory 1979-2016   Northern Territory 2 2004, 2012 Governed by AFL Northern Territory
Papua New Guinea 1979   Papua New Guinea See also Papua New Guinea underage national team
Queensland 1953-2016   Queensland 12 1953, 1963-73 4 1997, 1999, 2006, 2015 Governed by AFL Queensland
South Australia 1976-   South Australia 8 1978-80, 1991, 1995, 2013–14, 2018 See also South Australian state team. Governed by the South Australian National Football League
Sydney Swans 2017- (club) See Sydney Swans Academy
Tasmania 1976-2016   Tasmania 8 1996, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2010–11, 2013, 2018 Governed by AFL Tasmania
Victoria 1975-1988   Victoria 9 1976-77, 1981–84, 1986–88 See also Victorian state football team. Split into Vic Metro and Vic Country in 1989
Victoria Metro 1989-   Melbourne (Victoria) 19 1990, 1992–94, 1996–98, 2001–02, 2004–06, 2008, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2022, 2024 Governed by AFL Victoria
Victoria Country 1989-   All areas of Victoria outside of Melbourne 5 1989, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2015 2 1992, 1994 Governed by AFL Victoria Country
Western Australia 1978-   Western Australia 5 1985, 1999, 2007, 2009, 2019 1 1995 See also Western Australian state team. Governed by the West Australian Football Commission

Sponsors

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The tournament is currently sponsored by the National Australia Bank, having previously been sponsored by Caltex and the Commonwealth Bank.[10]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Bruce Andrew’s remarkable football life By Michael Roberts for collingwoodfc.com.au 15 April 2021
  2. ^ Barfoot, Michael (December 1995). History of NTFL. p. 107.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "History of the Teal Cup". 1976 Teal Cup Australian Football National Championship (PDF). Wagga Wagga, NSW: City of Wagga Wagga. 12 June 1976. p. 6.
  4. ^ Simply Energy WA U18s squad announced West Australian Football Commission 18 September 2020
  5. ^ UPDATE: Second WA v SA U19 clash looms, Vic season cancelled By Callum Twomey 3 September 2021
  6. ^ "2023 AFL National Championships U18 Boys All-Australian Team announced". AFL.com.au. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Last chance for bottom teams". The Canberra Times. Vol. 47, no. 13,456. 8 June 1973. p. 19. Retrieved 21 December 2021 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "Qld seeks junior rules game". The Canberra Times. Vol. 44, no. 12,494. 16 December 1969. p. 23. Retrieved 21 December 2021 – via Trove.
  9. ^ "AFL agrees to expand under-18 horizons". The Canberra Times. Vol. 71, no. 22, 054. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 September 1995. p. 24. Retrieved 10 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Taylor, Kevin. The Story of the Teal Cup and AFL National Under 18 Championships – Full Points Footy. Retrieved 4 July 2013, from the Pandora Archive.

References

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  • Lovett, Michael, ed. (2005). AFL Record Guide to Season 2005. Australian Football League Publishing/Geoff Slattery Publishing Pty Limited. p. 764. ISBN 0-9580300-6-5.
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