FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Daniel Russo
Media and Public Relations Director
Dallas Magpies Australian Rules Football Club, Inc.
Phone: (469) 363-6983
E-mail: dpr@dallasfooty.com
The Dallas Magpies Australian Rules Football Club,
looking to move upstake its claim on the MAAFL standings title in round foursix, travel to Nashville Atlanta on July August 284 to face the Kangaroos Kookaburras for their second third away match in the
Mid-American Australian Rules Football League.
The game between the league rivals will begin at 2
p.m. in NashvilleAtlanta, Georgia.Tennessee.
Dallas leads the all-time series 1-0and Atlanta have never met.
In MAAFL play this year, Nashville Atlanta is 21-2, while Dallas is 32-1.
Last year, the Magpies and Kookaburra’s were both Division 1 teams (top 8 in the country) at the USAFL Nationals in
Kansas City – but the two teams did not meet, as Dallas was in Pool A while Atlanta was in Pool
B.
In Pool B play Atlanta beat MAAFL rival the St. Louis Blues, a team that Dallas beat in May this year in Dallas in a hard
fought match.
In previous MAAFL play, Dallas went on the road to play the Nashville
Kangaroos, a team
that is known to be strong at home. Dallas came
from behind to win
the game by 9 points. In the next round, Nashville traveled to Atlanta – whom
they consider to be their largest rivalry – and beat Atlanta convincingly, recording twice as many shots
at goal than the Kookaburras., in its first year in the MAAFL, played host to
the ‘Roos, and, in a fine display of football, came from behind in the final
quarter to steal a victory. What started out as an even battle in the first
half opened out to an almost six goal lead for the visitors. After a spirited address by coach Ian Russell and a
few positional changes, the Magpies dug deep and kicked 8 goals to 0 in the
final term. The
final score: Dallas 11.11(77)
to Nashville 11.3 (69).
The ‘Roos will be seeking revenge against the
‘Pies, and to notch their first victory in the series rivalry. The MAAFL match
will be a crucial game for both squads as they try to get a leg up in the 2004
league race and the coveted automatic Division I bid in the USAFL National
Tournament.
Dallas is now a game back of Atlanta, which is 3-0,
and half a game back of Milwaukee, which is 2-0 in MAAFL games this year. After
round four there will be only one undefeated team as Atlanta travel to
Milwaukee in what looks to be the game of the round.
The Magpies, after a dramatic come-from-behind
victory over defending league champion St. Louis in the opening round, fell to
1-1 in MAAFL play after the loss to Chicago. The Swans, who trailed by as many
as five goals in the second half, staged a furious fourth-quarter rally to pull
out a five-point win. Dallas countered the Chicago loss with a resounding
victory over Cincinnati.
As with all road games in
the MAAFL, this game will be hard fought, but with the MAAFL title on the line,
and with
the history in the series, the edge should go to the Magpies in this growing
rivalrywith
no history in the series, this game could go either way.
--MORE--
The 2004 Magpies MAAFL Schedule/Results:
|
Date |
Opponent |
Results |
|
|
May 15 |
vs. St. Louis |
W 69-60 |
|
|
June 5 |
@ Chicago |
L 89-84 |
|
|
June 26 |
vs. Cincinnati |
W 64-14 |
|
|
July 24 |
@ Nashville |
W 86-78 |
|
|
Aug. 28 |
@ Atlanta |
|
|
|
Sept. 11 |
vs. Milwaukee |
|
About the Dallas Magpies:
The Dallas Magpies are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization,
dedicated to fostering national and international amateur sports competition as
well as promoting a cultural exchange between Americans and Australians. The
Magpies participate in the Mid American Australian Football League, a division
of the United States Australian Football League, and also have a player,
Brandon Blankenship, competing on the U.S. National team during international
competition. The team is active in promoting the Australian national sport and
Australian culture through clinics at area schools and by sponsoring events
such as the annual Australia Day and ANZAC Day celebrations in the Metroplex.
For more details on organizing a school clinic,
playing footy with the team or supporting the Dallas Magpies Australian
Football Club, visit www.dallasfooty.com or e-mail
the recruiting department (recruiting@dallasfooty.com).
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