With the Boys Junior Hawks Cup regional cluster programme completed, the stage is set for an exciting AFL Junior Secondary School North Island Championships.
The best teams from around the North Island have been invited to compete, on the back of their performances in recent Hawks Cup tournaments.
The North Island Championships will be held on Saturday the 16th of November, at the Trusts Arena in Waitakere. Two high quality fields will be utilised for the tournament, which begins at 10.00am.
With eight teams competing from seven schools, it has become necessary to split the competition into two divisions. This new development shows the growth in AFL at Secondary School level over the previous year.
In Division 1, the winners of the Northland, Auckland Central, Counties and Waitakere Junior Hawks Cups will battle to be crowned Champions of the North Island.
The team from Bay of Islands College have the longest journey to make, and after winning the Northland Junior Hawks Cup they will fancy their chances. Rounding out Division 1 are One Tree Hill College, who won the Auckland Central Junior Hawks Cup, Southern Cross Campus who won in the Counties Junior Hawks Cup, and one of the two teams from Kelston Boys High School.
The Waitakere Junior Hawks Cup was dominated by Kelston Boys High School, so it is fitting that there are two teams competing in the Junior Secondary School North Island Championships. With Kelston Boys High School 2 winning the tournament, Kelston Boys High School 1 will be a strong contender to win Division 2. Kelston Boys High School are also the current North Island Champions.
The other three teams in Division 2 come from Aorere College, Mission Heights Junior College and St Paul’s College. Mission Heights Junior College and Aorere College have a score to settle, after drawing their match during the Counties Junior Hawks Cup. St Paul’s College, a proud sporting school, will also be hoping to make an impression after coming 2nd in the Central Auckland Junior Hawks Cup.
The Junior Hawks Cup constitutes the first step on the AFL New Zealand High Performance Pathway. Athletes that make an impression in these competitions can be rewarded with selection to the AFL New Zealand High Performance programme, from which the very best are selected to represent New Zealand at age group level.
AFL New Zealand is sanctioned by the New Zealand Secondary School Sports Council, and appears on the Sport New Zealand list of National Sporting Organisations.
North Island Hawks Cup Cluster Tournaments:
Waitakere: Won by Kelston Boys High School
North Harbour: Won by Rosmini College
Auckland Central: Won by One Tree Hill College
Counties: Won by Southern Cross Campus
Wellington: Won by Wellington College
Northland: Won by Bay of Islands College
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