CEAFL Championship 2007!
09.06.07 Central European Cup
Finland goes Back to Back
Vienna set the perfect backdrop and playing conditions for the 2007 Central European Australian Football League (CEAFL) Championships.
Finland turned up to defend their crown, with teams from Austria, Croatia and Czech Republic all ready to battle it out for CEAFL bragging rights. Also on offer was the first leg of the 2007 Tri-Nations tournament, the Schnitzel Cup, played off between Austria, Croatia and Czech Republic.
Game 1:
Austria vs Finland
The championship opener saw the defending champions Finland pitted against the hosts Austria. In almost perfect playing conditions, both teams battled hard in a fast game which saw the teams equal in goals kicked and only 2 points separating the teams at the final siren. Thanks to the handicap system, the Austrians came away with the win.
| Goals | Behinds | Total | Handicap | Score | |
| Austria | 11 | 6 | 72 | 50 | 122 |
| Finalnd | 11 | 8 | 74 | 32 | 106 |
Game 2:
Czech Republic vs Croatia
Game 2 saw the first game of the Schnitzel Cup between defending Tri-Nations champions Croatia battle it out against the lads from the Czech Republic. In a closely contested match, Croatia did enough to get the job done against a courageous Czech Republic outfit, coming away with a well earned win.
| Goals | Behinds | Total | Handicap | Score | |
| Croatia | 11 | 5 | 71 | 40 | 111 |
| Czech Republic | 9 | 5 | 59 | 12 | 71 |
Game 3:
Finland vs Croatia
Croatia pitted themselves against a Finnish team that started to hit its straps. With the heat starting to become a factor a brave Croatian team, backing up from the previous game took it to the Fins. Unfortunately for the Croatians, the defending champions proved too strong and ran out comfortable winners.
| Goals | Behinds | Total | Handicap | Score | |
| Finnland | 15 | 13 | 103 | 32 | 135 |
| Croatia | 6 | 4 | 40 | 40 | 80 |
Game 4:
Austria vs Czech Republic
Coming off their first win the Austrians came into game 4 against the Czech Republic with high hopes. The Czechs wanting to put the disappointment of their first match behind them came out full of run. The battle in the centre was telling with the Czechs getting the ascendance. Although the Czechs finished the game 5 goals in front, the Austrian team had done enough to get the win.
| Goals | Behinds | Total | Handicap | Score | |
| Austria | 7 | 1 | 43 | 50 | 93 |
| Czech Republic | 12 | 6 | 79 | 12 | 90 |
Game 5:
Austria vs Croatia
Game 5 saw the Austria and Croatia play off for the Schnitzel Cup. In a hard game Croatia showed their determination and skillful running game to overpower the Austrians. Winning the game and in the process taking out the first leg of the Tri-Nations tournament by 4 points.
| Goals | Behindes | Total | Handicap | Score | |
| Croatia | 9 | 5 | 59 | 40 | 99 |
| Austria | 5 | 14 | 44 | 50 | 94 |
Game 6:
Finland vs Czech Republic
Game 6 saw red hot Finland take on the Czech Republic. In a fiercely competitive and free scoring affair, the Fins showed why they were the defending champions and secured the victory.
| Goals | Behinds | Total | Handicap | Score | |
| Finland | 15 | 7 | 97 | 32 | 129 |
| Czech Republic | 11 | 6 | 72 | 12 | 84 |
Final Table after regular matches:
| Played | Wins | Loses | For | Against | % | |
| Finland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 370 | 286 | 109,3 |
| Austria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 309 | 295 | 104,7 |
| Croatia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 290 | 300 | 96,6 |
| Czech Republic | 3 | 0 | 3 | 245 | 333 | 91,2 |
Grand Final: Austria vs Finland
With 3 teams locked on 2 wins each, only percentage separated Finland, Croatia and Austria for a spot in the Grand Final. In the end only 2 could go through. With Finland the clear cut highest scoring team in the competition safely securing their place. Austria got second at the end of the day and got the second spot in the grand final.
With all players feeling the fatigue from a full days play in the hot sun, the two teams were almost neck a neck going into the half time break. The second half saw Finland find that little bit extra to dig deep and use a highly skilled brand of footy out of the middle, overpowering Austria in the end to go back and take home the CEAFL Cup.
| Grand Final | Goals | Behinds | Total | Handicap | Score |
| Finland | 11 | 9 | 75 | 32 | 107 |
| Austria | 5 | 4 | 34 | 50 | 84 |
The CEAFL Championships are a testament to the development of Aussie Rules in Europe, not only as a sport, but as way of bringing like minded people from around the globe together.
The organizing committee of the tournament would like to express their thanks to the sponsors of the day, Wombats Youth Hostel, Vienna and AT2Steel, Austria. Without their continued support the day could never have happened.
Special thanks must be reserved for Ben, Ash, Rooster, Izzy and Kolja for organizing their respective teams and making the 2007 CEAFL championships a fun, action packed and successful day.
Game 
Fotos 
11.06.