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As we approach the halfway point of the 2010 OAFL season, plenty has been going on around the league. The season has proven to be one of the closest the league has experienced to date. Well, that is of course if you exclude the dominance of the Toronto Eagles, who continue to lead the way in the league as the absolute benchmark. The competition behind the Eagles is wide open as sides clamour for the last 5 finals spots to make it into the post season. Here's what us footy fanatics at BluesNews think of how the OAFL sides have fared so far.

Toronto Eagles: Obviously this club is THE best in the league. Some predicted that they might taper off after their 2009 Premiership with the departure of long time steward Troy Marsh, however, looking at the Eagles 7-0 record so far, we think someone forgot to tell the Eagles that!  Currently, they're relentlessly marching toward a potential unbeaten season, and an opportunity to defend their Premiership. This side clearly has every box for a successful footy club ticked. First and foremost they have a solid core of Canadian players with guys like Falcioni, Dimacakos and co. leading the way. Secondly the Australians they have, such as Peterson, Alister and Capoferri are all quality contributors both on and off the pitch. It's well and good having Aussie star players who dominate proceedings in games, but to have Aussies that help improve the Canadian stocks is key to the long term success of a footy club in the OAFL. Off the field, the Eagles executive are a committed group who for those looking in from the outside appear to have the club operations well and truly under control. Their social scene is solid and this is KEY in the success of any footy club. For those clubs who struggle to recruit and retain players - the social scene is what we at BluesNews believe is one of the most important aspects of successfully achieving recruitment targets. You have to remember you're not just a football club. A football club should be viewed more as a social club. This way you're not only recruiting players, you're recruiting members - thereby increasing your target market exponentially. The Blues are arguably and proudly one of the league leaders in this concept and believe that this has been a huge part of the success that they have enjoyed in their recruiting department. We think the Eagles subscribe to the same beliefs and as a result are reaping the benefits.

2nd Half Forecast: The Eagles haven't looked like losing a game in the 7 played so far, and we don't see that changing any time in the second half of the season... that is of course until they hit Rnd 13 when they meet the Blues for the second time this season. Rumours abound that the Blues and Eagles agreed to making this encounter an All-Canadian affair  - a league first (more on this later). Anyhow, Eagles have obviously ensured that they feature in yet another OAFL finals series.

Central Blues: Well obviously we have a soft spot for this club, but the Blues have clearly enjoyed their best start to an OAFL season in their short 5 year history sitting at 6-1. Remember, the Blues only won 6 games last season to barely scrape into the finals. So to have won 6 of our first 7 has been a drastic improvement. Their latest win against long-time nemesis the Etobicoke Kangaroos may be one of their best yet. It was the first time the Blues have ever sang the Old Navy Blues song at Humber Sth after a game against the Roos, and from all accounts the field is still echoing with that song, such was the ferocity with which it was sang after their Rnd 7 win. Their only loss so far has been at the hands of, of course, the reigning premiers Toronto Eagles, who easily dispatched a disappointed Blues squad in Round 3 at UTSC. The Blues have made no secret of the fact that they base their club very much around the model of the Toronto Eagles, constantly seeking to improve their Canadian stocks first and foremost - while at the same time welcoming any Australians players willing to come in to assist in the development of their Canadian teammates. The Blues have consistently had a huge presence on the Team Canada Northwind program - with Parker, Sone, La, Zimmerman and Postance leading the way. And adding to this experience, the Blues have added batch of 17 year olds in Kevin Callendar, Victor Cinco, Matt Keane, and Joey Labouthier, while older recruits in Riley Armstrong and Steven Rutledge have been brilliant in their debut seasons. Long time Aussie stewards including Jason Cain, Richard Jenner, Jaye Macumber, and Mark Dobson have made huge contributions to the improvement of the playing group in the past few years, while new faces such as Lombardozzi, Goedheer, McConville-Brain, Booth and Dunne all help to take the Blues training and playing intensity to whole new level. The recent crop of Australians have garnered some unexpected criticism by external media outlets as being the main reason for the sucess which the club has enjoyed thus far - but as with all other clubs in the league, there are only 6 Aussies on the field out of 18 at any one time for each side - so the other 12 players on the field apparently don't amount to much according to some stuporheroes. The Blues are happy to cop it however, taking solace in the fact that they have been in the finals for the past two seasons and look to be on their way to a third post season campaign - all with differing collections of Australian players strangely enough. 

2nd Half Forecast: The Blues have been in red-hot form since their loss in round 3, but remain a side which must play at its very best to ensure it continues to win. As shown by the erratice performances last year where when they were good, they were real good. But when they were bad - they were awful. So consistency is the key and the coaching group will be mindful of this and will continue to remind their players of this fact. With sides like the Hawks, Dingos, Roos and Gargoyles all only a game or two away from the Blues, 2nd position on the OAFL ladder is anyones' for the taking. If they manage to keep a lid on it, the Navy Blues should be a part of finals action for the third season in a row.

Guelph Gargoyles: After a disappointing 2009 season by Guelph standards the Gargoyles have obviously worked tirelessly over the off season to improve their playing group. Judging by their current 3rd placed position it appears that their hard work is paying off. Sitting pretty at 5-2 after only managing 5 wins for the entire 2009 season the Goyles would be somewhat satisfied - but we're pretty sure they won't be taking their foot off the pedal any time soon. The Gargoyles have always been an extremely proud club - and one which does not settle easily for mediocrity - so while they are currently in 3rd place - they would be itching to improve their positioning. Off the field the club appears to be very strong and involved. The new arrangement which sees the Goyles play a couple of games in Hamilton as part of the Hammer Double Headers has been extremely successfull in creating more of a footy carnival experience for players and spectators alike which can only be a good thing in the marketing of the game outside the GTA.

2nd Half Forecast: The Gargoyles have a fairly tough run in the closing stages of the season with Wildcats, Blues, Roos, Eagles and Hawks to come. But with the results so far aside from the Eagles all of these sides have been beaten - and if there is one side in the competition which always seems to surprise their opponents it's the hardhitting Guelph Gargoyles. We'd expect that they will win at least half of the 7 remaining games of 2010. Should make the finals this year and when in a side which must be respected.

Etobicoke Kangaroos: With a new coach, a new game plan and a relatively new playing group coupled with some senior players out with injuries and absences due to travel, the Kangaroos were always going to take some time adjusting in the early stages of the 2010 season. And that certainly happened with the Roos surprising many around the league by dropping their first 2 games of 2010 to the Eagles and Gargoyles. However after that the Roos have not missed a beat overcoming opponents including the likes of Wildcats, Hawks, and Dingos before narrowly losing to the Blues in round 7 to finish at the midway mark at 4-3. New Roos coach Steve Curran after acquainting himself to the nuances of OAFL footy will be devising ways that his players can continue to make their push up the OAFL standings. Also we should note the only sides to have beaten the Roos this year are the sides above them on the ladder - so there's plenty of motivation for the Roos to punish their remaining opponents. A pretty scary thought really. Curran has also been appointed by AFL Canada as AFLC Ontario Junior Development Officer - a great mark of respect for the Roos coach as he will be in charge of coordinating the recruitment and retention of the future stars of the OAFL.

2nd Half Forecast: Don't forget that this is the Etobicoke Kangaroos we're talking about here. They were undefeated in 2009 until the Grand Final and before that they were 2008 Premiers. So the ability and talent is obviously there. Now it's a matter of time for the players to continue to learn their new game plan and the Kanagroos will be well on their way. Their run home looks relatively good with encounters against the Eagles, Gargoyles and Hawks being some of the big games to note. The Roos will be looking to make amends for the round 1 and 2 disappointments in rounds 9 and 11 especially when they face the Eagles and Gargoyles respectively. We expect it to be business as usual come finals time for the Kangas in 2010.

Broadview Hawks: Sitting on 3-3 after their round 4 game (vs The High Park Demons)was cancelled due to inclement weather the Hawks are in a unique position. They have one game remaining against the Demons which you can argue should be a win for the favoured Hawkers. So for them to be in 5th position with 3 wins, it's a pretty good deal. The Hawkers lost a few of their Aussies from 2009 - but it has not appeared to have affected them much as they continue to show that their offensive arsenal remains intact, especially in their latest win over the Hamilton Wildcats, where the Hawks kicked 17 goals for a score of 110. The loss of their coach Martin Walter to the High Park Demons also appears to have had little impact on the Hawks outfit. However having said that the Hawks will need to play the Dees at some stage in the second half of the season to make up for Rnd 4 - giving Walter time to work on his Demons squad - this game could be one of the most anticipated games of the year for Hawks and Dees fans alike as the Dees coach faces his old club.

2nd Half Forecast: Hawks should once again make the finals. However the Hawkers will have the Blues, Dingos, Gargoyles and Roos to contend with the second half. Although the fact that of their remaining 8 games, 5 of them will be on their home turf at UTSC - which is a nice advantage to have on the home straight.  

Toronto Dingos:  The Dingos with a 3-4 record so far are currently battling with the Wildcats for the 6th spot on the OAFL ladder and a much coveted final Finals spot. But that's not to say they cannot improve to a higher position in the standings - as we are only at the midway point of the season. Also the Dingos showed in 2009 that they can score and score big, kicking some of the biggest scores last season including totals of 121, 106, 106, and 140. This club worked extremely hard in the off season with coach Mick McFarlane working with Blues coach Jaye Macumber for the most part to lead the Youth Training sessions funded by the league at Upper Canada College in January and February. Incidentally both the Dingos and Blues have debuted a few 17 year olds in the 2010 season in the senior squads showing that the league's youth initiative is starting to pay off. The Dingos Jimmy Diggan was selected into the AFL's Under 18 World Side and will surely have the Dingos faithful pumped to see the club recruiting talent of that ilk and age. This has been complimented by (with the assistance of the Rebels) a Dingos/Rebels Div 2 side in the Rebeldogs - quite possibly one of the collest team names going around. This Div 2 side will give the Dingos more opportunities to blood new players who will top up the Dingos senior squad in a great sign for the clubs future. 

2nd Half Forecast: The Dingos some may argue have seemingly limped across the midway point of the season having dropped their past 3 games, but if you look closely you should also note the quality of the sides that they lost to, being the Blues, Roos and Gargoyles. Delving deeper you should also note that aside from the Blues game the other 2 losses were by 10 points or less with the Roos only escaping by 3 points in the closest winning margin seen this season. So the Dingos are obviously well and truly amongst it. Their second half of the season looks quite good - given they have the Swans and Dees in games that the Dingos will be heavy favourites - and they should be considered at the very worst 50-50 propositions against the tops sides. With the explosive Dingos - anything is possible when they're on their game.

Hamilton Wildcats: The Wildcats compared to their 2009 heroics of a 9-5 record, have obviously struggled in 2010 sitting on 3-4 after 7 rounds. Despite some recruiting coups which saw the Wildcats pick up Luke Lombardini and Steve Bridle from the Kangas and Blues respectively many pundits around the league expected to see bigger and better things from the Catters. Clearly it has not worked out the way they would have liked with Bridle going down with a season ending injury in round 2 ironically against his old side the Central Blues. The Cats also had the Dingos, Blues, Roos and Eagles to contend with in their opening 4 rounds of the season - arguably one of if not the toughest runs possible. Despite the poor results on the field, the Wildcats have been extremely active off the field with the club extremely well run with the Tim Wilson leading the way for his beloved Wildcats. The Hammer Double Headers have been a tremendous success with the league scheduling a few rounds which see at least 2 games of footy being played during those rounds providing valuable marketing opportunities for the Catters. The Wildcats also managed to claim exclusive access to their home ground for training sessions during the week. So clearly somethings are going well for the Cats, and we expect that the onfield results to follow soon enough.

2nd Half Forecast: These Cats will not be throwing in the towel anytime soon. We expect that so long as their season still has a pulse these toughnuts will be looking to win their way into another finals series. However, their back half of the season is looking quite nasty with the Catters encountering the Dingos, Blues, Kangas and Eagles once again, not to mention the 3rd placed Gargoyles. Fair to say that the Wildcats will need to win at least half of these if they are to be a chance to challenge for a top 6 spot. Given the tough draw in the second half, BluesNews thinks the Catters may fall just short. Unless of course the sides above them drop games, so we'd never say never just yet.

Toronto Rebels: Let's face it, the Rebs have had a tough run in 2010 with a 2-5 record to date. But there's also been plenty of positive signs for the boys in the black white and teal. The club alongside the Toronto Dingos entered a combined Div 2 side called the Rebeldogs. The expectation is that this Div 2 side will assist both clubs in developing future talent. Giving new players an opportunity to learn the game in a more relaxed pace as compared to the Div 1 comp is certainly a great way to do it. The signs have also been good with the Rebeldogs enjoying their first win against current Div 2 league leaders in the Blues 2s in round 5. As for the Rebels seniors, they've also finished the first half of the season in fine style with a successful roadtrip to Ottawa, defeating the homeside Swans 83-14. A big win which surely would have been relished and celebrated by the Rebels squad well into the Ottawa night before a very quiet and hungover ride home to Toronto, but so worth it.

2nd Half Forecast: While it's still mathematically possible for the Rebs, it would be highly unlikely to see them make the top 6. Having said that the Rebels don't have "quitting" in their vocabulary so we would not be surprised to see them give a few of the top sides a scare in their match ups in the latter half of season 2010. These boys play as a very tight unit, possibly the tightest going around in the league - which is why they have always been competitive side.

High Park Demons:  After a devastating season in 2009 which lead to many analysts around the league to expect the Demons to fold in 2010, the Demons have been one of the remarkable stories of the 2010. League President and former coach of the successful Broadview Hawks Martin Walter threw his ample weight behind one of the foundation clubs of the OAFL to ensure that this historic club would not fade away into the history books. 2010 has seen the Demons go from a side barely able to make up the numebrs in 2009 to one which has pushed some of the league heavyweights in their match ups. At 1-5 the Demons still have an extra game to play in the second half of the season (Vs Broadview Hawks). Their sole win was against the winless Swans in emphatic fashion with an 81-19 victory. The Swans smashed the Dees in both their encounters in 2009 - so this win would have been thoroughly enjoyed by the Dees players and coaching group.

2nd Half Forecast: While the Demons have definitely improved on ther 2009 situation, they will be desperately keen to finish the 2010 season with some momentum. They will continue to struggle against some of the stronger sides of course - but should expect to win a couple more to add to their 2010 tally. After suffering at the hands of current league leaders the Dees will have plenty of motivation to dish out some revenge - making the wins that come their way all the more sweeter.

Ottawa Swans: The Swannies have well and truly struggled in 2010. Perhaps it was the weight of expectation that this side might actually have a shot at their first finals series in 2010 after they won 4 games in 2009 which brought them undone. Or more likely sides in the league took notice that these Swans are not the walk overs that they were in their first season in 2008 and accordingly took more care in their games to ensure a positive result. We think it's the latter - sides are taking these Swans seriously. Their off field operations are sensational with a vast network of volunteers and their match day organization continues to be second to none in the league as most visiting sides will attest. A few more pieces of the puzzle to fall into place on the field and they're not far from seriously challenging for their first ever finals spot.

2nd Half Forecast: The Swans will NOT finish winless this season. Plain and simple. The side is too well run and their playing list is not that bad. They have 4 out of 7 home games which will also help their cause. Underestimate the Swans at your own peril.

And there you have it, BluesNews take on the 2010 OAFL season so far for all the clubs involved. The build up for the second half of the season has been tremendous. So many questions! Will the Eagles remain undefeated? Will the Blues continue on their 4 game winning streak? Will the Roos bounce back after their shock loss to the Blues? Will the new Dees coach Martin Walter enjoy a victory over his old side the Hawks? Will the OAFL recruit anymore stuporheroes to their current stable of the Phantom, Jean, and now The Flasher... errr we mean the Flash - seriously how many heros can the league seriously handle?!?!??! Gee we like our OAFL footy a bit!

Please be advised that the views expressed in this article are NOT the views of the Central Blues AFC, Coaching Group or Playing Group. BluesNews are run by non-playing Blues members not involved with the running of the club. We could be way off with regards to information about some clubs as we're only looking from the outside in. We have tried to keep as much of what we say based of facts and statistics available at hand. If any club officials feel that is not the case, please forward recommendations for editing to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  - we would appreciate your assistance in keeping this report as accurate as possible. Otherwise we hope you enjoyed this little spiel.