The 2020 TIO Central Australian Football League (CAFL) season comes to a conclusion for the ‘town’ competitions this Saturday with four grand finals to be played at TIO Traeger Park.
The TIO CAFL Senior Men, Yeperenye Senior Women, TDC Refrigeration Men’s Reserves and AJ Services Under 17 Boys grand finals will take place with Rovers and the Pioneer E-Girls to defend their titles as reigning premiers of the Senior Men’s and Women’s competitions respectively.
Saturday’s schedule of games begins with the AJ Services Under 17 Boys Grand Final at 10am which will be contested between South and Federal. The Grand Final will mark the fourth time these teams have lined up against each other this season, their most recent matchup being the semi-final where South were 32-point victors.
There will be a sense of déjà vu in the women’s competition when the Pioneer E-Girls meet the Rovers in the Grand Final for the second year in a row. The two teams dominated in the home and away season with Pioneer finishing first and Rovers second. Their most recent clash came just two weeks ago when the E-Girls overcame Rovers by 26-points in a qualifying semi-final. A victory for Pioneer will make it three flags in a row.
The TDC Refrigeration Men’s Reserves Grand Final commences at 1:30pm between Federal and Rovers. Head-to-head form suggests Federal are the team to beat since it defeated Rovers twice this season. Both teams also met in the 2017 Men’s Reserves Grand Final when Federal prevailed by a point.
After finishing atop the ladder and earning a week’s rest following its Qualifying Final win, Rovers will be playing for its fourth consecutive premiership in the TIO CAFL Seniors Men’s competition. The Double Blues face Pioneer, who will be looking to win its first Grand Final since 2010, and their 32nd flag overall.
Rovers finished atop the ladder and will enter Saturday’s game undefeated in the two matches against Pioneer this season. Pioneer will be hoping to carry its recent form into the match after winning its way through to the Grand Final with a 34-point victory over second-placed Federal.
The cost of tickets for Saturday’s grand finals have been frozen at 2019 prices; adult entry will cost $10 and a child (4 to 15 years old) will cost $5.
In other good news for fans, ICTV will live broadcast the Senior Women’s, Reserves Men’s and Senior Men’s Grand Finals, with an impressive total of seven games broadcast across the weekend. Thanks to The Central Australian Women’s Legal Service, the Central Australian Football Club, Centrecorp and Yeperenye Shopping Centre, the broadcast of these games is possible and will also be shown live on the AFLNTv YouTube channel.
It’s the penultimate weekend of football for the ‘community’ divisions with five preliminary finals to be played on Sunday.
The MacDonnell Regional Council Under 18 Boys Preliminary Final will take place at 9am with Yuendumu and Ltyentye Apurte to battle for the opportunity to face Papunya in the Grand Final.
The first of two Division 1 preliminary finals will begin at 10:30am when Western Arrente and Papunya lock horns. The winner earns a spot in the Grand Final against the winner of the game between Ltyentye Apurte and Ti Tree at 12:30pm.
Yuendumu and Areyonga will open the Division 2 preliminary finals at 2:30pm, followed by Mt Allan versus Nyirripi at 4:30pm. The winners of these two games will line up against each other in the Division 2 Grand Final next Sunday.
Fans attending TIO Traeger Park on either Saturday or Sunday are reminded that COVID-19 health and hygiene rules are in place.Please be prepared to fill in a contact tracing form before entry to the ground and remember to do the three; wash your hands, stay 1.5 metres apart and download the COVIDSafe app.
Week 3 TIO CAFL 2020 Finals - Full fixture and results available on the SportsTG website.
** Astersiked games denote a game that will be live streamed on AFLNTv YouTube channel and live on ICTV.
Saturday - 'Town' competitions:
10:00am - AJ Services Under 17 Boys Grand Final - South vs Federal
11:45am - Yeperenye Senior Women's Grand Final - Pioneer vs Rovers **
1:30pm - TDC Refrigeration Reserves Men's Grand Final - Federal vs Rovers **
3:30pm - TIO CAFL Senior Men's Grand Final - Rovers vs Pioneer **
Sunday - 'Community' competitions:
9:00am - MacDonnell Regional Council Under 18 Boys Preliminary Final – Yuendumu vs Ltyentye Apurte
10:30am - Central Desert Senior Men's Division 1 Preliminary Final – Western Arrente vs Papunya **
12:30pm - Central Desert Senior Men's Division 1 Preliminary Final – Ltyentye Apurte vs Ti Tree **
2:30pm - Central Desert Senior Men's Division 2 Preliminary Final – Yuendumu vs Areyonga **
4:30pm - Central Desert Senior Men's Division 2 Preliminary Final – Mt Allan vs Nyirripi **
