Women’s Dodgeroos World Champions; Men’s And Mixed Place 3rd

May 7, 2016May 9, 2016 Dodgeball Federation Australia

The 2016 Dodgeball World Cup proved to be a great success for the Chemist Warehouse Australian Dodgeroos.

Played at the National Basketball Arena in Manchester, England, our Women’s Dodgeroos defied the odds, defeating European powerhouses Wales, England and Austria on their voyage to being crowed world champions.

Our girls never-say-die attitude was evident in the Knockout Stages, overcoming a four-point deficit against England in the Semi Final, to claim a pulsating 7 – 6 victory.

With the impetus riding on their shoulders, the Women’s Dodgeroos came out firing in the Final against Austria. After racing away to an early five-point advantage, remarkably the Austrians fought back to level the scores at 6 – 6. With only the final set to play, the Australians brought out their A-game when it mattered most, winning the set to record the greatest of triumphs, and officially be ranked number one in the world.

Here are some reactions, from the Women’s Dodgeroos’ captain and staff following the World Cup Final.

Right now I’m so proud of everyone, and I just have to thank Austria for an amazing game – Clare Spillane (Women’s Captain)

We played unreal, Austria played unreal. It was a great game, and I’m so impressed with all the ladies – Craig Payne (Women’s Coach)

We absolutely played well. We just had a game-plan, we stuck to it and it worked – Eric Cerrudo (Women’s Assistant Coach)

Moving on to the Men’s Competition, our Men’s Dodgeroos also performed exceptionally well throughout the World Cup, taking out 3rd place, overcoming Wales to win the Bronze Medal match.

Following a slow start to their World Cup campaign – losing the opening two matches against England and Wales – our boys bounced back, convincingly defeating Egypt, before staging a brilliant performance in the Quarter Final against Northern Ireland – in what was described as the match of the tournament – to stun the arena and record a 9 – 8 triumph.

Full of confidence following their awe-inspiring display in the Quarter Final, the Men’s Dodgeroos went into the final day with everything on the line – against the arch-enemy, England. The boys came out firing against the English in the Semi Final – the six-time European champions – silencing the home crowd with an early 4 – 2 advantage. While the boys put in a solid shift, unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep up with the eventual champions, going down 11 – 5 in the Semi Final.

With a top three finish still on the cards, the Dodgeroos took out the Bronze Match, prevailing 10 – 7 over a potent Wales outfit.

And finally, our Mixed Dodgeroos will also be proud of their efforts, claiming Bronze in the Mixed Invitational Competition.

After placing second place during the group stage, the Mixed Dodgeroos faced England in the Semi Final. Unfortunately for our Mixed team, they fell short against England, going down 11 – 4 against the eventual champions. However, the team bounced back in superb fashion, taking out the Bronze prize by overcoming Wales 10 – 6.

In what what a memorable tournament, Dodgeball Federation Australia would like to thank and congratulate the World Dodgeball Association, its backroom staff, referees, volunteers and fans for putting on a world-class event at the inaugural Dodgeball World Cup in Manchester.

The hospitality our Australian Dodgeroos players and staff received throughout the week, and during the tournament was second to none.

We mustn’t forget, Manchester Bees Dodgeball and Manchester University Dodgeball Society, who were very hospitable throughout our time in Manchester, and played an important role in helping us prepare for the World Cup.

The DFA would also like to thank all the other nations for playing their part, in what was an incredibly professional, competitive and enjoyable event to partake in.

On a more personal note, departing Manchester with each Dodgeroos team placed in the top three, is phenomenal, and testament to the hard work put in by all our coaches and players.

World champions for our ladies, ranked number 3 in the world for our Men’s squad, and a 3rd place finish for our Mixed team.

We look forward to the future of international dodgeball with the WDA, and of course, New York City in 2018.

FULL MATCH REPLAYS:

Men’s Dodgeroos:

Group Stage: Australia vs. England