The New York Magpies defeated the Denver Bulldogs by 21-points to win their first ever Division 1 Grand Final at the 2010 USAFL National Championship in Louisville, KY; 4.4 (28) to 1.1 (7).
The Magpies won all three of their qualifying games against Nashville, Seattle and Golden Gate to reach the grand final.
Qualifying results
New York Magpies 8.6.54 def Nashville Kangaroos 4.1.25
New York Magpies 5.6.36 def Seattle Grizzlies 5.4.34
New York Magpies 4.2.26 def Golden Gate Roos 2.2.14
The grand final was a hard fought match in temperatures reaching 90°F (32°C). New York got off to a strong start, kicking the opening goal of the game in the first few minutes, finishing off great midfield play up the ground. Denver hit back hard, leveling the scores with a goal of its own.
Both teams fought valiantly for control in the midfield in a very even contest, but New York kicked its second goal with a magnificent snap from the boundary line, putting them ahead by that margin leading into half time. Tempers flared on the half time siren after some heavy tackles, however both teams regained their composure heading to their respective huddles.
In the second half New York gained ascendancy across half back and the middle of the ground allowing them to start to control the game. The forward line continued to present well and was given plenty of ball supply. This enabled the Magpies to kick their third goal and give them a handy 14 point lead. However, the Bulldogs were never going to give up and continued to go in hard and pushed the Magpies to the end.
The Magpies remained disciplined sticking to their game plan, continuing their strong defensive pressure and hard running all across the ground in the second half. With their first National Title within reach, the captain sealed the win kicking his first goal of the game only moments before the final siren.
The 2010 National Title has been 13 years in the making and is dedicated to not only those who pulled on the New York Magpies jumper in this match, but to all those who have ever pulled on the jumper or been associated with the club in some form.
The New York Magpies also won the Division 4 National Title with a commanding performance throughout not only the Grand Final, where they defeated Denver / Kansas City 13.4 (82) to 0.3 (3), but also in their qualifying games, winning convincingly against Dallas/Austin 8.10 (58) to 1.1 (7).
In addition to winning the Division 1 and Division 4 titles, The New York Lady Pies exceeded all expectations (except for those of us who have seen them play this year) and went 2-1, just missing a shot at their own grand final in a tough four-point loss to the eventual premiers.
The New York Lady Pies results were;
New York/Baltimore-Washington 6.6 (42) def Atlanta/Sacramento 3.3 (21)
New York/Baltimore-Washington 6.7 (43) def Minnesota/Milwaukee/Toronto 3.4 (22)
Denver 4.1 (25) def New York/Baltimore-Washington 3.3 (21)
With the New York Magpies going 10-1 at the National Championships it shows the great depth and quality of people who are involved in the club in building the exposure for this great game in the US. And just to cap off a season to remember, the New York Magpies Captain Andy Brennan, was named the joint winner the of the US Footy League MVP.
Full Match reports, photos and video of all the games are available on www.nyfooty.com.
