The Australian Festival Cup - was
renamed from its original name "The Grand Final Festival
Cup" at the completion of the 1999 Grand Final Festival. The
first three years of the event - held with the Grand Final Festival -
were all Australian Football Tournaments. The Grand Final Festival was
renamed to the "Australian Festival" in 2000. Ironically
Australian Football was the major (and only) entertainment in the
early days - and the event was run in conjunction with the Grand Final
(always had a big party on the Friday night!!). The Cincinnati Dockers
and the Nashville Kangaroos were arch enemies - and met in the Grand
Final each time - with the 1999 final being outstanding. The Dockers
were several goals up in the final before the Kangaroos pulled within
one point with the festival home crowd going nuts. Unfortunately for
the Roos the Dockers slammed the door shut with a final goal in
the last minute to win their second Grand Final Festival Cup.
In what was called the most sensational game of Aussie Rules football played in this country, the Nashville Kangaroos failed to keep a grasp on their Australian Grand Final Festival Trophy as they endured an overtime game before going under to the North Carolina Tigers.
The Roos were clearly the better team during regulation but 2 turnovers late in the game swung the gate open slighty for the Tigers and the young, fit and agile lads - mostly college students from the tri-cities area of North Carolina - were quick to slip through. In no time a ll they had closed the gap to level the scores just as the siren sounded to signal the end of regular time. For the first time ever the Australian Grand Final festival Trophy went into overtime and the Tigers took full advantage of it kicking 4 goals to none in the period to take home the 2000 Australian Grand Final Festival Trophy.
The Nashville Kangaroos did battle with
Lehigh Valley Crocodiles and the Traveling Wallabies for 2 days before emerging
victorious in the 2001 Australian Festival Cup. The Championship Game played between the
Nashville Kangaroos and the Lehigh Valley Crocodiles was a very tight encounter for the
first 15 minutes before Nashville's larger bench took charge with fresh legs as they began
to run away with the game.
At half time the Kangaroos
held a 22 point lead, but Coach Nelson was quick to remind the Nashville team that they
had been in this winning position against the North Carolina Tigers and failed to win.
This speech quickly motivated the Kangaroos as they came out firing scoring 2 quick goals
in the first five minutes of the second half. Lehigh, to their credit fought out the match
all the way.
