2014 Shardball season

2014 ASL premiership season
File:2014SBSlogo.png
Overview
Date	7 March – 24 August 2014
Teams	8
Premiers	TBA
Minor premiers	TBA
Brownlow Medallist	TBA
Coleman Medallist	TBA
Matches played	88
Updated to pre-season.

The 2014 Shardball season was the fourth season of the Australian Shardball League (ASL), the national competition for senior men’s Shardball in Australia.

Adelaide Forge entered the 2014 season as the defending premiers, having claimed their first ASL title with a Grand Final victory over Hobart Crags in 2013.

Background

After three foundation seasons that established Shardball as a fixture of the national sporting calendar, the ASL entered 2014 with momentum and stability. The league renewed its naming rights agreement with Aurora Energy, while also expanding its digital footprint with a redesigned streaming service integrated into Foxtel and Kayo, giving fans access to live matches and archived content.

The fixture retained several innovations from previous years, including Gather Round in South Australia and Indigenous Round, but also trialled a return of Thursday night matches for selected marquee fixtures. Hobart Crags, buoyed by their breakthrough Grand Final appearance in 2013, launched a “Top Four or Bust” campaign under coach Anthony Preston, while Adelaide Forge sought to prove their premiership was not a one-off.

The Melbourne Titans entered the season determined to reclaim dominance after two seasons without a premiership despite consecutive minor premierships, while Sydney Shardhawks looked to recover from their failed 2013 title defence. Meanwhile, Canberra Sentinels and Darwin Cyclones invested heavily in youth development, positioning 2014 as a transitional year in their rebuilding programs.

Fixture changes

The 2014 fixture introduced a series of adjustments aimed at increasing match accessibility, boosting television audiences, and ensuring competitive balance across the 22-round home-and-away season. The league confirmed that each club would play every other club three times, with an even spread of home and away allocations determined by venue capacity and broadcast demand.

Thursday night matches returned as a semi-regular feature after a one-year trial in 2012, with six fixtures scheduled across the first half of the season. These matches were reserved for high-profile rivalries and showcase events, particularly those hosted in Melbourne and Adelaide. Gather Round was once again staged in South Australia, but for the first time included a double-header at Adelaide Oval, allowing the league to test back-to-back ticketing arrangements.

Sunday afternoon matches were shifted forward to a 2:50 pm start time, following consultation with broadcasters to avoid clashes with evening news bulletins and other live sport. In addition, the ASL confirmed that Hobart Crags and Canberra Sentinels would each host a match in regional venues — Bellerive Oval hosting two Crags fixtures against Victorian opponents, while the Sentinels staged one game at Manuka Oval and another at a new trial venue in Wagga Wagga.

The Indigenous Round was expanded into a full “festival” format, with Darwin’s TIO Stadium hosting a Saturday night feature match and the inclusion of cultural programs running across the Northern Territory throughout the week. Collectively, these fixture changes were designed to balance traditional marquee clashes with opportunities to grow Shardball’s audience in new markets.

Teams

b = defending champions

Club	Coach	Leadership group
		Captain(s)	Vice-captain(s)	Other leader(s)
Sydney Shardhawks	Daniel Kerrigan	Blake Foster	Aaron Kane, Riley Thomas	Marcus O’Neill, Ethan Ward
Melbourne Titans	Andrew Collins	Nathan Cross	Dylan Marks, Corey Ellison	Jack Harrington, Lucas Webb, Trent Miles
Brisbane Breakers	Craig Morton	Liam Drummond	Connor Hayes, Josh Farrelly	Tyson Cole, Brandon Harper
Adelaide Forge	Peter Lawton	Mitchell Grant	Zachary Doyle	Patrick Laird, Cameron Bishop
Perth Ironfangs	Darren McIntyre	Owen Marshall	Jared Collins	Heath Stanton, Kyle Rivers, Damien Cole
Hobart Crags	Nathaniel Brooks	Samuel Clarke	Oliver Kent	Matthew Dunbar, Lachlan Frost
Darwin Cyclones	Paul Hennessy	Jacob Reynolds	Daniel McCallum	Kieran Hunt, Sean Parker, Aaron Talbot
Canberra Sentinels	Michael Kerr	Ryan Gallagher	Matthew O’Connor	Dean Wallace, Corey Summers, Josh Hammond

Games

Round 1 – 2014 ASL Season
Date & Time	Home Team	Score	Result	Away Team	Venue (Crowd)
Friday, 7 March (7:40 pm)	Sydney Shardhawks	14.13 (97)	def.	Canberra Sentinels 12.11 (83)	Sydney Football Stadium (28,400)
Saturday, 8 March (2:10 pm)	Hobart Crags	13.15 (93)	def.	Perth Ironfangs 11.12 (78)	Bellerive Oval (19,900)
Saturday, 8 March (7:20 pm)	Adelaide Forge	15.12 (102)	def.	Darwin Cyclones 12.14 (86)	AAMI Stadium (30,200)
Sunday, 9 March (3:10 pm)	Brisbane Breakers	14.11 (95)	lost to	Melbourne Titans 16.13 (109)	The Gabba (25,600)

Round 2 – 2014 ASL Season
Date & Time	Home Team	Score	Result	Away Team	Venue (Crowd)
Friday, 14 March (7:40 pm)	Perth Ironfangs	13.12 (90)	def.	Adelaide Forge 12.13 (85)	Subiaco Oval (20,500)
Saturday, 15 March (2:10 pm)	Darwin Cyclones	14.10 (94)	def.	Brisbane Breakers 12.14 (86)	TIO Stadium (17,800)
Saturday, 15 March (7:20 pm)	Melbourne Titans	15.14 (104)	def.	Sydney Shardhawks 13.11 (89)	MCG (38,600)
Sunday, 16 March (3:10 pm)	Canberra Sentinels	12.15 (87)	def.	Hobart Crags 12.12 (84)	Manuka Oval (18,200)

Round 3 – 2014 ASL Season
Date & Time	Home Team	Score	Result	Away Team	Venue (Crowd)
Friday, 21 March (7:40 pm)	Brisbane Breakers	14.12 (96)	def.	Sydney Shardhawks 12.14 (86)	The Gabba (24,100)
Saturday, 22 March (2:10 pm)	Adelaide Forge	13.11 (89)	lost to	Hobart Crags 15.13 (103)	Adelaide Oval (31,600)
Saturday, 22 March (7:20 pm)	Perth Ironfangs	12.15 (87)	def.	Canberra Sentinels 12.11 (83)	Subiaco Oval (19,800)
Sunday, 23 March (3:10 pm)	Melbourne Titans	17.10 (112)	def.	Darwin Cyclones 13.12 (90)	MCG (37,900)

Round 4 – 2014 ASL Season (Gather Round)
Date & Time	Home Team	Score	Result	Away Team	Venue (Crowd)
Friday, 28 March (7:40 pm)	Melbourne Titans	15.14 (104)	def.	Canberra Sentinels 11.12 (78)	Adelaide Oval (42,300)
Saturday, 29 March (1:40 pm)	Brisbane Breakers	14.10 (94)	def.	Darwin Cyclones 13.11 (89)	Norwood Oval (20,400)
Saturday, 29 March (7:20 pm)	Hobart Crags	16.9 (105)	def.	Sydney Shardhawks 14.12 (96)	Whyalla Oval (19,900)
Sunday, 30 March (3:10 pm)	Adelaide Forge	13.15 (93)	def.	Perth Ironfangs 12.14 (86)	Barossa Park (22,700)

Round 5 – 2014 ASL Season
Date & Time	Home Team	Score	Result	Away Team	Venue (Crowd)
Friday, 4 April (7:40 pm)	Adelaide Forge	15.12 (102)	def.	Darwin Cyclones 13.11 (89)	Adelaide Oval (32,400)
Saturday, 5 April (2:10 pm)	Brisbane Breakers	13.14 (92)	def.	Canberra Sentinels 12.15 (87)	The Gabba (23,300)
Saturday, 5 April (7:20 pm)	Sydney Shardhawks	14.13 (97)	lost to	Perth Ironfangs 15.11 (101)	Sydney Football Stadium (27,900)
Sunday, 6 April (3:10 pm)	Hobart Crags	16.14 (110)	def.	Melbourne Titans 15.15 (105)	Bellerive Oval (22,600)

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	PF	PA	PP	Pts
1	Melbourne Titans	4	4	0	0	429	352	121.9	16
2	Hobart Crags	4	3	1	0	385	350	110.0	12
3	Adelaide Forge	4	2	2	0	369	372	99.2	8
4	Brisbane Breakers	4	2	2	0	371	378	98.1	8
5	Perth Ironfangs	4	2	2	0	351	358	98.0	8
6	Sydney Shardhawks	4	1	3	0	368	388	94.8	4
7	Darwin Cyclones	4	1	3	0	359	408	88.0	4
8	Canberra Sentinels	4	1	3	0	331	372	89.0	4

Updated to match(es) played on after Round 4. Source: ASL Official Records
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) points for