The 2011 Shardball season was the inaugural season of the Australian Shardball League (ASL), the newly established national competition for senior men’s Shardball in Australia. Serving as the highest level of organized play in the sport, the season marked the formal introduction of Shardball as a professional code, bringing together foundation clubs from across the country in a unified league structure. The competition set the groundwork for the ASL’s rules, scheduling format, and finals system, and its outcomes shaped the development of the sport in subsequent years.
Background
In October 2010, the Australian Shardball League (ASL) was officially established as the governing body for the new national Shardball competition. The league announced an initial five-year, $320 million broadcast agreement with the Nine Network and Fox Sports, marking the largest commercial investment in the sport to date. Key details of the deal included:
- Nine would broadcast one Friday night match and one Sunday afternoon match each round on free-to-air television, along with all finals matches including the grand final live nationwide.
- Fox Sports would hold exclusive rights to broadcast every regular-season match live, as well as provide dedicated commentary teams and weekly panel programs focused on Shardball.
- Nine’s digital platform, ninemsn, would stream all of its televised matches, while Fox Sports launched its new streaming service, FoxPlay, to simulcast its coverage of the competition.
- Saturday night matches were scheduled to be exclusive to Fox Sports for the first 12 rounds of the season, before Nine gained rights to a limited number of Saturday fixtures in the closing stages of the year.
In December 2010, ahead of the official fixture release, the ASL confirmed that the inaugural season would feature a 22-round home-and-away format, with each of the eight foundation clubs playing one another three times. The fixture also included a series of themed rounds such as Heritage Round, Indigenous Round, and the "Northern Clash" between Darwin and Brisbane.
During the same period, several clubs undertook branding launches to mark the new competition. The Sydney Shardhawks unveiled a crimson-and-black colour scheme with a stylised hawk emblem, while the Melbourne Titans introduced a navy-and-gold identity. Hobart Crags and Canberra Sentinels also released new guernseys designed to emphasise their regional roots. In February 2011, a pre-season exhibition match between the All-Stars and a composite “Rising Squad” took place at the Sydney Football Stadium, attracting over 28,000 spectators and building momentum ahead of the league’s opening round.
Teams
Games
| Round 1 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 25 March (7:40 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
14.11 (95)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 10.8 (68)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (32,450)
|
| Saturday, 26 March (1:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
18.9 (117)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 12.7 (79)
|
Docklands Stadium (28,360)
|
| Saturday, 26 March (7:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
15.13 (103)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 13.10 (88)
|
The Gabba (24,210)
|
| Sunday, 27 March (2:40 pm)
|
Adelaide Forge
|
16.14 (110)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 11.12 (78)
|
AAMI Stadium (29,875)
|
| Round 2 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 1 April (7:40 pm)
|
Darwin Cyclones
|
13.14 (92)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 9.12 (66)
|
Marrara Oval (16,200)
|
| Saturday, 2 April (2:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
15.10 (100)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 12.9 (81)
|
Docklands Stadium (27,900)
|
| Saturday, 2 April (7:20 pm)
|
Canberra Sentinels
|
11.11 (77)
|
def.
|
Adelaide Forge 10.13 (73)
|
Manuka Oval (14,850)
|
| Sunday, 3 April (3:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
12.15 (87)
|
def.
|
Sydney Shardhawks 11.16 (82)
|
The Gabba (25,400)
|
| Round 3 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 8 April (7:40 pm)
|
Perth Ironfangs
|
14.12 (96)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 12.13 (85)
|
Subiaco Oval (19,750)
|
| Saturday, 9 April (2:10 pm)
|
Adelaide Forge
|
13.15 (93)
|
def.
|
Sydney Shardhawks 11.9 (75)
|
AAMI Stadium (26,180)
|
| Saturday, 9 April (7:20 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
12.16 (88)
|
def.
|
Brisbane Breakers 12.10 (82)
|
MCG (34,420)
|
| Sunday, 10 April (3:10 pm)
|
Canberra Sentinels
|
14.9 (93)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 12.14 (86)
|
Manuka Oval (15,650)
|
| Round 4 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 15 April (7:40 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
15.13 (103)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 9.12 (66)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (29,850)
|
| Saturday, 16 April (2:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
14.14 (98)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 11.11 (77)
|
The Gabba (23,400)
|
| Saturday, 16 April (7:20 pm)
|
Darwin Cyclones
|
12.10 (82)
|
def.
|
Adelaide Forge 11.12 (78)
|
Marrara Oval (17,150)
|
| Sunday, 17 April (3:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
17.11 (113)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 12.14 (86)
|
MCG (36,900)
|
| Round 5 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 22 April (7:40 pm)
|
Adelaide Forge
|
14.11 (95)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 10.9 (69)
|
AAMI Stadium (21,300)
|
| Saturday, 23 April (2:10 pm)
|
Perth Ironfangs
|
12.15 (87)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 11.10 (76)
|
Subiaco Oval (20,150)
|
| Saturday, 23 April (7:20 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
13.14 (92)
|
def.
|
Brisbane Breakers 12.12 (84)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (30,200)
|
| Sunday, 24 April (3:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
16.12 (108)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 14.13 (97)
|
MCG (35,100)
|
| Round 6 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 29 April (7:40 pm)
|
Canberra Sentinels
|
14.12 (96)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 11.9 (75)
|
Manuka Oval (15,300)
|
| Saturday, 30 April (2:10 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
12.15 (87)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 10.12 (72)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (28,450)
|
| Saturday, 30 April (7:20 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
18.13 (121)
|
def.
|
Adelaide Forge 13.11 (89)
|
Docklands Stadium (33,900)
|
| Sunday, 1 May (3:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
15.10 (100)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 13.15 (93)
|
The Gabba (24,700)
|
| Round 7 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 6 May (7:40 pm)
|
Adelaide Forge
|
13.16 (94)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 12.12 (84)
|
AAMI Stadium (24,200)
|
| Saturday, 7 May (2:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
14.11 (95)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 10.13 (73)
|
The Gabba (22,900)
|
| Saturday, 7 May (7:20 pm)
|
Perth Ironfangs
|
15.9 (99)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 13.14 (92)
|
Subiaco Oval (18,850)
|
| Sunday, 8 May (3:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
17.14 (116)
|
def.
|
Sydney Shardhawks 13.10 (88)
|
MCG (38,200)
|
| Round 8 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 13 May (7:40 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
14.12 (96)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 11.14 (80)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (27,600)
|
| Saturday, 14 May (2:10 pm)
|
Adelaide Forge
|
13.13 (91)
|
def.
|
Brisbane Breakers 12.11 (83)
|
AAMI Stadium (25,200)
|
| Saturday, 14 May (7:20 pm)
|
Hobart Crags
|
12.10 (82)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 11.11 (77)
|
Bellerive Oval (14,950)
|
| Sunday, 15 May (3:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
15.15 (105)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 13.12 (90)
|
MCG (34,400)
|
| Round 9 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 20 May (7:40 pm)
|
Darwin Cyclones
|
14.11 (95)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 11.12 (78)
|
Marrara Oval (15,900)
|
| Saturday, 21 May (2:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
16.12 (108)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 12.14 (86)
|
Docklands Stadium (32,100)
|
| Saturday, 21 May (7:20 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
13.13 (91)
|
def.
|
Adelaide Forge 12.12 (84)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (29,500)
|
| Sunday, 22 May (3:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
15.9 (99)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 13.15 (93)
|
The Gabba (23,600)
|
| Round 10 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 27 May (7:40 pm)
|
Perth Ironfangs
|
13.12 (90)
|
def.
|
Adelaide Forge 12.13 (85)
|
Subiaco Oval (19,300)
|
| Saturday, 28 May (2:10 pm)
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
14.15 (99)
|
def.
|
Sydney Shardhawks 12.12 (84)
|
The Gabba (26,100)
|
| Saturday, 28 May (7:20 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
18.11 (119)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 10.15 (75)
|
MCG (33,450)
|
| Sunday, 29 May (3:10 pm)
|
Darwin Cyclones
|
14.13 (97)
|
def.
|
Canberra Sentinels 13.11 (89)
|
Marrara Oval (16,400)
|
| Round 11 – 2011 ASL Season
|
| Date & Time
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Result
|
Away Team
|
Venue (Crowd)
|
| Friday, 3 June (7:40 pm)
|
Adelaide Forge
|
15.10 (100)
|
def.
|
Darwin Cyclones 12.12 (84)
|
AAMI Stadium (23,700)
|
| Saturday, 4 June (2:10 pm)
|
Canberra Sentinels
|
13.12 (90)
|
def.
|
Perth Ironfangs 11.14 (80)
|
Manuka Oval (15,250)
|
| Saturday, 4 June (7:20 pm)
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
14.15 (99)
|
def.
|
Hobart Crags 11.11 (77)
|
Sydney Football Stadium (28,600)
|
| Sunday, 5 June (3:10 pm)
|
Melbourne Titans
|
17.13 (115)
|
def.
|
Brisbane Breakers 14.12 (96)
|
MCG (37,200)
|
Ladder
| Pos
|
Team
|
Pld
|
W
|
L
|
D
|
PF
|
PA
|
PP
|
Pts
|
| 1
|
Melbourne Titans
|
10
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
1095
|
853
|
128.4
|
40
|
| 2
|
Brisbane Breakers
|
10
|
7
|
3
|
0
|
930
|
854
|
108.9
|
28
|
| 3
|
Sydney Shardhawks
|
10
|
6
|
4
|
0
|
893
|
844
|
105.8
|
24
|
| 4
|
Adelaide Forge
|
10
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
892
|
850
|
104.9
|
20
|
| 5
|
Darwin Cyclones
|
10
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
912
|
923
|
98.8
|
16
|
| 6
|
Perth Ironfangs
|
10
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
843
|
969
|
87.0
|
16
|
| 7
|
Canberra Sentinels
|
10
|
3
|
7
|
0
|
842
|
915
|
92.0
|
12
|
| 8
|
Hobart Crags
|
10
|
1
|
9
|
0
|
748
|
985
|
75.9
|
4
|
Updated to match(es) played on after Round 10. Source: ASL Official Records
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) points for
Finals
