Milwaukee Bombers Win Division 2 Nationals

The 2003 USAFL (United States Australian Football League) Cooper's National Tournament was held in Kansas City, MO, this past weekend, October 10-12.

When all was said and done, the Milwaukee Bombers ARFC (Australian Rules Football Club) had won the Division 2 National Championship.

The tournament hosted three divisions, each holding eight teams respectively. The Milwaukee Bombers came into the tournament ranked 14th in the nation, which put them in Division 2. This was a division higher than the year prior for the Bombers.

The Bombers started the weekend with a match up against the 12th ranked Baltimore / Washington Eagles. At the half the Bombers were only up by a few points. They split the game open in the second half with a pair of goals and managed to hold off a late rally from the Eagles.

Milwaukee 4.6-30
Baltimore / Washington 3.3-21

The Bombers second match of the day came against the 10th ranked Arizona Hawks. The Arizona team came out strong, but in the end could not keep up with the speed of the Bombers. By the half the game had already been decided with the Bombers holding an insurmountable lead.

Milwaukee 5.10-40
Arizona Hawks 3.1-19

The final day of the tournament started with the Bombers facing the 16th ranked Nashville Red Roos. The Roos had also surprised some teams in the tournament coming into the match 2-0. This match was to decide who would qualify for the championship game. The Bombers fired out of the gates and never looked back, leading by over 30 at the half.

Milwaukee 6.5-41
Nashville 0.2-2

Competing against the Bombers for the Division 2 National Championship were the Santa Cruz Roos. This match up was incredibly close with the bombers up

8-7 at the half. In the second half the Bombers broke the game open with a pair of big goals. However, the Roos made a late charge at the Bombers bringing the game to within 2 scores before the siren blew.

Milwaukee 4-2-26
Golden Gate 3-1-19

The Milwaukee Bombers winning the Division 2 National Championship came as a quite a surprise to many teams across the U.S., including themselves. At the beginning of the year the Bombers had set a goal to qualify for Division 2 for the tournament, which in and of itself was not a sure thing. However, through continuous improvement during the season mixed with growing support from fans and other followers, the Bombers were able to get it done - and then some.

In the other divisions the Denver Bulldogs won the Division 1 Title and the Kansas City Power won the Division 3 Title.

- President
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